Grace and Blake love the outdoors. As a matter of fact, Black popped the question to his soon-to-be-wife in the middle of a 4-wheeling adventure. So of course these two wanted an engagement session that showed off the best nature had to offer. They headed to Settler’s Ridge with Sky’s the Limit Photography for some woodsy shots, even stopping for a little picnic along the way. Grace has a killer smile and is doing some serious smizing. Meanwhile, it’s clear that Blake is totally smitten with her <3. These light, glowing photos encompass both the couple’s country side and Grace’s love of all things girly. What a great prerequisite to their May wedding, which Grace told me was rustic chic with a good dose of glam mixed in. Sounds right up my alley!
From the bride…
When and how did you two meet?
Blake and I met on a complete whim. I was in the last few months of grad school and had been living at his parent’s house (yes, his parent’s house) in Altoona, PA, finishing up a clinical rotation. At the time, Blake had already moved out of his parent’s house and was settled in Pittsburgh. Best part about it was that I had only met Blake’s parents once before I went to live with them for five weeks (crazy, I know!). Both my parents and Blake’s parents had a mutual friend who had connected us to one another. They were then kind enough to offer their home to me. Ever since the day I met his mom, Heidi, she had wanted me to meet her son. At the time, I was focused on school and didn’t really think much about it. Until Blake came home to visit one weekend…..
It was love at first sight! Really, I swear! Needless to say, the rest is history and Blake and I have been together ever since that day. Let’s just say that I have never been more grateful for the experience to live at a random house for several weeks! Upon finishing up grad school, I landed my first big girl job in Pittsburgh, where I was born and raised, and now Blake and I both call it “home”.
Juicy details on the proposal, please! Where, when, how?
It was an out-of-the-blue Sunday afternoon last October. Blake and I were visiting his parents in Altoona. One of our favorite hobbies is to ride 4-wheelers. That particular afternoon, Blake was insistent on going 4-wheeling and I was always up for a ride in the mountains. The 4-wheeler hadn’t been used in a while and we had a few problems even getting it started, but Blake was persistent. I even recall mentioning to him several times to just forget about it and that we could just go home. Several tries later and we were ready to go!
Up the mountain we went…
We had several obstacles along the way that were inhibiting our ride…fallen trees, branches, etc. But, we continued on! At one point, we had stopped to look at some wildlife. We had turned the 4-wheeler off but then it wouldn’t turn back on! We were stuck! Luckily, Blake is a handyman and got things working again. All the while, Blake had the ring box hidden in his sock in his boots (which I didn’t know about…ouch!). Once again, we were on our way up the mountain. Finally, we had gotten to the top.
It was a beautiful view that we had seen many times before. It was one of our favorite places to be together. A few minutes had passed and we were sitting and enjoying the view. Blake got up and walked behind me as I continued to look out over the valley. Next thing I knew, he had gotten my attention to stand up and go over to him.
From then on out, things are a little blurry for me. I remember him being on one knee. I was crying like a baby! He had pulled out the ring box and started saying something romantic (I’m sure it was sweet, but I was just crying too hysterically to remember what was said!). The next thing I knew, he was putting the ring on me!
It wasn’t until we had ventured back down the mountain that I could truly appreciate what had actually happened, and what my beautiful ring looked like! We then proceeded to share the exciting news by making phone calls to our family and friends.
Describe the engagement session.
Country but classic; girly but outdoorsy 🙂
