Patrick + Tyler’s Asheville, NC Engagement

Spoiler alert; she said YES!

When my brother came to me and said he was ready to pop the questions to his beautiful (inside + out) girlfriend, Tyler, you could say I was a little excited. Okay, okay, I was A LOT excited!!! WE LOVE HER!! And I love my little brother to death and always hoped and prayed that he would find the perfect woman for him and I am so incredibly happy that he has. So, when it came to the proposal and what his plan was he told me he wanted it to be somewhere with beautiful scenery, and Tyler had mentioned that she was missing the mountains since their recent move to the south eastern part of NC (she’s from N. GA)…so Asheville, NC it was!

Once he had decided on a location we started to scour the internet for the most beautiful hikes in the area. We had to be sure and pick something that wasn’t a 10+ mile hike…we don’t want our couple sweating to death in the hot NC summer sun right before his epic proposal and photoshoot. So, we landed on the beautiful Craggy Gardens area just outside of Asheville, NC.

The weekend was decided on, hotels were booked, the ring was in hand and a plan had been hatched. Now, for those who don’t know, my sister and I are BOTH photographers (what a lucky brother + sister in law ;)) so of course Patrick wanted us there to capture the proposal and take pictures after she said “YES!”. This meant that my sister, Emily, and I had to load up and drive 6 hours from GA to Asheville, NC to make this happen (which we gladly did!).

Once Em and I arrived in Asheville we headed straight to the Craggy Gardens hiking trail so we could hike in and scope out a spot. Luckily we had done our homework and had a good understanding of the trail and what to expect. We hiked ~1 mile along the Craggy Gardens trail. As soon as we hit a large, walk-through, pavillion we hung a left which led us out to a beautiful open field with views of the mountain range in the distance. Then we found just the perfect spot with the most beautiful view! Once we knew our spot for the proposal for later on that evening, we hiked back out and drove into Asheville were we had just enough time to check into our hotel and grab some McDonalds. We scarfed down our fast food, did a quick freshen up and turned around to drive right back up to the hiking trail head.

Now, the first time we hiked in, piece of cake. But the second time that day doing the hike was a different story. We had to park at the other end of the hiking trail and hike in from the opposite directions so Tyler wouldn’t see our car in the tiny parking lot where they would be arriving for the hike. So this time the hike was a little longer, and much more uphill. Luckily we allowed ourselves plenty of time to get up there; especially since we were carrying all of the “stuff” for the picnic we had planned to set up for them. We’re talking hiking in blankets, pillows, a picnic basket, candles + candlesticks AND a whole ass pizza + dessert complete with champagne (we don’t half ass anything around here).

Once we made it to the top their special spot was ready and waiting for us! We jumped into action and quickly set up their picnic, snapped a few detail shots and then ran to hide behind a nearby tree until they arrived. After about 15 minutes we could see them coming up the trail and it was GAME ON! We’re talking “army crawling” through the dirt and tall grass so we could sneak up and get Tyler’s genuine reaction. Let me tell you it was not easy to hide once we had to leave the cover of the tree we had been hiding behind. But all of that to say, we got the shot and it all went off perfectly! AND SHE SAID YES!!

After the big proposal we let them have some time alone, ya know, to let it all sink in and enjoy it! Then, we came back right when the sun was beginning to set to get some beautiful golden hour snaps. Luckily we had told Patrick to pack an outfit for himself and Tyler to change into. They did a quick outfit change and were ready.

The rest of that evening was pure golden hour magic! It makes my heart so happy to see these two cuties so genuinely in love and I was so honored to be able to be a part of helping Patrick make it so special. Now I’ll just let these dreamy pics do the talking…… *SWOOOOOON*