Mark had booked the date, locked in the time, memorized the speech, chosen the flowers. Point Dume was the location — wide beach, iconic rock formation, the kind of backdrop that holds a special memory of his dates with Khloe. The night before the proposal, a landslide happened causing beach closure.
So we pivoted.
Leo Carrillo State Beach sits about fifteen miles northwest of Point Dume on Pacific Coast Highway. It’s a state park with a campground, metered parking, and, north of Lifeguard Tower 3, a stretch of cliffside terrain that most day-trippers walk past on the way to the sand. That’s where we declared the spot for the magic of their special moment.
Why Malibu
Mark and Khloe’s second date was a picnic in Malibu. They brought food. Sand got into everything. Khloe tried to fix it — quietly, without making a big deal of it. Mark watched her do it and thought: “Wow, this person is really different.”
That’s the moment he was falling for her.
The two met on Hinge and clicked immediately. By the time he reached out to us, he knew it was the right time, and that he just needed to make it official in the right way, in the right place.
Malibu was never negotiable. The specific beach changed overnight. The coastline didn’t.
The Location Switch — Point Dume to Leo Carrillo
When the Point Dume closure was confirmed the night before, we quickly put together a walkthrough for Mark explaining both locations — the pros of each, the safety considerations, where to park, how to get to the spot, what to expect on a Sunday in summer. We covered it all in real time, the night before the proposal.
Mark handled it the way you’d want someone to handle a last-minute pivot: calmly, flexibly, trusting the process. He’d never been to Leo Carrillo before. He’d never seen the spot. He just said: okay, let’s do it.
This is one of the things that’s true about proposals that doesn’t always make it into the planning conversation: the day will not go exactly as planned. The parking lot will close. The weather will shift. The park ranger will appear. What matters is having a photographer who has scouted the backup, who knows the terrain, and who can pivot without the couple ever knowing something changed.
For Mark and Khloe, the pivot was seamless. She had no idea.
The Proposal
The cover story was dinner. Mark had told her they were stopping at the beach on the way to a nice restaurant — he’d be going on a long business trip the following week, so this was a date before he left. She dressed accordingly. She had no idea there was a photographer, a setup, or a speech waiting on the cliffside.
When they got to the spot, Khloe laughed hysterically. Mark turned toward her instructing her the moment is happening, and to take off her sunglasses.
“I remember the last time we came to Malibu. It was our second date. And you know, that’s when I started falling for you. Because there was sand that got all over our food and we were trying to get rid of it, but you tried to salvage it. And I just thought when I saw that, I was like, wow, this person is really different.”
“I love the way you do your little silly laugh. I love the way that you hold me for warmth. And especially that you came out to the US to chase your dreams. I love all those aspects about you.”
“I want the rest of my life with you.”
He went down on one knee.
After the Yes
Mark had brought Khloe flowers the day before — not proposal flowers, just flowers, the kind of gesture that keeps a cover story feeling natural. When she saw them incorporated into the setup she laughed.
We spent the rest of the hour on the Leo Carrillo cliffside — the kind of place that hugs you close to the water, the sky, and the pelicans that flew over our heads.
Planning a Proposal on Catalina Island?
Leo Carrillo State Beach sits at 35000 Pacific Coast Hwy in Malibu, CA 90265 — approximately 28 miles northwest of Santa Monica on PCH. State-operated park with a campground, paid parking, and public beach access.
Parking requires payment. Main lots require a fee paid at a kiosk. Street parking along PCH is limited. Walk from the parking lot to the cliffside area is approximately 10–15 minutes.
Plan for wind. This stretch of the Malibu coast is reliably windy in the afternoons and evenings. Hair, flowers, and champagne spray will all behave accordingly.
Have a backup. As Mark’s experience shows, having a photographer who knows multiple locations along PCH means a last-minute closure doesn’t derail the day. The coastline is long. The right spot is findable.
Ready to Plan Your Own Surprise Proposal?
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and document every honest, beautiful moment. 💍✨
