Mountain Engagements
Mountaintop Engagement Photos on Shrine Pass
Karina & Will | Vail, Colorado
From the Photographer, Michele, with one L: Karina and William first met at a local pizza shop in Florida where they both used to hang out. One night they were each there alone and started chatting. They talked and laughed for hours — in fact, they spent so much time together that they both consider it their first date! They love the outdoors, traveling, cooking together, and spending time with their pup, Shain, who is truly one of the sweetest dogs.










THE PROPOSAL
William planned to ask Karina to marry him in the mountains when they were skiing at Arapahoe Basin with friends. Karina wasn’t happy with her skiing that day, and William ended up with an altitude headache, so he put his plans on hold for the afternoon to wait for a better time.
That evening, Karina just wanted to relax in the hot tub, but it was full of strangers, so instead, she decided to take Shain for a walk through the nature preserve along Dillon Reservoir. Little did she know this was the exact spot where William had originally hoped to propose!
William immediately forgot about his headache and, on the way out of the condo, grabbed the ring. William knew Karina loved to share his jacket pocket with him when it was cold, so he cleverly hid the ring under a water bottle in one pocket, making it impossible for any hands to fit inside. Sure enough, as soon as they stepped outside, Karina grabbed Williams’s hand and shoved it into the other, open pocket. William breathed a huge sigh of relief!
For Karina and Shain the walk felt like any other — casual, slow, and relaxing. And William? Well, his heart was racing and beating so loudly that he could barely hear Karina talk. Is this the right time? Is this the perfect moment?
They continued to walk around the nature preserve until they reached the point where the path meandered closest to the reservoir — the perfect spot.
William stopped and asked Karina if she would like to take a family photo. It wasn’t typical for William to want to take photos together, so Karina happily agreed. William set up his iPhone against his water bottle on a fence post, positioning Karina exactly where he needed her to be.
“I love you and Shain so much…,” he started, as he approached Karina as if he were going to stand in the photo. Then, at the last second, he dropped to one knee instead: “…and that’s why I want to ask you if you would marry me.” Of course, Karina said yes, and they had so much fun telling everyone they knew — even people they didn’t know — laughing and grinning from ear to ear.
A Rainy Fall Honeymoon Adventure
Bethann & Jensen | Telluride, Colorado
From the photographer, Rachel Beckwith:
Having your love documented on your honeymoon should most definitely be a thing. You’ve just had an amazing wedding day, all the nerves, stress, and built up anticipation are gone, and you are just able to enjoy your time with your new spouse with the freedom to be completely relaxed. It’s the perfect opportunity to get some meaningful memories captured that will forever remind you of your first trip together as a married couple.
This is exactly what Bethann and Jensen did, and it was such an incredible experience. In the days after their wedding, they took a mini-honeymoon to Telluride, Colorado, right at the peak of the spectacular Fall foliage this region displays. We decided to do a sunrise adventure and started to drive out in complete darkness after downing some coffee of course. It was a rainy morning, so we didn’t get to see the sunrise, but it made for an even more memorable session. There’s just something so romantic about kissing in the rain especially when you have these breath-taking views all to yourself.
Helicopter Engagement Shoot in the Canadian Rockies
Lindsay & Tanner
Tanner was born and raised in Abbotsford,B.C., and Lindsay in Waterloo, Ontario. Shortly after Lindsay moved to B.C. last summer her and Tanner met and knew pretty quickly they had met their match. Tanner surprised Lindsay by proposing while on a trip to Seattle. They love hiking, camping, snowboarding and relaxing in their backyard pool together. They love adventure so when the opportunity arose for a helicopter engagement shoot they couldn’t pass it up!
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THE STYLE TEAM
Photographer: Leanne Sim Photographer | Transportation: B.C. Helicopters | Floral Designer: AJR Designs | Hair Stylist: Hair By Tia | Jewelry: West Coast Jewelry | Dress Designer: Lulus | Groomsman Attire: Cardero Clothing
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Lakeside Engagement Portraits in Washington
Rattlesnake Lake was the perfect Pacific Northwest backdrop for Mary and Gabe’s summer engagement session. The couple wanted natural, candid pictures amid the mountains where they like to hike and DBK Photography delivered. These beautiful images are authentic, adorable and full of laughter.
Mary and Gabe met the first weekend of college back on the east coast. In fact, they met at a party that ultimately got busted. When she told me this I was just so tickled. What a perfect college meet-cute. They’ll be telling their children about it one day.
Ultimately, though, what bonded the two of them was their shared love of music. Years later, after graduating and moving across the country together, when they decided they were ready for the next step, Mary put together a playlist of their favorite songs and got it ready for their perfect date night. The night before they were planning a trip back home to visit family, they got dressed up and went out for dinner at The Pink Door. Gabe brought a journal he’d kept since they met, and he read his words to her throughout the evening. As they next made their way around the Seattle Ferris wheel, Mary played their playlist, and they continued sharing their memories together as the sun set over the water. Gabe proposed at the top, amid giggles and tears. Soon after, they hopped on a red-eye back home to celebrate with their families for a long weekend.
