A Morning Surprise: Callie & Nick’s Proposal at Garden of the Gods

April mornings in Colorado have a quiet kind of magic, and this one was no exception. The sun had just begun to warm the red rock formations of Garden of the Gods, casting long, golden shadows across the trails. Surprisingly, the park was nearly empty—even the most popular spots were still and serene. It was the perfect setting for a secret we’d been carefully planning: Nick’s surprise proposal to Callie.

Callie believed we were meeting for a simple mini photo session. She’d been anticipating Nick’s proposal for a while, so we wanted to keep her completely off guard. To add to the illusion, I brought my dog along, explaining I needed to multitask that day as both photographer and dog trainer. If you follow me on instagram you know photography keeps me busy I still love training a dog here and there and my dogs are well behaved and you wouldn’t even notice they are tagging along on your session. I even have requests to bring the dogs sometimes- love that!

We began the session as planned, capturing some sweet, casual moments.

After wrapping up the “mini session,” I bid them farewell and headed down a different trail with my dog. But I wasn’t leaving. I quickly switched to a long lens (70-400mm) and circled back to a vantage point where I could discreetly photograph the big moment from a distance. As they walked back toward their car, Nick paused, turned to Callie, and dropped to one knee. Even from afar, I could see the joy and surprise on her face. SUCCESS! The backdrop was epic. We executed the plan perfectly where they got an intiamte moment in a the stunning Colorado backdrop. After she said yes and they sealed it with a kiss a trail runner witness a bit of it and cheered them on as he ran on a nearby trail. Love the enthusasium. Adds to the excitement that their lives just changed for the better!

Once the proposal was complete, I rejoined them, and we transitioned into a full engagement session. The atmosphere was filled with celebration and love, and we focused on capturing the glow of their newly engaged happiness—especially those shots highlighting the beautiful ring.

It was an unforgettable morning, filled with love, laughter, and the stunning backdrop of Garden of the Gods. Moments like these remind me why I love what I do—turning life’s most precious events into lasting memories.