Wedding Date: December 7th 2022

I’ve been in the wedding industry for a long time and have captured thousands of weddings. It’s pretty hard to surprise me these days but somehow Megan and Markus pulled off the surprise of the year.

They were busy planning a small spring wedding when we started talking about engagement photos. They wanted to do a Local Adventure but wanted some input as to where we should go. I introduced them to one of my favorite places in the city, Theodore Wirth Park, and they fell in love. A few days before their session, they asked if they could have another call with me. This isn’t standard practice and I was thinking maybe they were nervous about the session and had questions or wanted to change the location, but wow was I wrong! Instead, they called to tell me that they were head-over-heels for the park and decided to cancel all their spring wedding plans in lieu of a surprise wedding during their engagement session! You know I love a surprise, so I was all in!

They told their family that they wanted to have a group photo during their engagement session at the top of a picturesque bluff so they could remember the moment. Then they called a close friend and filled him in on the plan and asked if he could officiate their surprise wedding. Now that everything was set, we were ready for one epic surprise. We started off with a beautiful winter engagement session with their dogs while we explored the trailhead. Then the couple disappeared into their car to change into wedding attire and made their way to the top of the bluff just as their families cars were pulling into the parking lot. Everyone gathered at the bottom of the hill and I walked up with them and watched their faces fill with joy as they saw Megan’s wedding dress. Everyone was in complete shock as they quickly explained what was happening. Then before anyone could say another word, they exchanged their vows as their friends and family watched on with a loving (and still shocked) gaze.

Everyone cheered and cried and hugged each other. I thought we would melt the snow beneath our feet from all the joy and happiness radiating from this little group. We did actually manage to get that group photo they promised before everyone made their way down the hill and back inside for a quick prosecco toast. Megan, Markus, and I all ventured back out into the snow where we were met with a beautiful sunset that complemented their rosy cheeks thanks to both the cold and the excitement. They couldn’t stop laughing and smiling and frankly, neither could I. We ended the day with a gorgeous skyline view and an obligatory selfie to commemorate the surprise of the year.