This Laid-Back Engagement Party on a California Beach Is the Epitome of Coastal Chic Style

Valorie Darling, owner and lead photographer of Valorie Darling Photography, first met Brian Jones when they were just kids. “We actually grew up across the street and have been friends since elementary school,” Valorie says. “Brian founded a travel company and invited me to join and shoot a sailing trip in Haiti with a group of friends. Somewhere between swimming in bioluminescence in the remote Caribbean and dancing to drums in the village, we fell in love.” 

The duo got engaged on January 11, 2023, when Brian proposed in the middle of a trip to India. “Brian used to live in Kenya and is passionate about safari and community-based conservation, so he pitched me the idea of going to India to go on a tiger safari and then kick back at the beach in Sri Lanka and the Maldives,” Valorie says. “We started in Jaipur and made our way to Fort Barwara, a dreamy palace, where he proposed in front of a tiny temple.” Once stateside, the duo knew they wanted to celebrate their new relationship status with family and friends, and an oceanfront engagement party quickly emerged as the frontrunner. After all, Brian owns Bliss Beach, a company that specializes in luxury beach party setups, and the couple loves to spend lazy days in the sand with friends. “We both love hosting and creating special spaces for people we love to kick back and connect, so having a soirée on the beach felt like a perfect representation of us,” the bride-to-be says. “We chose Will Rogers beach because it’s beautiful and one of the handful of beaches in L.A. where you can get a permit for a full cocktail bar on the sand.”

On April 2, 2023, Valorie and Brian invited 65 loved ones to join them in Pacific Palisades, California, for a laid-back cocktail party on the beach, complete with inventive signature drinks, a grazing table, and island-inspired tunes. Check out every beautiful detail of the day, as documented by the bride-to-be herself.

Valorie remembers the planning process as “super easy and fun,” thanks in large part to the creative team working behind the scenes at Bliss Beach. “They handled it all: Permits, rentals, set-up, food, beverage, and florals.” The bride- and groom-to-be knew they wanted it to be a relaxed, casual event, so they opted for one long teak grazing table with plenty of umbrellas, a horseshoe bar, and cozy lounge spaces that would encourage guests to mix and mingle. “We asked everyone to wear light, sandy colors, and when it all came to life it couldn’t have been more perfect,” Valorie says. “It looked like a private beach club from the Amalfi coast.”

Once the Bliss Beach team set up the long teak table, TYSM.LA and Viola Floral got to work creating an edible centerpiece that was one part beautiful grazing spread and one part stunning florals. The end result was a gorgeous edible centerpiece that—quite literally—looked as good as it tasted. Also on offer were assorted sandwiches from Yasmine Wahab of the Seed.

The hardest part of planning their engagement celebration? Narrowing down the day’s cocktail offerings. “The bar team interviewed us to design cocktails inspired by our preferences and story and then came to our house to present several options, which we had to narrow down to three or four,” Valorie remembers. “They were all so delicious it was tough to choose!” 

In the end, Valorie and Brian chose four unique sips for their day. “My signature cocktail was a spicy peach margarita called the ‘Off Duty Darling,’ and Brian’s was a cucumber, aloe gin spritz called the ‘Ski Nautique’ because he loves to waterski,” the bride-to-be says. “We also had the ‘Hotel Bliss,’ a play on a classic Cuban drink with cinnamon-infused banana liquor, and the ‘Genepy Tiger,’ an alpine, carrot, ginger cocktail named after our tiger safari proposal.”

With a gorgeous beach as their backdrop, Valorie and Brian knew they didn’t need much in the way of décor to make the space stunning, so they asked Viola Floral to focus on decorating the table and lounge spaces with tropical flowers and blooms in shades of white and dusty pink. Spencer from The Unlikely Florist added one fun pop of color beneath the surfboard that stood next to the bar: A bold bouquet of king protea, tropical greenery, roses, and ranunculus was arranged in a simple vessel and helped accentuate the detail.

Valorie kept her party look simple, understated, and comfortable. She borrowed a Camila Coelho Collection sweater set from a friend and paired it with white Zara jeans. “I wanted to feel fashionable yet relaxed,” she says. “It felt elevated while still being comfortable and warm.” 

“We loved seeing close friends meet each other and settle into a couch or sit at the grazing table and start telling stories,” Valorie remembers of the day. “There was a bike path that passed behind the set up and Brian told me to listen for the sound of tires breaking. All day long people would hit the brakes once they saw the party to stop and take photos!”

Bliss Beach also set up beach games, like corn hole, for guests to enjoy. In the end, though the party began at noon, most loved ones stayed until well after sunset. “On safari, there’s a tradition of ‘sundowners,’ which is essentially a toast to the sunset and the day,” Valorie explains. “When the sun went down, we all stood together, opened Champagne, and had a beautiful toast to our engagement and our favorite people around us.”

The bride-to-be’s best advice for anyone planning an engagement party? “Keep it simple and true to you,” she says.