Back Story: When I met Josh & Kaylee I immediately liked them


I met Josh and Kaylee when I first moved to the Comox Valley for my new job. They were both part of the Church and Young Adults Group I joined and I liked them both immediately. I remember talking about volleyball with Josh and his brother Jared the first time we met and appreciating how welcoming and personable they both were. I met Kaylee and her friend Jemma when they attended the young adults group that met at Josh and Jared’s parent’s home. Kaylee and Jemma were super hilarious and would feed off of each other’s jokes and silliness. Their freedom to just be themselves and not take themselves too seriously was so refreshing and fun to be around.


Our Stories: Intertwined through shared memories


Having moved to a completely foreign city it was such a blessing to have made genuinely welcoming, and kind friends. To this day they continue to be a blessing and some of my dearest friends. During the two years I spent in the Comox Valley our stories and lives seemed to intertwine through many amazing memories and trips (they were not dating at this point yet). Some of my favorites include lake days where Josh would invite me out on the boat in the summer, a Thailand Mission trip that I got to serve alongside Kaylee, birthday surf trips, food nights, hikes and beach campfires to name a few. Even after I moved to the mainland for work, I still remained close with Josh and Kaylee. When I would come back to the island to visit I typically would often stay at Josh’s place and he always made time for us to catch up. We both got into bouldering, camping and share a growing passion for motorcycles- specifically Harley Davidson Motorcycles.


The Lead Up: The Secret on the Mountain


Despite the distance and ferry separating me from my friends, this fall was extra special. I had the opportunity to hike a portion of the Sunshine Coast Trail with them up to Tin Hat Mountain to camp for the night. It was absolutely incredible and such a fun adventure. There was a moment on the mountain when Josh and I were alone that he disclosed to me his plan to propose to Kaylee soon. I was so ecstatic that he was sharing this with me and that he wanted me to capture the proposal. During this trip, I also discovered that the following weekend they had plans of camping at Sombrio Beach at the southern end of Vancouver Island, they invited me to join and I agreed. So for back-to-back weekends we had the opportunity to hangout in nature, camp and truly enjoy some of the most beautiful views.

The Plan


Josh, Kaylee and I talked about going to Portland in the fall. We all appreciate good food, exploring, hiking and adventures and so we decided to plan a trip this past fall. Josh also decided that he wanted to propose to Kaylee somewhere super beautiful and so he selected Canon Beach on the Oregon Coast during this trip. Aside from some hiccups with our hotel, the trip was fantastic. We had incredible food, explored lots of waterfalls, were directed to a hidden rooftop bar and of course got dreamy photos of the surprise proposal. Here's how it went down.

The Proposal


If its not obvious, the beach was alarmingly foggy- so foggy that the iconic Hay Stack was in and of view sporadically. The good news was that we didn't have to wait too long to get some photos since there wasn't as many people around on this foggy day. I was so worried that we wouldn't be able to get the haystack in the background, but the Lord provided us with a quick break in the fog for us to pull of this surprise proposal. I took some photos of Josh and Kaylee separately and got them to take some of me as a fun warm up. Next, I had Josh stand alone for some photos facing away from me. This was really just as a setup and to make sure I had the settings and everything dialed in. Then I had Kaylee swap places with Josh, I took what probably felt like the same shots (all part of the surprise and in hopes of defusing any suspicion) and then I gave Josh the ring I had been keeping for him and Kaylee to stand still while I got Josh to quickly move something from sticking to her shoulder. He did that and then as we had discussed, got down on one knee and I asked Kaylee to just turn around for me, at which point she saw Josh, and the rest is history.


p.s. I cannot wait to shoot their wedding this summer!!!!!!


**If you are wondering how I got video documenting the proposal as well, I had my GoPro on a small tripod, lodged in my Peak Design Sling bag that I was wearing on my chest while shooting** Let me know if you would like a copy of my 3 top tips for shooting a surprise proposal (one of the tips is a must know for the guy)