Your Complete Guide For Planning Your Engagement Session at Victoria Beach
If you’ve ever scrolled through social media and paused on a photo of a couple standing next to a medieval stone tower right on the water, you were likely looking at a Victoria Beach engagement session.
Tucked away in a residential neighborhood in Laguna Beach, this location feels like a quiet, secret coastal hideaway right in the middle of Southern California. And when I say tucked away, I mean TRULY tucked away. I legitimately spent almost 30 minutes driving right past it trying to find the entrance!
As a wedding and engagement photographer, Victoria Beach is absolutely one of my favorite spots for engagement photos in Orange County. It offers this dramatic mix of soft sand, dark rock formations, rushing tide pools, and, of course, the historic La Tour (commonly called the Pirate Tower). It honestly feels straight out of a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Whether you’re already set on having your engagement photos at this gorgeous location, or you’re still narrowing down your search, I’ve written out a full guide breaking down everything you need to know. From permits, tide tables, what to wear and some real engagement photo inspiration from this spot, I’ve gotchu! Let’s get into it!
What Makes Victoria Beach So Special?
Most beaches in Southern California give you a feeling of sprawling open sand and long endless expanses of water. Victoria Beach is very much the opposite. This spot leans much more on the side of texture, height, and character.
The main draw for most couples is the Pirate Tower, a 60-foot stone spiral staircase built in 1926 that leads down from a residence on the cliff above. When the light hits the stones during golden hour (the hour right before sunset), it looks like something straight out of a fairytale.
Beyond the tower, Victoria Beach has rocky bluffs, and a fun tide pool to explore when the water has come in. For such a relatively small beach, it offers incredible variety, meaning we can capture multiple completely different looks without having to drive to a second location.
Permits & Local Logistics: What You Need to Know
First, there are a few practical details to keep in mind for planning your Victoria Beach engagement session (these actually apply to Laguna Beach overall!).
Photography Permits
Orange County is notoriously a stickler about photography permits. Essentially all OC beaches require them whether you’re on a city, county, or state beach. And trust me, the lifeguards and park rangers WILL come and check if you have one, and if you don’t, they will very likely ask you to leave (even if you’re mid photo session!) and/or will give you a hefty fine. Trust me, it’s so not worth the stress, and it’s way better to be safe than sorry!
Your photographer (hi, it’s me!) can handle obtaining a permit prior to your engagement session. Permits are $100 and the application can be found on the City of Laguna Beach website under “professional still photo permits.”
Also good to note: permits during the summertime (Memorial Day – Labor Day) are only issued for early morning and sunset hours. Which honestly is totally fine, because this is the best light in the day anyways!
Access & Parking
Victoria Beach sits below a private neighborhood along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) near Victoria Drive. There is street level parking along PCH or nearby residential side streets. Because parking can be tight (and competitive) give yourself at least an extra 20-30 minutes before your session starts just to find a spot and walk down the public stair access on Victoria Drive. This will give you plenty of time and help you enter your engagement session as stress free as possible!
Timing It Right: Best Time of Day and Year
Timing is everything when planning a coastal engagement shoot, but at Victoria Beach, it’s even more critical because of two specific factors: the sun and the tide.
Golden Hour (1 Hour Before Sunset)
The absolute best time of day for a Victoria Beach engagement session is golden hour. In general, direct daylight is the harshest lighting of the day, especially at the beach where there is nothing to diffuse the light and the sun reflects harshly off the sand. But as the sun sinks lower, the light will become a much softer, more flattering light.
The Tide Factor
This is crucial: Always check the tide tables.
This is something your photographer will likely check as well, but this part is super important. At high tide, the ocean pushes all the way up against the base of the Pirate Tower and covers large portions of the sandy walking paths. Waves in Laguna Beach are no joke and can become dangerous fast at high tide. We always aim for a mid to low tide window so we can safely walk around the sand and the rocky points of the beach safely and take full advantage of the landscape.
Here’s a reliable tide table you can check from Surfline!
Best Time of Year
Southern California weather is mild year round, but spring (March through May) and fall (September through November) are prime times. Early fall offers warm water, clear skies, and far smaller crowd sizes once summer tourists head home (there’s a reason why September in SoCal is called local’s summer!).
If your session is going to be in May or June, just keep in mind that “May Gray” and “June Gloom” are very real and the marine layer can often stick around all day on the coast.
What to Wear for Your Victoria Beach Engagement
My number one piece of advice that I always repeat ad nauseum to my clients is that your photo session outfits need to be two things: 1) comfortable, and 2) something that actually feels like you.
If you’re wearing clothing that doesn’t fit quite right, is uncomfortable, or you’re afraid will move out of place, it WILL show on your face in your photos. Make sure to consider the environment and think about if you would realistically be comfortable wearing your outfit on the beach while you’re walking, moving around a ton, and having the wind pick up around you!
A longer dress or skirt in a light, movable fabric (like chiffon, linen, or soft cotton) looks stunning by the beach. The ocean breeze catches flowy fabrics in a way that adds movement and some romance to your photos! Earth tones, soft blues, creamy whites, sage greens, and warm terracottas complement the natural sand, ocean water, and dark cliffs beautifully while still making you stand out from the surrounding environment.
And most importantly: wear something that actually feels like you. I highly suggest choosing clothes you already own, something that’s a favorite, something that you feel beautiful in, rather than going out and buying something just for your engagement photos.
I actually put together a whole Pinterest board with some outfit inspiration to help give you an idea!
Final Tips for Your Engagement Session
Embrace the Elements
You will likely get wind in your hair, sand all over, and sea spray on your skin. Embrace the movement! The best beach photos are the ones where you let go of perfection and focus on actually connecting together.
Bring a Towel (And One For The Car!)
If you’re up for it, running through the water along the shore can add such a fun, dreamy, romantic feel to your photos. Just bring a couple of towels and wear something you don’t mind getting slightly wet at the bottom!
Arrive Ready to Have Fun
Engagement sessions can be so much more than just taking fancy photos to announce your wedding. They can also be about making photos together to really capture this time of life and the connection you have together right now. Something you can feel nostalgic over twenty years from now. Go into the experience ready to have fun and make some amazing memories together!
Ready to Make Some Memories At The Beach?
Victoria Beach is one of those places that just never gets old. Whether you want dramatic, fairytale style photos down by the Pirate Tower, or just want to run around in the incoming tide as the sun sets, it’s easily one of the most romantic spots in Southern California to capture this season of your life.
Want to see more Laguna Beach engagement session inspo? Check out this engagement session at Top of the World also in Laguna Beach.
And if you’re looking for a photographer who knows how to navigate the permits, tidal timing, and help you feel completely like YOU in your photos, I would love to work with you! You can reach out to me at my contact page and let’s start planning!
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