The proposal story:

Shane is regularly romantic and thoughtful, so when he told me he wanted to plan an experience for us during our trip to Turkey I didn’t think twice about it. Like any girl would, I asked him to give me some scope so I could prepare my outfit. He told me we’d be up early, that there would be breakfast, and we’d take some pictures. He also told me exactly which dress he thought would be perfect for what he was planning. I didn't have a manicure, I didn’t think he had asked my parents permission, and I also didn’t think he had a ring yet. 

We arrived at a secluded spot where no one else was around. With the first bit of sunlight peeking over the horizon, we walked up a winding path to a plateau overlooking the Cappadocia valley to find a spread laid out for us. There were Turkish rugs, lounge pillows, a bonfire, breakfast items, Turkish tea, coffee, and music. The sun began rising and hot air balloons were firing up and starting to rise up into the sky. It was just us and so serene and beautiful. We sat together by the bonfire chatting for a while when I realized the light was getting really nice. Typical photographer, I told Shane we should probably start taking photos soon to maximize our time with the best lighting. So we got up and stood next to the fire to warm up. We hugged, chatted, and took in the view.

I noticed something shift energetically when Shane seemed all of a sudden sentimental; he held both my hands and repeated multiple times the phrase, “I want to love you forever” then continued to say every sweet and heartfelt thing you’d want someone to say just before they pop the question.

Then he almost got down on one knee. I gasped. Almost instantly he had to stand back up because his pants were tight enough that he couldn’t get the ring box out! Then he dropped back down on one knee. It prolonged the moment, which I loved, because it allowed me to be present and really take it all in. I said, “WHAT!?” before a resounding “YES!” I was genuinely surprised as evidenced by the photos. Time seemed to stand still as we both had a flood of emotions and joy taking in this new reality of our engagement. Shane also curated a playlist and soon after he proposed our song came on, Fleetwood Mac’s Everywhere covered by Leucadia. Still to this day when I hear that song, I get chills thinking about that sunrise proposal.