There are two types of people planning a proposal in Sintra:
he ones who choose one beautiful location, keep things calm and simple
the ones who look at the Sintra coastline and think: “what if we did cinematic ruins AND dramatic ocean cliffs in the same afternoon?”
Jay very clearly belonged to the second category and I fully supported the vision from the moment he reached out to me.
The plan already sounded incredible on paper. We would start at the iconic Monserrate Palace for the proposal itself and then head towards Azenhas do Mar afterwards for the second part of the session before they finished the day with a celebration dinner overlooking the ocean. This was such a fun mixture of romance and the atlantic wind trying to personally attack us for funsies. The perfect plan!
As I said, we started in the Monserrate ruins which genuinely remains one of my favorite proposal locations in Portugal. There is something about that place that feels magical. The arches, the textures, the greenery slowly taking over the stone walls, it’s a real fairytale. Like Sintra collectively decided to become a fantasy film set for no reason. Jay had planned everything so thoughtfully too and Anastasyia genuinely had absolutely no idea what was about to happen. Which obviously made her reaction infinitely better because surprise proposals are always at their peak when there’s a solid thirty seconds where the brain is visibly trying to process reality in real time (even when your partner is secretly hoping for it to happen).
One of my most treasured parts of photographing proposals is exactly that moment. The confusion, the shock, the “WAIT!!!!! IS THIS HAPPENING?” energy before the emotion fully settles in. It never gets old to witness.
After the proposal itself, we turned the afternoon into a little adventure through the Sintra coastline and drove towards Azenhas do Mar for the second half of the session. And despite the wind fully committing to the bit that day, it honestly ended up making everything feel even more cinematic. Hair flying, dramatic skies, ocean crashing against the cliffs made it all a little more special for us.
But to be fair, Azenhas do Mar always delivers. The cliffs, the tiny white houses stacked against the coastline, the sea view stretching forever… it is one of the most beautiful places in Portugal to end a proposal session.
And for Anastasyia & Jay, this location was even more special because they had reserved a celebration dinner afterwards at Restaurante Azenhas do Mar, which honestly is SUCH a good proposal plan: emotional life-changing moment followed immediately by good food and wine overlooking the ocean. Incredible decision making honestly.
If you’re planning a proposal in Sintra, Restaurante Nortada is also an amazing option nearby, especially if you want somewhere more relaxed while still having a beautiful sea view. And if you’re exploring more around the coastline afterwards, Restaurante Búzio is another great choice for dinner or drinks near the ocean.
Honestly, this session ended up feeling like the perfect combination of romance, beautiful scenery and really good energy. Which, in my opinion, is exactly what a proposal should feel like.
