The Planning

I woke up one morning to an instagram message from someone named Anna. She was asking me if I’d be willing to photograph her friend Sid’s surprise proposal. I’m not gonna lie – at first I thought it was sketchy because it’s not often that someone books me via third party! She told me that she and Sid were planning the perfect surprise proposal for Claudia (Sid’s longtime girlfriend) at Golden Horseshoe Sleigh Ride in Breckenridge. I googled the place, and of course my interest was piqued, so I reluctantly said yes. Then, I got Anna on the phone and realized this was totally real, and this amazing proposal was actually going to happen!
Next, I called the infamous Breckenridge Sleigh Ride company to ask them how this usually goes down, and they gave me two options… But I won’t spoil one in case anyone reading this happens to ever become a client of mine, unknowingly *wink, wink!* After this, I was set, and just had to anxiously await the next two weeks to pass, while I daydreamed about the amazing day I knew was ahead of me!

The Proposal

When I got to Breckenridge over a snowy Vail Summit, and drove down a gorgeous dead-end private road, I got to the white tent. They gave me a blanket, took me out on a snowmobile, and told me that in 30 minutes, the couple would arrive on a carriage. Anna had graciously sent me a photo of them, so I knew exactly who I was looking for. I stood out there, enjoying the sound and snowfall of the gorgeous mountains in Breckenridge and waited for the proposal. What felt like only five minutes later, the couple was there! I was hidden between some trees, and immediately after seeing Sid get on one knee by the overlook, I dove closer to the couple (literally belly flopped) so that I could be closer to them and not sink too far into the snow. I grabbed some of my most favorite shots ever before introducing myself to everyone, where they toasted with champagne before we all shared a magical sleigh ride back to the warm tent and fire. There, they indulged in hot chocolate complete with any of the 13 topping combinations of their choice, as we all joked around before I headed back home for the 2.5 hour drive.

This couple was so obviously in love, and the four of them were so clearly the best of friends. They were so warm to each other, and you could just tell there was so much excitement and love in the air. All in all, an absolutely amazing day and I was so thankful to be a part of it! And ps, can we make getting married and photoshoots in the snow more of a thing? Cause LOOK AT IT! Breckenridge elopement, anyone?