Seven Mile State of Mind: Proposal Island
There has always been a romantic lure of the beach. We never needed The Beach Boys to tell us that, but they sure made careers of reminding us. Clearly, romance on the beach is alive and well here in Avalon and Stone Harbor.
In fact, it seems in the past few years, one cannot travel by The Reeds, ICONA Golden Inn, The Windrift or the yacht clubs on a Friday or Saturday evening and not be certain to catch a glimpse of newlyweds. This beach-wedding destination trend just seems to be growing by leaps and bounds; so much so, that a few years ago Seven Mile Publishing introduced Shore Weddings magazine, which has become a popular resource for brides-to-be.
But as magical as the wedding day is, more and more, couples are beginning their beach fairy tale long before that big day. In fact, planning a memorable proposal as the waves are rolling in or as the sun sets over the bay is so popular that documenting the event has even given rise to a whole new market for local photographers as creative grooms go above and beyond to make the event a memorable one.
So, let’s drift into a Seven Mile state of mind as we explore some sweet proposal stories for a few of our Seven Mile couples.
AMANDA & KEVIN: Amanda’s parents introduced her to Avalon almost as soon as she was born, and her dad introduced her to water skiing almost as soon as she could walk. Summer after summer, Amanda and her dad spent hours skiing the back bays of Avalon and Stone Harbor. These times spent on their boat with friends and family allowed for some of their fondest memories. When Amanda met Kevin, she knew her family and summer friends would insist he fall almost as in love with Seven Mile Beach and the boating life as he would with her. He didn’t disappoint, falling head over heels in love with Amanda and becoming quite the water skier, as well. As time went on, it became clear to Kevin that this was a match made in heaven. On Labor Day weekend, after sneaking champagne onto their newly restored 50-year-old Boston Whaler, Kevin and Amanda left the dock and headed out for a sunset bay cruise, which they had done many times before. Five minutes into the cruise, Kevin shared with Amanda a witty and thoughtful poem and asked for her hand in marriage. She said yes! They celebrated over champagne and a dance party while listening to James Brown.
LIZ & BOB: Liz and Bob met at The Princeton, the same place Bob’s parents had met a lifetime before. Both Liz and Bob had spent summers in Avalon and Stone Harbor for as long as they could remember. After a few years of dating and moving to New York City, they continued to spend as much time at the beach as they could. Eventually Bob choose a chilly Thanksgiving weekend afternoon on Stone Harbor’s 86th Street beach near Liz’s family home to propose. After sneaking to the beach earlier in the day to hide a bottle of celebratory champagne and arranging for a photographer to capture the moment, Bob suggested to Liz that they take Marley, Liz’s Portuguese Water Dog, for a beach walk as they had many times before. Though Liz was a bit curious as to why Prince Photography’s Scott Prince strolled the beach, never traveling far from them, she never expected Bob to kneel and pull a box from his pocket that chilly afternoon. As he slipped a beautiful rose-cut diamond onto her finger, she said yes – and Marley and the photographer were the first to know!
JULIE & TRAVIS: Julie and Travis met as teenagers working on 96th Street in Stone Harbor. Their romance and their times together at Seven Mile Beach lasted through high school, college and graduate school. For Julie and Travis, summer meant boating on the back bays. So when Travis decided to pop the question, he knew an evening sunset cruise on his boat departing from Julie’s family bayfront home was the way to go. A little wine, some appetizers and a picture-perfect evening with the promise of a spectacular sunset were in store for the future bride-to-be. Nature did not disappoint. Just as the sun dipped into the horizon, Travis dropped to one knee and presented Julie with a single diamond. After a few quiet moments to celebrate alone – and a couple of adorable selfies – they returned to the sound of Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” and announced, “We’re engaged!” to anyone within earshot. The couple returned to a deck full of friends and family and the celebration continued late into the evening.
CORRIE & JOHN: Corrie and John met a few years ago when they shared a classroom, teaching middle-school math. Stone Harbor and Avalon had long been a childhood summer home for John, and it didn’t take long for Corrie to become almost as enamored with our beautiful island as she was with John. As teachers, both looked forward to the end of the school year for some well-deserved time at the beach. When John decided it was time to propose, he went into planning mode, and both families participated. John’s parents presented the two with a La Vecchia Fontana gift card for dinner and planned for Corrie’s family to secretly arrive at their Avalon home after the couple left for their reservation. John arranged for a photographer to capture the moment. He planned to suggest a beach walk after dinner near Avalon’s 8th Street Jetty, the spot where Corrie said she first knew she had fallen in love with John. A tense day for John with hourly weather checks turned out to be the perfect evening he had hoped for – well, except for the extra-efficient restaurant service and the “to go” bag of leftovers Corrie insisted on bringing home. After stalling with an uncharacteristic and leisurely cup of coffee to allow time for the photographer to arrive on the beach, all systems were go. As the photographer hid near the dunes, John and Corrie strolled the beach. John took the leftovers from Corrie’s hand, dropped to one knee and asked her to be his wife. Overjoyed, Corrie agreed to be his bride and her surprise continued as they returned to John’s parents’ home to a houseful of friends and family.
So really, what could be more romantic than a stretch of white sand, gently crashing waves or the hum of a boat as it glides across miles of sun-speckled water? The magical power and beauty of our little island sure has a way of inspiring some hopeful grooms-to-be with thoughtful and charming ideas for popping the question. Perhaps the guys are counting on that same romantic magic to soften the hearts of the unsuspecting brides-to-be so that all the plotting and planning results in a joyful, resounding “YES!”
