She Said Yes in the Rockies! | A Surprise Proposal at Rocky Mountain National Park
Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Couple: Luis + Jennifer
Date: June 11th 2025
Photographer: Vows on the Run
As a photographer, there’s something uniquely magical and such a privilege about capturing a moment that will change two lives forever, especially when only one person knows it’s about to happen.
When Lexine (Best friend of Jennifer) reached out to me about helping Luis plan a surprise proposal while they visited her in Colorado, she said Luis talked about popping the question at Rocky Mountain National Park, I was instantly on board and knew I wanted to help plan something so special.
With 360 degree mountain views, wildflower meadows, and Bronco colored sunsets you can only get in Colorado. RMNP is hands down one of the most breathtaking places to pop the question.
Luis, Lexine, and I spent the next few days secretly planning every detail for their favorite person to get the surprise of her life. From choosing the perfect location (hello Storm Pass Trailhead), to discussing timing for the best light and when to know it’s time to drop to one knee.
Everything was set to go just right.
The Surprise
As the day arrived and the planning had been concluded to a T, I got in my car that afternoon and started the two hour journey to Estes Park to photograph such a big moment for Luis + Jennifer
I arrived to the trail head, set up my tri-pod to get some behind the scene footage for the couple and pretended to be just another hiker with a camera. We had a pre-arranged cue, and everything was going perfectly.
Or so we thought.
As the couple spent time exploring the trail with me closely behind, we ended up being caught on the trail by two elk with no way around and attention from one of them we did not want. The female elk decided our plans for the perfect proposal needed a little scare.
As we tried to move around the Elk as a group (Jennifer still not knowing I was a photographer there for her proposal) The Elk was not having any of it. We were trapped between this large, angry, animal, and a cliff side creek on the other side.
Things were getting serious fast.
The Elk kept her eyes on us pushing her way closer and closer with an instinct to trample all of us with any wrong move.
At this point I could reach out and pet her if I was crazy enough.
As someone who knows how dangerous Wildlife can be, we stayed as calm and quiet as possible but I was so scared now that I was hanging on to Jennifer for DEAR/ DEER life (pun intended).
What felt like a lifetime of fear turned out to be a few minutes of a stand off between Luis, Lexine, Jennifer, Myself and this huge Elk. We finally broke the Elk’s attention by setting off our car alarms and slowly finding cover behind the biggest tree we could.
We all had to take a second to catch our breaths and look around to see if that really just happened.
At this point I was still trying to keep my professional cover and pretend I didn’t still have a job to do.
Finally! The Big Moment
Our breathing was finally back to normal and we had a chance to look up and take in the views again.
After some casual chatting about what we just all went through together I knew we still had a mission to accomplish.
With a view of the Rockies behind them, I offered to take a photo of the couple.
It was finally about to happen
After a few clicks of the camera Luis pointed off into the distance to distract Jennifer and quickly dropped down to one knee
And then... it happened, Jennifer turned around and there Luis was ring in hand asking to spend the rest of his life with her.
For a moment time stood still. Tears, laughter, hugs, and overflowing emotions of joy.
It didn’t feel real, everything ending up aligning perfectly in that very moment, and I got to witness and capture every second.
After the “Yes!”
Once the surprise wore off (kind of!), we spent the next hour soaking in the views and capturing dreamy engagement portraits in some of my favorite spot in the park.
There was dancing in fields, cuddling on mountain tops and running hand in hand around Sprague Lake.
Jennifer and Luis could not stop smiling the entire time.
The exact moments photographers live for.
A Few Words From Me
Photographing surprise proposals is one of my favorite things to do especially in a place as beautiful as Rocky Mountain National Park.
I’m still buzzing from all the stories that were told and captured that day. Jennifer and Luis, thank you for trusting me with this once in a lifetime memory.
The photos turned out stunning because they were full of real emotions and real love and as a photographer who captures memories that will last a lifetime, it was truly one for the books to be able to witness Jennifer and Luis embark on the next chapter of their love story.
Cheers to love, mountain air, and moments that take your breath away.
Thinking of Proposing in Rocky Mountain National Park?
Let’s make it epic and stress-free! I’ll help you with:
Location scouting
Timing for the best light
Sneaky proposal coordination
Permit info (yep, it’s a thing!)
Gorgeous portraits after the “yes!”
Favorite Moments from the Day
Even after what felt like a life threatening scare, the moment Jennifer turned around and saw Luis down on one knee made it all worth it.
It’s important to remember that this is the whole purpose and although everything may not go exactly to plan, it is your imperfect story that makes it perfect.
