Meeting friends can sometimes be hard in a new place, but that wasn’t the case with Taya.
Taya has the authenticity and God given gift to make you feel like an instant bff. We co-led a youth group together for a few months and her unfiltered love for Jesus and people has warmed my heart and pushed me towards seeking Christ more.
Taya and her boyfriend, Shane had a session on the books that kept getting rescheduled due to snow (did you know that happens a lot in Colorado?!) but finally had a date where the weather looked to be perfect.
And that’s when I got THE phone call.
I almost didn’t pick it up because I didn’t recognize the number, as soon as the person on the other end of the line introduced themselves, I knew exactly what request was about to be made.
Taya was about to get a fiancé
Thanks to our mutual friend, Mallory, shopping arrangements were made, nails were done and the plan was set in motion.
I saw Taya a few days before our shoot, and she shared how she thought Shane was going to propose soon and I was dying inside and hoping she wouldn’t ask me, because I can keep secrets but am a non gifted liar. Thankfully, no such prying was made, and finally the day came.
Driving up to Horse Tooth to scout out for the proposal, I scouted a perfect location and waited for them to arrive. I could barely contain my excitement when I saw them…trying to play it as cool as possible I led them over to the rocks overlooking the river.
About 15 minutes into the session, I could wait any longer, and I’m sure Shane couldn’t either. I told Taya that I wanted to capture a photo of just her. Doing my best to making it sound as convincing as possible I directed her to turn with her back towards us to “photograph her hair”.
Meanwhile, Shane was ready. Dropping down to one knee with the ring he waited.
Telling Taya to look over her shoulder towards me, she gasped at what she saw.
Softly crying she listened to Shane she walked over to him and after a bit of hugging she said “YES” and he slipped a gorgeous ring on her finger
Throughout the rest of our session Taya had a radiant energy, and as we were walking to our cars, she stopped us for a moment and then yelled at the top of her lungs “I AM ENGAGED!!!!”. I loved every moment of the genuine joy.
First of all, Taya, thank you for being such a genuine friend, someone I see Jesus on. To be the one who photographed your proposal is an honor of a lifetime, it’s a memory I’ll always treasure.
And Shane, thank you for stealing Taya’s phone to obtain my number so we could pull off this shannagin. You already know this, but you have one incredible fiancée. I’m beyond excited to watch this new chapter unfold!
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