What to do after she says yes: engagement celebrations

Couples spend months planning the proposal and almost no time planning the hour after it — which is a shame, because that hour is pure joy, the adrenaline still buzzing, the news bursting to be shared. The newly-engaged moments are some of the happiest I witness, and a little forethought turns them from a lovely blur into a celebration you'll relive for years. Here's how to make the most of the "yes."

First, the toast — chilled and waiting

The single best thing you can arrange is a bottle of champagne already chilled and ready the moment she says yes. There's something about that first cold sip, glasses raised over the caldera, that crystallises the whole evening. It needn't be elaborate — two glasses and a good bottle is perfect. We build this into every proposal as standard; see private dining & champagne for how we set the toast in motion the instant you've asked.

Decide the mood: intimate or celebratory

There's no right answer here, only your answer. Some couples want to be entirely alone — to let the news sink in privately, walk slowly back, and savour the secret for a few more hours before telling a soul. Others want a celebration immediately: friends waiting around the corner, a restaurant table booked, a night that builds. Decide this in advance, because the logistics are completely different. The worst outcome is improvising it tired and overwhelmed in the moment.

A celebratory dinner

A beautiful dinner is the most natural next step, and it doubles as your cover story beforehand. Book a table with a view, ideally somewhere relaxed enough that you can sit in happy disbelief without ceremony. If you'd like it elevated, a private dining setup — a chef's table, a terrace laid just for two, a personalised menu — turns the meal itself into part of the memory. We can arrange exactly this as part of the post-proposal celebration.

A surprise gathering — if that's their style

For couples who love their people, nothing beats walking from the proposal straight into a room of friends and family who were secretly in on it. We've staged these many times: the partner thinks they're heading to a quiet dinner and instead finds a private terrace of loved ones, glasses raised. It takes coordination — guests briefed, kept hidden, timed to arrive after the question — but the double surprise is electric. If this is your couple, build it in early; it's a centrepiece of our Signature / Bespoke commissions.

Telling family back home

The urge to call parents is immediate and lovely — but think about logistics and time zones in advance. A few thoughts: decide whether you want to call from the spot, with the view behind you, or wait until you're somewhere quiet; check the time difference so you're not waking people; and consider sending one of the photographer's shots with the news. Briefing your photographer to send a single edited image fast (see photography & videography) means you can share the real moment, not just the words.

Consider a next-day couple's shoot

This is the idea couples most often wish they'd thought of themselves. The proposal photos capture raw emotion, but the next day — in your favourite outfits, relaxed, no nerves, no secret to keep — you can have a proper engagement session across the island's most beautiful backdrops. It's a completely different, joyful kind of photography, and it gives you portraits to treasure alongside the candid reveal shots. Browse the gallery for a sense of the look.

Don't forget to actually look at the ring together

It sounds obvious, but in the rush of emotion couples often forget the small, tender ritual of slipping the ring on and simply admiring it together. Take a quiet minute for it. Let her turn her hand in the last of the light, take it in, ask to hear how you chose it. Some of the most-loved photographs from any proposal are these close, unposed moments — her hand, the ring, the caldera soft behind. If you sourced or collected the ring on the island, or need it resized in a hurry, our ring sourcing & concierge service can handle that discreetly so it's perfect for the moment.

Telling the story later: keepsakes and the announcement

The celebration also lives on after you fly home, and a little intention now makes that richer. Ask your photographer for one or two edited images quickly so you can make the announcement while the glow is fresh — but resist posting everything at once; hold some back for yourselves. Keep small mementos from the evening: the champagne cork, a pressed bloom from the styling, the dinner menu. Couples tell me months later that these little objects bring the night back more vividly than the photos do. And if you'd like a short film of the reveal to share with family who couldn't be there, arrange it in advance with your videographer — a thirty-second clip of the real reaction is worth more than any caption.

You'll remember the question for a second. You'll remember the celebration for the rest of the trip — so give it the same care you gave the proposal.

Mark the engagement across the rest of your stay

The celebration doesn't have to end that night. Some of my favourite ideas for the days after:

• A sunset sail to toast again from the water — see the Sunset Sailing experience.
• A wine tasting at a volcanic vineyard, raising a glass somewhere new.
• A spa afternoon or couples' treatment to slow down and let it all settle.
• A quiet morning swim at a secluded cove, just the two of you and the ring catching the light.

None of these need to be grand. The point is to consciously stretch the joy across your trip rather than letting it peak and vanish in one evening.

And leave room to do nothing at all

My last piece of advice is the gentlest: don't over-programme the celebration. Some of the most precious moments couples describe to me afterward weren't planned at all — a long, slow walk home, sitting on the terrace until midnight, lying awake too happy to sleep. Plan the champagne, the dinner, the way you'll share the news. Then leave deliberate gaps for the unplanned happiness to fill.

If you'd like the celebration designed with the same care as the proposal itself — the toast ready, the table booked, the family surprise coordinated, the next-day shoot arranged — that's exactly what we do. Tell us how you'd love to celebrate and we'll make sure the "yes" is only the beginning. You might also enjoy our step-by-step guide to planning the proposal itself.