Shenandoah National Park Sunrise Surprise Proposal | Meghan and Julia (and Lotus)

This adventurous mountain proposal in Shenandoah National Park was a gorgeous way to start a summer morning! Meghan and Julia met in college at UVA, and although they live across the country now, Meghan wanted to propose while they were on a trip back to Virginia where they first met.

Planning a proposal isn’t easy when you’re trying to hide everything from your partner, but Meghan had a bit of leg up in this department. She was planning from Japan while competing in the Olympics! Definitely easier to keep your plans a secret when you’re in a different country from your significant other 😂. When she returned to the States, Julia met her in Virginia with their dog Lotus, and they planned to do their Shenandoah hike a couple days later.

The location was a short hike from the parking lot, and we made sure to all arrive at the top just before sunrise. I casually strolled around with my camera, just looking like another hiker there to take photos of the beautiful scenery. When Meghan and Julia were in the perfect location for the proposal, I offered to take a photo for them! (This is one of my favorite strategies for getting proposal photos without needing to be in hiding.) Meghan handed me her cell and I snapped a quick photo of them on the phone before Meghan knelt down on one knee and I switched to using my camera.

Julia’s reaction was priceless! I was cracking up when she looked at me and realized I was not just another friendly hiker who offered to take their picture haha.

Isn’t Lotus the cutest little pup?? He’s a great hiking dog and scrambled over the rocks no problem.

That view!! The Blue Ridge Mountains were showing off their namesake colors that day.

These two have so much fun together!

Pretty sure it wasn’t on purpose, but I loved that they were both wearing blue and coordinated with the mountains 😂.

Meghan packed some champagne to celebrate the big moment!

Location: Shenandoah National Park