Renee and Caleb have countless memories at Shenandoah National Park, so it’s no surprise that they asked Megan Rei Photography to join them there for their engagement photos. The couple brought along their adorable rescue pups, Daisy and Penny, for an afternoon hike and some amazing views, but the real magic happened when the sun set over the Blue Ridge Mountains. We’re not quite sure what was more magical, the colors of the sky or the love that is so visible between these two!
How did you meet?
Caleb and I met on Bumble! Our first date was at Virtue Feed and Grain in Alexandria.
What is your proposal story?
Caleb and I moved in to our first apartment together in November 2018. We decided to throw a housewarming/NYE party. Caleb decided to take this opportunity and pop the question 5 minutes before midnight! He even convinced me that it was no big deal that my twin brother wanted to fly out for our party. After proposing, his friends added a “She Said Yes!” banner below our “Happy New Year!” banner and draped a “Bride to Be” over me. It was so sweet! It was extra cool that my brother and his girlfriend stayed a few extra days to check out DC and continue the celebration with us.
Why a Mountain Wedding?
Caleb and I love the outdoors! On our third date, we went rock climbing. We consider this the turning point of our relationship. It was sort of a trust exercise. Afterwards, we went out for a drink with some of his rock climbing friends and they declared we were going to get married one day. We laughed it off awkwardly at the time, but spoiler alert. They were right. We wanted our wedding to reflect our love of the outdoors as it’s always been a part of our relationship. We have an annual pass to Shenandoah National Park and loved the idea of having those mountains in our wedding photos. One of our favorite hikes actually overlooks Khimaira Farm (way off in the distance, but still).
What’s your biggest piece of advice for other couples planning a mountain wedding?
The best piece of advice I can pass along is to get too swept up in the details. No one, including you, will notice if you decided to go with white spray roses vs. white garden roses in your floral arrangement. Plan the day you want, not the exact flower variety. Wedding planning has gotten so crazy it’s for sure easier said than done – I spent two full days looking up flower varieties and ended up booking a florist and can’t even remember what she suggested for us. If you pick good vendors, your day (and floral arrangement) will go off without a hitch.