A surprise sunrise proposal at Sunrise | Mount Rainier Engagement Session
Heather was happy to show off her new engagement ring to anybody who asked.
Gerald’s sunrise proposal to Heather at Sunrise with an amazing surprise was nothing short of magical, and quite the tongue twister apparently!
Proposals are already anxiety inducing: you have a once in a lifetime moment and you have to make sure you’ve coordinated to be in the same spot at the same time with the correct angles. Add in no cell service up at Mount Rainier National Park, and multiple trails heading off from the parking lot and the anxiety rises tenfold!
But thankfully Gerald was a pro at organization and had everything locked in from the second they arrived at their campsite the night before. When I walked over to the Emmons Vista Lookout from the Sunrise Visitors Center car park at sunrise (mostly in the dark) he was right there with Heather having their picnic.
Heather nearly knocked Gerald over in her excitement to hug him.
When the first rays of light hit the top of the mountain, he told her in Korean that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, then dropped to one knee. Heather was so surprised she nearly knocked Gerald to the floor with the strength of her hug, and I’m pretty sure all the wildlife in the area fled from her screams of joy 😂
After showing Mount Rainier her ring and having the mountain bless their union, we walked back towards the Sunrise Visitor Center parking lot, where one more surprise awaited Heather. As we walked up the path, in the distance some figures emerged: her Dad, two sisters, and 3 best friends had all gotten up at the crack of dawn to be there to surprise and congratulate them. And while a couple of them had driven from Seattle, her Dad and two sisters had all flown in from Kansas just for this moment! To know love like that ♥️
Heather was able to utilize the restrooms at the Sunrise Visitor Center to do a quick outfit change and one of her sisters played makeup artist to get her photo ready. After best friend Hansel made everyone coffee in the parking lot, we headed back out on the trails to do some couple and family photos. You could just tell in the moment how happy Heather was to have all her favorite people there to celebrate with her, she couldn’t stop smiling from ear to ear.
As we headed back to the parking lot to head out we got one last surprise though: a bear walked across the path right in front of us! It was a truly magical moment and a great start to marriage proposal season here in Washington state at Mount Rainier National Park.
(Authors Note: I use the term Mount Rainier National Park here for SEO purposes but the true name is Mount Tahoma as that is what the indigenous peoples of the area have called it for hundreds of years)
