This couple’s Banff National Park engagement photos exemplifies the phrase, “picture perfect” and we cannot get enough of them! Banff, and this specific spot at Moraine Lake, is gorgeous but, dare we say, not quite as beautiful as the love between these two. Soon to be married duo, Jenn and Mike fit in perfectly with the scenery and look like they just stepped into a beautiful adventure. And the proposal story is just as adventurous! Read on for Mike’s perspective on the day he asked his now fiancé to be his wife…
Mike starts, I woke up early, a little more eager than usual for a Sunday morning. I couldn’t move quick enough as I rushed to make a pot of coffee and prepare breakfast. Jenn was stirring about in the basement and I was running around like a madman making sure everything was in order. I ran through my mental checklist: Snow Gear, check. Snowshoes, yup. The truck is gassed up, lunch is packed, the camera is charged, yes, yes, yes. I pulled the last item on my checklist out of my chest pocket and look at it one last time before we hit the road, then slipped the ring back into the cover of my jacket and zipped it up. Today was the day I was going to propose to the love of my life.
Are you hooked?! Find how the day goes, down below all the stunning photographs of their engagement session by Connection Photography!
Jenn is unsuspecting, and this is clear by the extended invitation to five of our friends to join us for our snowshoeing trip, leaving me no option but to revoke her invitations. Just a month prior I had brought Jenn on a surprise romantic weekend away to Banff, Alberta. We had an amazing time snowboarding and enjoying a quiet weekend. It was such a perfect weekend that Jenn had manifested the idea I was going to propose. With Jenn’s inability to keep anything from me, we laughed and joked about it on our last evening while sipping red wine in the hotel hot tub. After there was no proposal, it was clear that any thought of me proposing, anytime soon, had left Jenn’s mind.
This particular January day was perfect with bright clear skies as we made the drive to Peyto Lake, a beautiful location that I had sought out some time prior. The lake is set amongst a spectacular backdrop of the Canadian Rockies. This was our first time snowshoeing together, and all I could think about was am I going to make a fool out of myself on these things. On our first date, Jenn (gracefully) bailed off a ten-foot cliff while snowboarding, so we weren’t foreign to adventure together, but on this particular day I hoping to just keep things simple.
We finally arrive at the trailhead.
I feel great, my confidence is around a nine out of ten and I can’t wait to get up to the spot I envisioned. The trail is fairly easy as we climb the gradual grade up to our first viewpoint of the lake. It is beautiful! However, too many people. We keep climbing and pushing onward. The grade gradually steepens but I see our destination ahead. I can tell Jenn’s enthusiasm for my snowshoeing trip is starting to slowly decline, but we are so close. We finally reach the top and I know that my vision is worth it as Jenn sits down to take in the view. It’s time.
All of a sudden my hands start to shake as I feel the outline of the box in my pocket. As if a switch had abruptly turned off, all my confidence suddenly escaped me. Thoughts started pouring into my mind. Can I be this vulnerable and ask this question? Can I honestly ask this person to spend the rest of their life with me? Even though I knew the answer, I felt completely bare at this moment. At this point, I’m now pacing back and forth behind her, going over the little speech I had conjured up on the drive here.
Just do it!
It’s now or never as I slammed my knee into the snow covered ground thinking the force will bring back my confidence. Jenn slowly turns my way and comes out of her relaxed mind and we are able to lock eyes. Her eyes then shift to the ring and then back to me. At this moment I know everything to say. “The past three years of my life have brought me adventure, happiness, and love. I have fallen completely in love with who you are and who you are to become. You are my partner in crime, my encouragement, and my life. Will you marry me?” … Well, at least this is what I thought I was going to say. As I kneel in front of her my mouth closes; it is too dry to speak. I keep my gaze on her but my vision starts to glaze up and I finally manage to make out “Will you marry me in Tofino.”
Her answer, “Of course!” We then fall into a hug; then a kiss. As my eyes move away from her I realize the true beauty of the landscape we are situated in. I fell in love with a girl in these mountains and now among those same mountains, I asked her to put her trust in me. For this, the mountains will always hold a special place in our story.
Isn’t that the coolest?!