How to propose in Big Sur.
Where to stand, how we stay hidden, and what it costs to have the moment filmed and photographed properly.
One minute you cannot rehearse, on ninety miles of coast.
A proposal is the hardest thing we film, and it is not close. A wedding has a schedule, a rehearsal and a coordinator. A proposal has one take, no rehearsal, and one person who must not know anything is happening. Everything that makes it work has to be decided beforehand, because once you are walking down the trail there is no way to communicate with us and no second attempt.
Big Sur is worth that difficulty. The coast between Carmel and San Simeon gives you bluffs four hundred feet above the Pacific, redwoods, and light in the last hour of the day that does not really exist anywhere else in California. It also has no cell signal for long stretches, narrow pullouts, and state park rules that vary from one headland to the next, all of which is exactly why planning it properly matters more here than it would in a city park.
We have filmed and photographed proposals along this coast, and full weddings and elopements too, so we know which pullout has room, where the light lands at six o'clock in October, and where a stranger with a long lens will look like a tourist rather than a crew. What follows is what we would tell a friend who asked how to do this. Proposal coverage starts at $2,500.
Where to propose on this coast.
Garrapata State Park
The northern gateway to Big Sur, about twenty minutes south of Carmel, with bluff trails above the water and a long beach below. It is where we filmed the proposal on this page. The advantage is practical as much as scenic: several separate vantage points within a short walk, so we can be a long way off and still have a clean line of sight. In late winter the hillside fills with calla lilies.
Bixby Bridge and the northern pullouts
The most photographed structure on the coast, and the most crowded. The bridge itself is not where you want to stand, but the headland north of it gives you the bridge in frame with room to be alone. Go on a weekday and early or late in the day, or accept that there will be twenty people behind you.
Pfeiffer Beach
Purple-tinted sand and the keyhole rock, down a narrow two-mile road off Highway 1 that is easy to miss. In winter the setting sun lines up behind the arch, which is spectacular and very well known, so it draws a crowd for that exact reason. There is a day-use fee and limited parking that fills early.
The redwoods along the Big Sur River
The right answer when the coast is fogged in, and a genuinely lovely one in its own right. Light comes down through the trees in shafts, the sound of water replaces the wind, and it feels enclosed and private in a way a bluff never does. Also considerably warmer.
Anywhere with the sun behind you at the right hour
Honestly, the specific overlook matters less than the timing and the privacy. Some of the best proposals we have filmed happened at unremarkable pullouts that were empty, well lit and quiet. If you tell us when you want to do it, we will suggest a spot that is right for that hour rather than the one that is famous.
See how it plays back.
Filmed and photographed at Garrapata State Park, start to finish, in about two hours. We were a long way off before they arrived and stayed hidden until she had said yes.
How we stay hidden.
We arrive long before you do
We are in position, set up and settled well ahead of your arrival, usually with a view of the path you will walk in on. Turning up at the same time as you is how a proposal shoot gets noticed, so we simply do not do it.
Long lenses, from further away than you expect
Most of the coverage is shot from a considerable distance on long glass, which is why we look like someone photographing the coastline rather than someone photographing you. It is also why the pictures have that compressed, cinematic quality rather than looking like a phone held at arm's length.
We agree a signal and a spot in advance
You will not be able to call us. There is no signal on most of this coast, so we settle the exact standing spot, the approximate time and a simple visual cue beforehand, in writing. A hat coming off, a particular bench, a phrase. Then we all just execute it.
Bring them in from a known direction
The single most useful thing you can do is walk in the way we agreed. It lets us frame the approach, get the light right and be certain we are not in your partner's eyeline. Improvising the route is what causes the shots to be missed.
We come out afterwards, not before
Once they have said yes and had a moment, we walk over and introduce ourselves, and then we usually do twenty or thirty minutes of portraits while everyone is still glowing. That part is unposed and it is where a lot of the best material comes from.
Nobody has to know we were there at all
If you would rather your partner never learns it was arranged, that works too. We have delivered films where the reveal was the film itself, weeks later. Tell us which version you want.
When to do it.
The hour before sunset, almost always
The coast faces west, so the last ninety minutes of the day are when this stretch looks like the reason you came. We generally aim to have you in position about an hour before sunset, which leaves room for the portraits afterwards while the light is still good.
