Blog
Notes from inside the bay.
Field notes on planning proposals in Puerto Vallarta, the psychology behind knowing you're ready, and the small craft of designing the moment, written by Olivia Ortiz.
Ideas & Perspective · August 2026 · 10 min read
A Beautiful Proposal Shouldn't Be Interchangeable
What happens when a proposal is designed to look romantic, but says nothing about the relationship?
Read the post →
Before You Propose · July 2026 · 9 min read
The Seven Questions Before You Propose
Before the ring and the knee, there are seven questions that decide if you're ready. What anthropology and relationship science know about being ready.
Read the post →
Planning Your Proposal · May 2026 · 7 min read
Planning an LGBTQ+ Proposal in Puerto Vallarta: Why It's One of the Best Places to Do It
You want somewhere beautiful, yes. But you also want somewhere you can hold hands walking to the moment and celebrate openly without a single glance over your shoulder.
Read the post →
Planning Your Proposal · April 2026 · 7 min read
The Best Time to Propose in Puerto Vallarta (A Local's Honest Guide)
You've chosen Puerto Vallarta. Now comes a question that matters more than most people realize: when? The month you pick shapes the weather, the light, the crowds, even the price.
Read the post →
Planning Your Proposal · February 2026 · 7 min read
How Much Does a Proposal Cost in Puerto Vallarta? An Honest Breakdown
If you're reading this, you've probably already decided that Puerto Vallarta is where you want to propose. Now you're doing the responsible thing: figuring out what it actually costs before you commit.
Read the post →
Planning Your Proposal · January 2026 · 8 min read
7 Things Nobody Tells You Before a Destination Beach Proposal
You've got the ring, or you're close. You've decided you want to propose somewhere beautiful, a beach, a warm coast, somewhere with sand and golden light instead of your living room.
Read the post →
Before You Propose · November 2025 · 10 min read
Why Personalized Proposals Feel More Meaningful Than Beautiful Ones
The difference between a pretty proposal setup and one built from a couple's own story, explained through psychology and anthropology. Why personalization, not decoration, is what people remember.
Read the post →
Before You Propose · October 2025 · 10 min read
How Travel Shapes Relationships: The Anthropology of Going Somewhere Together
Liminality, Victor Turner's communitas, and the Arons' self-expansion model: what anthropology and relationship science actually say about why a trip can deepen a partnership.
Read the post →
Planning Your Proposal · August 2025 · 7 min read
Why Puerto Vallarta Is Worth the Trip to Propose
The actual case for a destination proposal in Puerto Vallarta: the trip becomes the cover story, the geography frames mountain and sea in one shot, and the light was made for the camera.
Read the post →
Planning Your Proposal · July 2025 · 9 min read
How to Plan a Surprise Proposal Without Them Suspecting a Thing
A planner's playbook for a surprise proposal your partner never sees coming: cover stories, hiding the ring, the hidden photographer, weather backups, and managing your own nerves.
Read the post →
Planning Your Proposal · May 2025 · 10 min read
The Best Places to Propose in Puerto Vallarta (From Someone Who Lives Here)
A local's honest guide to the strongest proposal settings in the bay: beaches, rooftops, the Romantic Zone, yachts, a hidden fishing village, and a colonial mountain town.
Read the post →
Before You Propose · April 2025 · 9 min read
Is This the One? What Relationship Science Says About Knowing You're Ready to Propose
Forty years of couples research, from John Gottman's Love Lab onward, on the quiet, daily patterns that actually predict whether you're ready to propose.
Read the post →