Hannah + Ryan | Engaged - Elizabeth Gelineau Photography

A Spring Hill College Engagement

I love asking my clients to share their proposal story. Hearing how he asked is fun and it lets me get to know their personalities. When I met with Hannah and Ryan I was treated to the most adorable and suspenseful proposal story I’d heard in a while. Hannah and Ryan set out on a day trip to Cheaha State Park. They left in the wee hours of the morning, Hannah sleeping most of the way and Ryan thinking about the ring that felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket. For a couple who love hiking and the outdoors, this wasn’t an unusual date. Hannah didn’t suspect a thing.

Ryan had the proposal perfectly planned out. He’d take Hannah up to the highest point in Alabama and ask her to be his wife. In order to distract her from his real plan, he promised her they’d go for burgers after their hike. Hannah happily went along with the plans. Ryan is not only a thoughtful guy, he is also well prepared. He’d packed his GoPro for the day and made sure to stop and take pictures at multiple places along the hike. He planned to capture the moment on the camera. The scenery was amazing and Ryan knew that capturing the proposal on camera was something Hannah would treasure. He just needed to find the perfect rock.

At one point, he thought he’d found the spot. But, before either of them could blink, the GoPro sailed over the side of a cliff. They had no choice but to go off-path to retrieve the camera. Hannah was determined to find a waterfall, completely unaware that Ryan was worried his whole plan was falling apart. They’d passed a rock earlier on that seemed like a good spot, but Ryan wanted to explore other options. They ended up finding Hannah’s waterfall, but the spot wasn’t the scenic view that Ryan had envisioned for his proposal.

Ryan convinced Hannah they should revisit an area they’d seen at the beginning of the hike. There was one problem. They had to exit and re-enter the park due to the road being one-way. By this time, Hannah was thinking about that burger and Ryan was worried he was never going to get to ask the question he’d been dying to ask all day long. Then they got into a wreck (not their fault).

It took over an hour for the state trooper to arrive and file the report. By that time, Hannah was hungry and not interested in going back to the spot Ryan wanted to revisit. She never suspected he had a ring in his pocket all this time! But Ryan convinced her it was worth it to see that view. They made it to the rock. Ryan set up his GoPro, switching it to video this time. It wasn’t until he started reading Hannah a note he’d written that she realized what was happening! He got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. She said yes immediately! Nearby hikers realized what had just happened and began cheering. Ryan checked his GoPro to show Hannah the video and discovered that the battery was dead. Noooooooo.

After all that planning, Ryan was determined to have his video. He went back to the car, found another battery and then re-enacted the moment for the camera. So, technically, Ryan proposed twice. How adorable is that?! Hannah said yes both times! They finally made it to the burger shop for their first lunch as an engaged couple. Later that night, Ryan surprised Hannah with an engagement party at Moka’s Coffe House, where the two first met. All their closest friends and family were there to celebrate the happy news.

Hannah and Ryan are such a joyful couple! Listening to their story, I felt like I was actually there. I am so honored when my couples will share stories like this with me. Hannah says that she loves that the perfect moments didn’t happen exactly as planned. She says the surprises “are what’s beautiful.” Don’t you love that?! We all need a little imperfectness in our lives, don’t you think?

Sometimes the best things are the unexpected. I thought Hannah put it into the best perspective, “We aim for perfection, but the centrality of it all is two imperfect people chasing the One who is perfect, Christ, together in the midst of the organized AND the messy.” I was BLOWN away by the beauty of that statement. It also shows just how special these two are. Hannah and Ryan, I hope you enjoy my favorites from your engagement session! Thank you for choosing me to be your wedding photographer!