So many people dream of the perfect proposal; golden light and champagne, red roses and perfect details and a chorus of angels. It is a very important moment to be sure, but at it’s core, past all the planning and details and imagined perfection, is the start of two lives becoming one and the crucial crux of a very real love story. And we all know that sometimes real life is messy, and imperfect, and doesn’t go as planned. But this past weekend I was reminded that that doesn’t mean it’s less than perfect.
Gabe contacted me nearly 2 months ago, telling me about his romantic plan to propose at sunset on a cliff overlooking the North Carolina mountains. He and Sarah were preparing to celebrate their 6th anniversary and he wanted this one to be very special. He had champagne and fancy snacks and golden light in the plan, and wanted me there to capture every moment and I readily agreed. But when the day came for me to make the drive out to hanging rock a hour ahead of him and his soon-to-be betrothed, I was making the drive in a torrential downpour. When I arrived at the parking lot I couldn’t even get out of my car it was raining so hard. I was texting anxiously with Gabe’s friend Zach who was along for the ride with them to help dispel any suspicion on Sarah’s part, and he was updating me on Gabe’s anxious mood and Sarah’s questions about a hike in a thunderstorm.
But Gabe was in it y’all, and he wasn’t going to let a little rain get in the way of him asking the love of his life to be with him forever. So we decided to go for it. And as I hiked up the mile and a half long trail to the summit of Hanging Rock in the pouring rain, my precious camera wrapped in duct tape and plastic grocery bags, praying my umbrella didn’t attract a stray lightning bolt, I’ve never felt more alive.
Cause this is real life you guys. This perfect proposal made even more perfect (in my mind) by the drama and grandeur of a proposal on a cliff top in the middle of a raging thunderstorm.
Sarah and Gabe, may you continue to grab life by the horns, take every adventure in stride, and hike through the thunderstorms of life together with the same sense of adventure and gusto as you did this past weekend.
What a way to start building a life together, eh?
One Response
These are so unbelievably beautiful!