Your Wedding Proposal At Berwick Park
A stunning surprise wedding proposal by photographer John Ruddock in Pacific Grove.
Berwick Park, Pacific Grove- Hello! If you are reading this, congratulations! You have just booked your wedding proposal photography with John Ruddock. Every spot on the stunning California coast is unique and has their own quirks. Now, because you and I cannot talk to each other at the location before your proposal, we need to get you in the right spot for me to capture the above image. So let me help guide you to this exact location.
It’s important to be right on time or a little late (2-5 mins) as you do not want to beat me there. If you get there before me, you will need to kill time which will make your partner wonder what is going on. We want to avoid that! So please try very hard to arrive right at the time we specified in our agreement. I need to be there before you so I can see what the light is doing and kick any people out of the spot before you arrive. This makes it easy to start right on time as I will be waiting ready to go. I will also need to know what kind and color of car you are driving so I know who to look for and I will also need a photo of you two (preferably on the day of so I can see the outfits you’re wearing in case someone shows up in the same kind of car as yours) so I don’t attempt to photograph the wrong couple. But anyway, back to how I get you in the right spot.
Since I will already be out at the spot when you park, you will need to walk out there on your own. Berwick Park is easy to find on maps and as you’re driving as there is a huge green lawn you will want to park next to (Do NOT confuse Berwick Park for Lover’s Point further down the road). There’s plenty of parking on Ocean View Blvd along this lawn so try and park somewhere next to the grass. Right in the middle of the lawn and closer to the ocean is this giant statue of two breaching humpback whales. Should be pretty obvious if you’re parking in the right spot. You’ll want to walk towards them as there is an easy staircase there that takes you down onto the coastal trail. Cross over the coastal trail and make your way out to the ocean. There are several little dirt paths to follow out there.
Once you’re on the other side of the main coastal trail you should be able to spot me. I will most likely have a black backpack on, black hat, and a big white lens hanging off me and I’ll be standing in the spot marking it for you and taking my own photos of the coast. Make sure you take note of where I’m standing because you will want to end up within 5 feet of where I am. I’m going to stand there long enough for you to get a good idea of where to go and once I know you’ve seen me I’m going to walk off and get into my position (usually this means looping around behind you).
When you arrive at the spot, give me at least 60 seconds to make sure I can get into position (you will be able to see me as I won’t be too far). If you have bags with you, try and put them on the ground on the outside of that little clearing. Just don’t put them at your feet. It helps if you aren’t wearing big puffy jackets, hoods, or sunglasses. You will definitely want your eyes to be visible in these photos.
Sometimes the person who is being proposed to will go rogue and walk around on their own taking pictures or what not. We can be patient for that but try and reel them back in to that clearing where I was standing as that is the exact spot. If you go too far away from there, I lose the best photo. Here’s an example of that.
She lead him away from the spot and then he proposed down there and ended up blocking her. Nothing I can do. So this was one that we reenacted a few minutes later.
A fun, photogenic way to pop the question up there is to have your partner face away from you, looking out over the water. Once they are facing away, drop to a knee and then just wait for them to wonder what’s taking so long to take this photo and when they turn around, boom: there you are with ring in hand. But there is no right or wrong way to propose. Remember, YOUR job will be to align yourselves so that I can see your partner’s face or both of your faces. I won’t be able to direct you two so you will need to do this on your own. See these samples below.
Notice how none of those guys are blocking their fiancés from my point of view. That is ideal. Be like them! That’s really the only thing you need to remember once you’re at the spot. Make sure she’s facing me and don’t block her.
And there we have it! After your partner says “Yes!” just be yourselves out there. Don’t worry about what I’m doing. Just get lost in the moment. If for some reason the alignment of yourselves was less than ideal we can always do a little reenactment where I will put you two in the right spot and we can redo it for the photos.
Once the initial excitement is over I’ll walk down and introduce myself. If you purchased my “Champagne” package we will then pop some bubbly and begin our 30 minutes of photos. If you are going with my “YES!” package we will do a few poses and I’ll let you two get back to celebrating your day. Super easy!
Have questions?
(831)279-6976
highorbitmedia@gmail.com
John Ruddock is a professional photographer based in Salinas, CA. John grew up in Half Moon Bay and has spent over 35 years on the beautiful California central coast. When he’s not photographing weddings, engagements, families, sports, and landscapes he’s watching the Giants. You can also buy prints of his best land and see images right here.