By Monique
Wow, what a way for me to end the season – with a surprise proposal session at Emerald Bay – at sunrise … and in a snow storm!
Mike originally contacted me in mid November while Scott and I were on a road trip and he told me about his plans for the proposal at Lake Tahoe during a weekend getaway he was planning for him and his girlfriend Lorena. Mike had already put a lot of thought in to the session and sent me photos of a few places that he liked as the backdrop. Since the session would be at sunrise, we decided that a west shore location would be the best option. I sent him a map of Lake Tahoe with 5 potential spots. He really had his heart set on Emerald Bay. But being that the date was in mid December, I warned him of the potential for a big storm to close the road, so we had a back up location chosen just in case the road was closed. I arrived to the overlook first, I had already sent Mike a pin of the exact spot and described the “trail” to the overlook. I basically had to pretend to be photographing Lower Eagle Falls as they were the only other people hiking out to this overlook at 7 am! I kept my distance and my camera with my telephoto lens pointed straight at the falls as they passed me and went to the edge of the granite knob. They sat on a blanket and enjoyed the view for a while. Unfortunately there was absolutely no sunrise since it was snowing! But we all agreed that even though there wasn’t a classic sunrise experience, the snow storm added a different, amazing, and unforgettable element to the surprise proposal. And, yes, Lorena was surprised! After the initial surprise and emotions that come with it, we did some engagement photos at the lookout, the falls, and a really cool rock face on the other side of the road. And to make it even more of a special experience, there was not another soul there! It was as if with all of Mike’s other detailed planning ( He was planning a fake vacation for next year to throw her off any suspicion!) he had reserved one of the most visited Tahoe destinations all for ourselves! Only at the very end when we were walking to our cars did a tour bus show up. And even then, the people on it literally walked 5 steps out the door of the bus, took some selfies, and got back on the bus, lol!
As our season this year has come to a close, we continue to be soooooooo very grateful for this path of ours! Thanks to all of our couples this year for including us in your wedding, engagement and family portrait sessions! Happy holidays everyone.