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Fall Engagement Shoot with the Family Dog
On a crisp late autumn day, photographer Hayden Esau perfectly captured an array of gorgeous images from ChyAnna & Jordan engagement shoot in Deer Creek Canyon, Wyoming. We especially love the portrait images of the couple’s handsome dog because every family member needs a great profile pic!
THE PROPOSAL STORY
It was New Years Day. A tradition they had been sharing together for three years. The Wyoming couple headed to the top of the mountain at Winter Park in Colorado. Higher and higher the lift took them. The longer it took, the more nervous she became. “How am I going to make it down this thing?” she thought. Bundled in their snowboarding gear with a group of friends, they reached the top of the panoramic run. Couple by couple they all took turns taking pictures. Because why not? Jordan Insisted they go last. Facing the camera, Jordan suddenly turned. He reached into his pocket. He knelt down. ChyAnna gaped. He held it up to her. An engagement ring. A promise of his love. “YES!” Cheers and applause erupted from everyone at the top! And with that, a tradition that was already special became something so much more.
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A Fun Engagement Session in Colorado
From the photographer, Katogenic Photography:
Allie & Tyler quit their jobs in California and traveled around in their campervan for 10 months, visiting 28 states, 20 National Parks, and two Canadian Provinces. Tyler had been in the corporate world for a while and Allie wasn’t sure he’d ever take the leap to head out on a big cross-country adventure. But, he did. At the end of the trip, Tyler proposed to Allie with a sign he made and strapped to the side of the van’s pop-up roof. They have now settled in Golden, Colorado with their adorable dog, Charlie.
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A Mountain Engagement in Wyoming
From the photographer, Hayden Esau Photography:
Charliy proposed first. When Amber’s flight arrived she was waiting at the airport, ring in hand, so ready to start a beautiful life with her soul mate. Then Amber proposed on Casper Mountain, overlooking the city they had started their engagement, just as ready to write their forever love story.
We took their engagement photos at Bear Trap Meadow, with the tall pines and the white mountain scenery it was perfect for a winter engagement session. These ladies laughed with me the whole time we struggled across the snowy meadow. Because when two people are so crazy in love (Queue Beyonce!). Everything goes so smooth, even in not so ideal conditions, like outrageously deep snow.
A Surprise Proposal in Breckenridge, Colorado
After purchasing Emily’s dream engagement ring, John had no clue how he wanted to propose, but he knew he wanted to do something big that would catch her by surprise. He enlisted the help of wedding planner Christin from Pretty and Planned Events to help sort through his ideas and bring his vision to life.
John’s first surprise for Emily would be to catch her off guard by proposing before the holidays, especially when they’d talked of waiting until spring time to get engaged. They had a ski trip planned with some of their best friends, including Emily’s sisters, so what better opportunity than that to come up with plan that would include the people they love. John’s idea was to get Emily to his proposal location by sharing a fake flyer advertising a special outdoor whiskey tasting event at the Breckenridge Distillery. She was under the impression that they would be going to the distillery and then heading out to take photos together around Breck. This was key so that Emily would show up to the proposal camera ready, and that she wouldn’t suspect why the photographer was meeting them there and taking pictures of this “cute whiskey event.”
When they showed up to the distillery with their whole group for the tasting event, the hostess at the front greeted them and led them to the outdoor patio, where there was a special outdoor bar set up and styled just for them. The bar included whiskey barrels from the distillery styled with fresh winter greens from Jae Le Mae, an organic Denver-based florist, mini bundt cakes, and of course a full sampling of the distillery’s best whiskeys.
Christin, the planner, was stationed behind the custom outdoor bar as the “bartender” and played the part well by sharing a little with the group about the whiskey they were trying. Once the group enjoyed their tasting flight, Christin said, “I’ve actually got one more special blend I want you to try!” This was the cue for the rest of the group to back away, while Christin reached behind the bar to pull out John and Emily’s personal tasting board. It held engraved leather flasks that John had made, one with his name and one labeled “Future Mrs. Molle,” along with their personal whiskey blend, with a custom bottle label “I was just wanting to say high…” and a photo of John and Emily on the night they met for the very first time. The significance behind the quote comes from that very night they met when that photo was taken! John sent a message to Emily on Facebook when the night was over, and it simply said, “I was just wanting to say high…” He was so nervous to message her that he misspelled “hi.” He has yet to live that down! As Christin set their board up on the bar, she stepped away, and Emily quickly realized what was happening. John dropped to a knee, there were tears and laughter, and she said YES!
After soaking up a group hug and lots of love and congrats from their friends, the evening continued with a few photos at Lake Dillon with the most beautiful scenery. Emily said that she was completely taken by surprise. She couldn’t believe that all of that was set up just for them, and that ALL of her friends knew and no one had given anything away. It was without a doubt a night to remember!
THE PLANNING TEAM
Photographer: Melissa & Beth | Event Planner: Pretty and Planned | Floral Designer: Jae Le Mae | Venue: Breckenridge Distillery | Bakery: Nothing Bundt Cakes | Paper Props: Little Yellow Leaf | Rentals: Plank and Pearl
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