Surprise Hiking Proposal | St. Mary's Glacier | Denver, Colorado

Zack and I had been planning this proposal together for MONTHS.

The original plan was to fly abroad as a celebratory trip for Sammy finishing her masters degree. When the pandemonium hit and shut everything down, we had to pivot to Plan B, which was proposing on the 4th of July when her friends came out to visit. But then when the ring wasn’t going to come in in time, we had to pivot to Plan C, which was finding a random weekend to make it happen. And that’s exactly what we did!

The night before I was set to fly from Las Vegas to Denver, Zack texted me that they were changing up the hike they had planned to do because “Sam was being difficult.” Y’all. I love when grooms roast their fiance’s in the most loving way possible hahaha. I asked Zack if I should still get on the plane, to which he responded, “yes!” So the next morning, I found myself on a nonstop flight to Denver. I packed my gear and my hiking boots, and I set off.

I arrived and instantly forgot I wasn’t in Las Vegas. It was SO COLD. I mean it was AUGUST. How is that even possible? Then I did a reality check and remembered the elevation. By the time I drove up to hike St. Mary’s, it was about 50 degrees, and I was about to become a popsicle.

I hiked up the 2ish miles to the spot overlooking the dreamy St. Mary’s Glacier. Thanks to T-Mobile, I barely had any signal, so I just had to wait and watch every possible entrance to the area. I huddled behind a bush for about 30-40 minutes before I saw the two of them and their three friends emerge. I pointed to where Zack should take Sammy when she wasn’t looking, and then all of the sudden, BOOM. It was go time!

I think the happy tears and laughter speak for themselves in these photos, so keep scrolling to see her reaction. Spoiler: she said yes.

After the proposal, Zack spoiled Sammy with another surprise: an engagement party at a friend’s house! I surprised her by already being there to capture her reaction when she walked in. Safe to say, it was the best day ever.

Are you planning a surprise proposal and don’t know where to begin? Get in touch, as I’d love to help you and capture this moment!