September and October are the most reliable months
The summer marine layer has thinned, the light is warm and long, and the road is quieter than in July. May and June are often grey over the coast until early afternoon, which is not a disaster but is worth knowing if you have pictured blue water.
A weekday makes an enormous difference
Highway 1 is a destination in itself and the pullouts and overlooks fill by mid-morning on summer weekends. The same spot on a Tuesday can be genuinely empty. If you have any flexibility about the day, use it here rather than anywhere else.
Give the drive twice the time you think
It is under forty miles from Carmel to Julia Pfeiffer Burns and it can take well over an hour in summer, because one cyclist or one photo-stopping camper sets the pace for everyone. Being late for your own sunset is an avoidable way to ruin this.
Check Highway 1 before you commit
Slides close sections of the road most winters, sometimes for months at a time, and a closure can cut off access entirely or add a very long detour. Check Caltrans conditions while you are still choosing the date, and again the week before.
Things worth sorting in advance.
There is no cell service, so plan as though there is none
Signal disappears for long stretches south of Carmel and does not reliably return until you are back in town. Agree everything in writing beforehand, including a fallback time and a fallback spot if the weather turns, and assume you will not be able to change the plan on the day.
Download an offline map the night before
Navigation stops working exactly when you need the turning, which for Pfeiffer Beach is an unmarked road that is very easy to drive straight past. Save the whole coast offline before you leave Carmel.
State parks may need a permit for commercial filming
Several of the best spots sit inside California State Parks, which treat commercial photography and filming as a separate category with its own rules. We handle our side of it, but tell us the location early so it is sorted rather than discovered on the day. Confirm current terms with State Parks directly, as they change.
Wind and cold are the two things people forget
The bluffs are often fifteen degrees cooler than inland and considerably windier. A coat that can come off at the last moment is worth thinking about, and a ring is much harder to handle with cold hands than you would imagine.
Think about what happens next
The proposals that go best have something afterwards: a table booked in Carmel, a room at Ventana, family waiting somewhere. It gives the day a shape, and it means the two of you are not standing on a cliff at seven o'clock wondering what to do now.
Big Sur proposal questions.
How much does a Big Sur proposal video cost?
Proposal coverage starts at $2,500, which covers the proposal itself and a short portrait session afterwards, usually about two hours in total. Tell us the spot and the timing and we will quote it exactly. Travel to Big Sur is included.
Do you offer photography as well as film?
Yes. We have a photographer on staff, so you can book film, photography, or both from one team rather than coordinating two companies who have never worked together. Most couples take both, because a proposal is a moment you only get once and the two formats do different things with it.
How do you stay hidden?
We arrive and set up well before you do, shoot from a distance on long lenses, and agree the exact spot and a visual signal with you in advance, in writing, because there is no phone signal out there. Your partner will not know we exist until it has already happened, at which point we come over and take portraits.
How long does a proposal shoot take?
About two hours is typical. That covers us getting into position ahead of you, the proposal itself, and twenty to thirty minutes of portraits afterwards while the light is still good and everyone is still elated. Those portraits are frequently the couple's favourite part.
Where is the best place to propose in Big Sur?
Garrapata State Park is where we would start most people: bluff trails and a beach twenty minutes south of Carmel, with several vantage points close together. The headland north of Bixby Bridge, Pfeiffer Beach late in the day, and the redwood groves along the Big Sur River are all excellent. The right answer depends more on the hour and the crowds than on the view.
What if it is foggy?
Then we move into the trees, which is why we agree a fallback in advance. The redwood groves along the river are genuinely beautiful in fog and much more sheltered. Fog is a season here rather than a forecast, so from late May through August it is worth planning for rather than hoping against.
Do we need a permit to propose in Big Sur?
For the proposal itself, no. For commercial filming and photography inside a California State Park, sometimes yes, and it is treated separately from anything else. We look after our side of that, but tell us the location early so it is arranged in advance. Confirm current terms with California State Parks directly, since they change year to year.
Can you film a proposal elsewhere on the coast?
Yes. We cover Carmel, Carmel Valley, Monterey, Pebble Beach and Santa Cruz regularly, and San Francisco, where City Hall and the Presidio overlooks are popular. If you have somewhere specific in mind, tell us and we will say honestly whether it works for a hidden shoot.
What happens if they say no?
It has not happened to us, and it very rarely happens to anyone. If it did, we would stop filming, stay out of the way and delete anything you asked us to. You would not be billed for portraits that did not happen.