This year has been full of firsts for me already. On the 6th I was able to experience my very first birth and capture new life. The very next day I was able to experience a different kind of beginning, as Mark called me to be there when he asked Rebekah to marry him. <3

We had already discussed wedding photography, as it was inevitable they would be getting engaged anytime. She suspected he might propose closer to summertime, but he called me two short days after their initial consult and asked if I had plans that evening. 🙂 With the help of both their families, he set up a beautiful spot under a tree at her parents’ home, with flower petals placed inside a heart he had dug in the ground and the ring inside its beautiful box set daintily on top of the petals. I hid behind the tree, awaiting my cue. When she arrived home from volleyball practice, he told her that he had spoken to me earlier in the day and I wanted them to look around the pasture to decide where they’d be having their ceremony.

“Wait. You talked to Brandi today? Why did you talk to her?”
“What? I can’t talk to Brandi?”
“Yeah, I guess…”

As they walked hand in hand, I maneuvered around the tree so she wouldn’t see me and he made small talk to distract her from the setup ahead of them. As they neared the spot, she had such a bewildered look on her face as she struggled to piece things together. Then came the big question, to which she of course said yes. Thennnn came the interrogation…

“How long have you been planning this? … When did you get the ring? … That’s what you were doing?!”

I’m looking forward to their actual engagement session, when she’ll be a little more prepared for the camera. 😉 Congrats to the both of you!!