Shayla & Brandon | A Surprise Engagement Party at Lido Beach Resort

How Brandon Found Us

Brandon found us through our neighbors, Rich and Aleea. We’d been invited by Manatee Explore and Play to shoot a styled wedding session at Coquina Beach for the 2025 Manatee County Wedding Expo, and Rich and Aleea were the couple featured in that shoot, since they’d been married in New England where cloudy skies and rain had limited their wedding day portraits. The styled shoot gave them the sunset photos they’d always wanted, and Brandon saw those images and knew right away he wanted us for his own moment with Shayla. Fittingly, Shayla and Brandon are headed overseas themselves, where they’ll be tying the knot.

A Plan a Month in the Making

Brandon reached out to us more than a month before the big day, and he had it all mapped out. His cover story was simple: an early Easter dinner with Shayla and the family, nothing more. Behind the scenes, we reached out directly to Lido Beach Resort and gave their event coordinator a heads up on the plan, since we work closely with their team and wanted everything cleared and coordinated in advance. The resort had the whole space set for the evening, florals, champagne, and all of it, while Shayla walked in with zero idea what was actually waiting for her. Rich and Aleea came out too, helping set up the dinner space before tucking themselves into a bush about 100 feet away to watch the whole thing unfold.

Going Undercover

The day of, we shared Find My locations with Brandon so we could track each other in real time while his friends worked behind the scenes decorating. Rachel and I dressed the part, wide brim hats, cameras up like we were bird watching tourists on the beach. Being a two person team makes that kind of thing easy. One photographer standing around with a camera reads as a photographer. Two people walking the beach together just reads as a couple, so we can hang back near the family or move in close and nobody watching thinks twice. When Shayla and Brandon stepped onto the sand, we were already in position, playing pretend while they took a few photos of each other, no idea what was actually about to happen.

The Moment

Then Brandon got down on one knee, and the rest is history. What Shayla thought was a quiet holiday dinner turned into an engagement party with a slew of friends and family waiting for her, all in on the secret from the start, including the very couple who introduced Brandon to us in the first place.

Congratulations Shayla and Brandon. Thank you for allowing us to witness such a special moment for your family.