Where do I begin? I have wanted to photograph a proposal like this for a long time. Caitlyn and Matt are perfect and they were hands down so fun to work with. Of course, it was so exciting helping plan out and photographing such a big moment too!
When Matt messaged me on Facebook earlier in the week to ask if I would photograph his proposal, I was hoping that everything would work out time-wise. It had been a hectic week for my family... not to mention I was prepping gear for a wedding the upcoming Saturday and we were having our daughters 2nd birthday fiesta the day after. Matt inquired with me the Tuesday prior to this and somehow we got it all planned for the proposal and session to be Friday evening shortly after they got into town. It was either then or squeeze it in Saturday morning before I had to be in Benton for the wedding. And who wants to be rushed on a Saturday morning... especially when you're at the lake?
For those wondering - yes, sometimes people plan things like this weeks to months in advance. But when Caitlyn and Matt made plans to visit Grand Rivers, the rest of it just seemed to come together. They had stayed at Lighthouse Landing before so coming back to visit in the area was sentimental and definitely invited the opportunity to pop the question!
Did Caitlyn know this was going to happen?
Yes! "She 100% knows it’s coming." Matt told me. The when or how, obviously not and certainly not expecting a photographer capturing the whole thing from the woods by the jetty where Matt would propose. Let's face it - going back to visit a sentimental place years later definitely makes a girl suspicious!
We couldn't have asked for Friday to be any more beautiful. It was around 6:30 when Caitlyn and Matt arrived and Matt managed to message me and let me know they were there. I'm not going to lie it felt a little strange "people watching" from the woods but it was all for a good cause, right?! I spotted them and watched them walk down with their sweet rescue pup, Myrtle, to the end of the jetty. I had suggested to Matt during our planning that he give Caitlyn a hug before he got down on one knee so that I'd have a signal it was about to happen. He had also sent me a Google maps screenshot marked up with where he kind of planned on stopping to propose on the way back to the car. We really planned this out good for such a short period of time! It was great. And of course, she said YES!
We did a little engagement session after the proposal and they turned out to be some of my favorites. Candids on the phone with Caitlyn's mom after hearing the news, pictures with their pup, and of course in the marina because I never pass up the opportunity to photograph by the sailboats!
There is something super magical about being part of things like this. It's an honor to come into peoples lives, learn about them and capture their story. And this story, I'm still on cloud nine about.
Congratulations, Caitlyn and Matt! I'm so happy to have met you two and wish you the best!
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