I’ll start by saying I love Christmas.

It’s my favorite time of the year. I love the decorating, the baking, the gift giving… absolutely everything about it. In fact, one of my most favorite trips Zack and I have ever been on was a trip to New York City during December to see all of the decorations and Christmas Trees. We also walked around to every Gossip Girl location, but there was lots of trees there too. Now, let’s get to How He Asked 🙂

We had been talking about getting married for months (years?!) at this point and knew it could happen any day. It was fall when I started to get antsy and excited so I started getting my nails done regularly. They were always ready for a photo, hehe! But I just had the biggest feeling that Zack was going to propose on Christmas Day.

Until he didn’t…. and I ruined Zack’s proposal plan!

It’s can be really hard living so far from your family. I love all of the family that I do have in Kentucky but my mom, dad and siblings all live in Virginia still. I didn’t have a plan to go home for Christmas that year so when a weekend opened up on our calendar, I proposed (ha!) an impromptu road trip just two weeks before my favorite holiday.

Honestly, Zack seemed kind of bummed that I brought it up. I remember thinking, how could he be upset? A quick weekend trip to VA isn’t so bad. I know the drive is long but we’ll be back in town for the holidays by Monday. Little did I know, he had planned something else for this weekend. But he couldn’t say NO to me when I asked to visit my family! It’s for the holidays!

We packed up and headed to Virginia.

My trips back home always seem to go by quick because the drive is long and I want to see everyone. We met up with my sister and her husband, Andrew first. She always knows of the coolest breweries so we went to a new one down the street from my Dad’s house before we would head out to Bull Run Winery for some tastings there.

My sister shares the same love as photography as me so we both had are cameras with us. It’s not abnormal for us to take shots every where we go. We grabbed a few at the brewery and I shared how excited I was to see the winery all lit up for the holidays, too. Christmas Lights make for beautiful photos!

Side note: Even though I was really excited to try some wine, I didn’t realize why we had to rush to the winery. Our gas light was on and getting low, but no one in the car seemed worried enough to stop for gas. I kept pestering Zack to let us stop at a gas station! Finally someone told me to stop questioning the gas light and so I shut up, haha! I didn’t know we had people waiting on us 🙂

We got to Bull Run and it was as gorgeous as I imagined.

Their outdoor patio was all lit with trees and lights. There was a musician playing an acoustic guitar in the lobby. When we went outside, Brit asked for a  few photos in front of the trees and then we got our turn!

In front of a Christmas tree, in the patio lights, Zack grabbed my waist tighter than ever and pulled me in close. Brittani snapped a photo and as I was turning towards Zack, he was just starting to get down on one knee. I still can’t believe this moment happened where he asked me to be his WIFE. I just remember wrapping my arms around him and giving him the BIGGEST HUG EVER.

The easiest YES I had ever said!!!

We hugged and laughed and kissed. I remember hearing someone telling Zack to put the ring on my finger. His response “I didn’t know! I’ve never done this before!” Hahaha! My whole family had been there for it. They came out from behind the corner with champagne and wine. It was the dreamiest ring I had dreamed of. The whole night was literally perfect.

He never told me what he had actually planned for the proposal other than my family would have been there regardless. He still brought my love of Christmas and family into an impromptu trip and change of plans. I love that my (now) husband prioritizes my family because our families mean the world to us. I’m so thankful they were there to share the moment with us.

Proposal Photographs

The photos my sister captured were something we treasure every day. If you are thinking of proposing, I hope you consider hiring a photographer to capture the moment. If you are looking to propose soon and want it photographed, shoot me a message and I can capture it on film for you!

If you enjoyed this post, you can read the rest of Our Love Story here!

Tricia Michael Photography, LLC is located in Southern Pines, North Carolina. In addition to the North Carolina community, she also serves the Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky areas as a wedding and engagement photographer. You can learn more about the wedding and photography services and availability by contacting me here.