Surprise Proposal at Aspen Corner
A lot of people ask me if I hide out in camouflage clothing to photograph proposals. Usually, I laugh and explain that I ‘hide’ in plain sight dressed like any other tourist with a camera around my neck but for this proposal that was not the case at all.
I help plan a lot of proposals and all the details, but when Jacob contacted me, everything was planned out, all I had to do is show up…and hide out… behind a rock.
Jacob pretended to take extra shifts at work in order to escape to Northern Arizona and plan his adventure proposal. He designed a scavenger hunt with the finale to be the surprise proposal at Aspen Corner in the San Francisco Peaks of Flagstaff.Â
I must admit, I was nervous about his plan. I’ve heard of some seemingly complicated plans before and usually think that simple is best.
When I arrived early at Aspen Corner, it was a busy Saturday afternoon with a very full parking lot and I wondered how this proposal might work out. Getting there over an hour early, as wandered around in woods with my dog I tried not to worry too much.
I put my dog back in the car and met up with his friends who had helped set up some of the details of the scavenger hunt at the final proposal spot. I was becoming more relieved as they walked me away from the main parking and up the road to a faint social trail through the woods to a clearing.
The clearing was full of lush fern and the beautiful aspens. In the thick fern single roses had been placed, almost unnoticed at first. Part of Sierra’s scavenger hunt was to find the roses and follow the directions to the middle of the clearing.
Jacob’s friends showed me the rock I would be hiding behind, and I couldn’t have picked a better location or hiding place. With relief, the plan was perfect, I was becoming excited.
We tested the proposal location so I could determine the right lens to use from the hiding rock distance and the boys ran back to the cars to escape unnoticed.
I waited in anticipation. When Sierra and Jacob finally arrived, I watched as she searched hard for the flowers and looking hard at the landscape, I was sure she would find me before she found all her roses.