Josh & Cynthia: A Sunrise Proposal | McAfee's Knob | Catawba Virginia

Warning: This is a public service announcement that every man should hire a photographer to sneak around & photograph their proposal. These images are glorious but, the experience of watching two individuals commit to each other in front of the sunrise of the Blue Ridge Mountains was priceless.

Before Josh contacted me, he had a plan. The ring was purchased, the idea of a sunrise hike was set & all he needed was a photographer to capture it. Thankfully, a fellow photographer friend of his sent him my way and we were ready to rock & roll. As the date kept creeping up on us, Josh was adamant, Saturday, September 24th was the day he would propose. Cynthia, was just along for the gorgeous sunrise hike. I showed up about an hour earlier than Josh & Cynthia to start the hike, in hopes I would beat them to the top......and, well, they beat me. All the way up to McAfee's Knob, they hiked up under the stars & arrived to the top to see the entire sunrise. From complete darkness, to total sunshine, this is how their engagement unfolded.

While Josh & Cynthia were enjoying their last moments being boyfriend & girlfriend, watching as the view multiplied from 1 mountain ridge to 10 mountain ridges as the sun rose, I took my position and waited. Josh turned around a couple of times to talk to me & figure things out but...yea, that didn't work. We tried so hard to be sneaky but we just couldn't do it. Finally, Josh was ready. The rest - is pure smiles! Josh even went as far as getting Virginia Tech jersey's made with their future last name on them and embroidered the sleeve with their beloved pup's initials who recently had passed. They are both Virginia Tech fans & Tech alumni so naturally, with it being game day, what else would you choose to wear? It was simply perfect!

It was a true pleasure meeting Josh & Cynthia and I'm so thankful that not only did I get to capture their proposal but also, get to know them on the hike back down. I cannot wait to see what adventures are to come in their journey together. As a disclaimer: please do not hike alone in the dark. Hike in groups with the appropriate equipment & resources. After all, two are better than one!