Snoqualmie Pass Surprise Proposal

I was so excited when I read Isabel’s post seeking a queer photographer who loved the outdoors that would be willing to photograph her secret proposal to her girlfriend, Caity - hello?!

We connected immediately and got to work on our plan, and let me tell you - it was intricate. She was communicating with me via a burner email only between certain hours so there was no risk of Caity spoiling the surprise before the moment was right. We would use code word “Bigfoot” any time we needed to discuss a detail of the proposal, but there was still one problem: how to get Caity in front of a professional photographer, acting naturally, without becoming suspicious. They had never had a professional photoshoot done before, and I saw that as the perfect opportunity.

They were to be visiting Seattle in the middle of December for their anniversary. Isabel and I concocted a fake “Instagram Couple’s Photoshoot Giveaway” that she was set to “win”, and they would use it as their anniversary photoshoot…

Until I started yammering on about Bigfoot once we were about 15 minutes into shooting to signal to Isabel that it was time. I watched her take a deep breath and drop to one knee, and the rest of the day was magic (evidence to follow; a picture is worth 1,000 words).

As queer people, we have the unique opportunity to write our love stories any way that we want because simply by existing we have challenged the norm. The reward is a love so beautifully deep and connected that it literally frightens folks who cannot comprehend it. Caity proposed to Isabel, and now Isabel got the chance to propose to Caity. They will always have Rattlesnake Mountain as their place to return to and remind each other of their love, their commitments to one another, and how Bigfoot helped get them engaged.