Happy Engagement season! Usually around this time in the holidays or the end of the year, and according to Google search in the US alone most of the proposals happen during the months of December - February with up to 37 percent of couples getting engaged in the next and upcoming months! For this exact reason and because obviously I love engagements, and it is one of the main reasons I started this company, I want to share with you the best locations in San Diego that are known for proposals, and romantic scenery around the areas. Wether you are planning to propose, looking for ideas, or what works best for you, I hope this blog post can help you and guide you.

I’ve been a photographer for almost 10 + years before starting this picnic business and I think I have seen so many proposals here, and its just a must, the park is classy, elegant, romantic, and they have nice gardens year round.

• Balboa Park - close to downtown and most of San Diego, great to propose then plan a dinner at the Prado, or walk to a nearby restaurant in the Hillcrest area or Little Italy is super close too! Now the park is huge so these are spots I recommend : the archways next to the Organ Pavillion, Japanese Garden ( you need to pay an entrance fee, and photography fee ), the rose garden, and the garden area across the street from the Old Globe Theatre. The Botanical Garden will soon open next month that is also a cute garden, and spot you can propose. If you are ok with a not so fancy restaurant my favorite restaurant the Panama 66 has a bar, and food, and live jazz usually on the weekends, check their instagram or website for a calendar of their music.

  Beach locations are everyone’s favorite while planning a proposal in San Diego, I can almost guarantee you will most likely see a proposal at every beach here during sunset. Its just perfect, and the most easy! Here are some of the best beaches and that photograph well for proposals :

• Coronado Beach - Dunes, look at the area right next to the Hotel Del Coronado, and that area is great for a proposal, I recommend to do it on top of a dune, and you’ll get the beach in the background, and your family can hide in the dunes or friends. Trust me it works, I helped my brother propose here to my sister in law!

• Pacific Beach- Palisades park and the area down below, this beach area is very pretty and usually has great sunset views, I recommend to walk down to the beach and walk to the far right side, past the bathrooms, and walk down further to the right side, there is less people there and you get cliffs, beautiful rocks, and the beach, and it might feel a little private and less busy. Of course except if its summer and its hot.

• Calumet Park- La Jolla Bird Rock area- locals area and tiny small park overlooking the beach and cliffs, its a beautiful hidden park in a community, and lots of weddings happen here too, I recommend a weekday during the sunset and get a spot next to a bench, definitely do not recommend a crowd or family meeting you here, this place is tiny! but there is also cute romantic neighborhood restaurants near by you can walk too and have a nice dinner to celebrate.

• Windansea Beach La Jolla- this is my favorite beach, in La Jolla, its not that busy, great for sunset, and to have a picnic here ( not by us anymore due to new city regulations) but I’m still sharing because you can propose here and do a photo session at least ! the beach has won awards for the best beach in La Jolla.

• La Jolla Coast Walk Trail- its a small beautiful trail to walk in between La Jolla shores and to the main area in downtown La Jolla near La Jolla Cove and all of those places. You can’t beat the views of the ocean and the cliffs. I recommend parking and doing this walk and maybe choose a spot around here to propose, beautiful scenery, and depending on the day, and time it might not be too busy.

• Cuvier Park La Jolla- this area is also beautiful its one of the small parks and beaches in the Coast Blvd, past La Jolla Cove and the lifeguard station, if the area is free I recommend to use the wedding bowl, for its iconic views, but if its busy any of the areas to the immediate left and right works! We can help you plan something special here and a picnic, flowers, and photos.

• Presidio Park- Old town area, great for locals, its usually not too busy, has lots of spots that are green and can give you a charming look, I use this park a lot for photo sessions, and it also has nice areas that have sunset views. I recommend doing some florals under the arch way, some photos during the proposal and then end with a picnic to view the sunset.

• Sunset cliffs- Ocean Beach / Point Loma area- this place never gets old, it is massively popular for proposals and photographers! For a good reason, you can get stunning views of the ocean, and on a clear sky, a beautiful sunset! But I always warn people, this place is busy with weddings, picnics, and lots of proposals, I do recommend to go check it out before you plan something here and find a spot, and check how busy it is during the proposal. I usually plan a proposal to happen about 1 hour before sunset, before the crowds arrive and lots of photo sessions happen here on the daily. If you need help planning something here I can give you directions and plan something special using our services, wether its a set up ( limited on those but we can do flowers) or a photo session + video.

What you should know about the locations is that they are all public beaches and parks, so it means that they are not private or secluded. It also means that privacy and secluded, or having the beach to yourself is not guaranteed, too many factors are involved, and specially if you plan for a weekend, during the sunset. Its just not likely that the place will be empty, and keep this in mind when planning your proposal. I say this because it is the number one thing that every single person that has inquired about our proposal services. I repeat it all the time, and want to ensure you know the possibilities! But ensuring that you have help to plan this, and planning ahead, will help you better, to get a nice experience. I always recommend mornings, weekdays instead of weekends, and don’t do it on a hot summer day either, its just going to be busy everywhere no matter where you go. I also recommend to have a professional photographer if its in your budget, this helps you to capture the moment with a professional that has done this multiple times, and know when to capture the moment, and you will have these photographs from this special moment for the rest of your lives. If that is not in your budget always ask a friend to maybe get a phone pic or video if you can as well!

Have fun planning your proposal, and don’t forget to plan ahead, and if you need professional services we can help you! Email us at info@sandiegopicnics.com or view our proposal page for packages and ideas of what we offer.