It was a Sunday afternoon in May. I was folding laundry when my phone pinged at me- a notification from Instagram. Cole had reached out to me to book a couple’s session. His girlfriend Gracie had been asking for photos together for a while. He let me know there would be a surprise with this gift… a ring!
So we got to work planning it out. We even met in-person a month before the proposal. We scoured the location for the perfect spot with the perfect lighting. Cole settled on the highest point in the park- a grassy hill with a view of the surrounding field and river. At sunset, it would be stunning.
Fast forward to the day of, and there was a forecast for a giant storm. Cole said rain or shine, this shoot was happening today. He couldn’t wait another minute before popping the question to his love. An hour before our shoot was to start, the storm dissipated. Upon meeting Gracie for the first time, I realized everything Cole had gushed about her was true. She was absolutely beautiful and had the kindest disposition.
As with any other proposal I’ve captured, my heart was absolutely racing. We all had to keep it cool and pretend it was a “normal” couple’s shoot up until the big moment. I had them do a few simple poses by the water and then suggested a walk up the grassy path to the top of the hill.
At the top I gave Cole the signal. I put them into a back-to-back pose. From there, I asked them to turn and face each other. At that point, Cole was already down on one knee. We must’ve done a good job not acting too suspicious because Gracie was totally stunned! She said yes. It was truly one of the sweetest moments I was so happy to witness, and privileged to capture.
After giving them a few minutes alone to celebrate together, we continued taking photos. We were lucky to end the evening with a striking pink sunset, the kind that only comes out after a thunderstorm.
Shout out to Cole for trusting me to document such a big moment.
Thank you for reading the blog! Keep an eye out for more content coming soon.
-KM
