She said YES! Samantha and Charls got engaged on Friday August 28th out in Madaket at Jackson Point. The evening was gorgeous and Samantha’s reaction to the big question was incredible! Their joy was radiating as they celebrated together in the moments that followed the proposal.

I truly enjoyed helping Charls with his plans for the proposal though it was all his vision from the beginning, I was really just there to capture all the moments as they unfolded. He and Samantha share a love for the island and he was excited to propose in a place that had special meaning to them, a place they love to visit out in Madaket. When Charls first got in touch it was also great to connect as coincidentally his father worked with my father back in the 70’s on my Dad’s first Charter Fishing Boat here on Nantucket! Charls and Samantha both told me more about their love of the island and why it’s so special to them….I just love what they shared.

From Charls….”My grandfather began coming to Nantucket as a boy some time in the late 30s or 40s when doctors suggested that the salt air would help ease his asthma.  He and his mother stayed in Sconset, where he later would bring his family, including my father.  In turn, I was fortunate enough to spend the summers of my youth in Sconset among many generations of family and friends.  To me, Nantucket is a place where family traditions are timeless, and a place I hope to share with my family some day.  When I met Samantha in Boston, I was thrilled that she had a similar connection with the Island. I soon realized we’d get to share not only the place, but also the people and traditions that we have both grown up with for generations.”

How special for Samantha and Charls to both have such great family roots on this island 30 miles out to sea! Here’s more from Samantha about what she loves about Nantucket….”It’s hard to pick just one thing! Nantucket is “home” to me. I have been so, so fortunate to spend 25+ summers on the island and I really can’t imagine my life without this special place and the amazing community here. My family and I have met incredible people here who have become our lifelong friends. My sisters and I worked at Jetties for 10+ years, while my mom has run a clothing shop in town for years. I wouldn’t trade those summers for anything. I also LOVE Thanksgiving and “off season” on the island. It’s amazing to see how the island changes throughout the seasons- truly magical. Nantucket has been a special place not only for my family, but to Charls’ as well. While we didn’t meet each other out here, we quickly learned of each other’s love for the island when we started dating. We are so lucky to have this common bond and appreciation for the island.”

Nantucket offers such a unique and beautiful setting for families to come together and carry on traditions with each other year after year. It’s a great community and although I hadn’t met Charls and Samantha in person it turns out we have many mutual friends. I couldn’t be happier for these two and it was an honor to photograph such a special night for them!

One of the biggest challenges when photographing proposals is to ‘blend in’ and make sure that no one notices me so I’m often in a bit of a disguise. It’s always fun to figure out the best way to do this but needless to say at the little boat pier there were few places to ‘hide’ so I pretended to be a beach goer waiting for my friends to pick me up on their boat. I was thrilled to hear later on that Samantha had no suspicions at all when she saw me sitting out on the dock and she didn’t even notice me as I photographed the big moment. After many hugs, laughs and happy tears Charls eventually showed her that I was there and the whole moment had been documented! I loved Samantha’s words when I asked her if she was truly surprised….. “100%! I think you can tell by my facial expressions and the tears that followed. When Charls asked to do a quick drink before our family dinner, I didn’t think too much about it. We have been going down to Jackson Point Pier this summer for sunset drinks, so this didn’t seem out of the ordinary. Charls didn’t show any sign of nervousness either – he was quite calm, cool, and collected! The proposal was perfect – Charls absolutely blew me away! It was so intimate and felt so “us”. There were fishermen coming in/out of the boat ramps, ospreys landing in their nests, the sun was still shining – I mean it was absolutely magical. When he got down on one knee, it felt like time stopped. It was just me and him in this beautiful and serene place. Charls and I have begun every morning this summer with a walk by the water – it’s our time together. It’s pretty special that this new chapter of our lives began by the water in one of our favorite places.”

Charls was so sweet during the whole planning process for the proposal. I could tell he was truly excited and so in love with Samantha by the way he talked about her and their relationship. We had a ‘plan’ and it worked out perfectly! Here’s more from Charls about the proposal  and how it unfolded for him! “We picked up some absolutely TERRIBLE canned sangria drinks on our way to Jackson Point.  I had planned to go back to the car to get the ring, but this situation really made it believable that I needed to get a couple Gripahs from the cooler for us. The rest is a bit of a blur, but I remember putting the ring on her finger, her smile and the word YES!”

It has been such fun getting to know Samantha and Charls and their enthusiasm about the proposal photos has also truly made my day! They are the sweetest couple and I am so thankful to have been part of such a special evening! Here are more highlights from their proposal!

Enjoy! – Katie K.