This Los Angeles proposal at The Grove in Beverly Hills was wild, spontaneous, and incredibly memorable!! You’re not even gonna believe the full story. 😉

Just 19 days before he planned to propose on March 29, 2020, Matt called me up and shared all the details. He wanted to propose to Arielle outside a museum in Los Angeles with champagne at the ready to celebrate! Afterwards, they would head back to a friend’s house for a surprise engagement party Matt had planned.

Then…COVID-19 happened.

Just days after Matt and I first talked, the shelter in place order went into effect in Los Angeles. We had to completely regroup with the plans since the museum would obviously be closed on the date of the proposal!

Matt took a few days to think about it, and then he called me back. He told me that his original goal was to actually propose in front of the fountain at The Grove, a gorgeous outdoor mall in Beverly Hills. This was where Matt first asked Arielle to be his girlfriend, so the spot was super special. Despite coronavirus, The Grove remained open for people to walk around the grounds. We decided it would be the perfect backup plan.

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At this point with coronavirus, all we knew was that it was important to keep our distance from each other. BUT, masks were not mandatory or honestly even recommended at this point! It was so early for COVID. So we forged ahead, knowing that I already planned to use a long lens to photograph the proposal which would allow me to give them plenty of space.

On the day of the proposal, I arrived early and found the perfect hiding spot. Matt’s sister and her husband joined me to watch the moment from afar. Matt and Arielle arrived, walked straight to the fountain, and he proposed!!! It was short and sweet. It was perfect. Arielle turned around and was totally shocked to see us there! She shed a few happy tears to say the least. 🙂

While we weren’t able to get together with their families to celebrate, we were able to get some portraits together nearby The Grove outside Matt and Arielle’s apartment building. It was such a blast getting to help them remember such a special moment!

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One highlight of this engagement story is that Matt and Arielle actually designed the ring together! It’s stunning, and it made me so happy to see them enjoy the final product after all the work that went into making it perfect.

Matt and Arielle are so incredibly flexible and FUN to work with! I am so happy I could capture this day for them, and I can’t wait to photograph their wedding day in spring 2021.

Enjoy this Los Angeles proposal at The Grove? Then you’ll love these engagement pictures at the Balboa Fun Zone in Newport Beach!