Sunset Proposal and Engagement Photos in Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado

On a gorgeous fall day, I photographed the most amazing proposal in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was filled with so many emotions, breath taking scenery, and most importantly, SO much joy.

Erich reached out to me and booked a surprise proposal for their Colorado trip. Originally, I was going to hide nearby and capture the proposal without her knowing a photographer was there. I explained that it might be better if he lets her know that he booked a couples session so she can be prepared. You know, make-up on, and favorite clothes handy! Marisa ended up scrolling Instagram searching for photographers, found my page, and told Erich that they should have a session done with me!! Good thing he already took care of that, haha! So, the new plan was that this was just going to be a couples session. Meanwhile, I knew Erich would propose the entire time. 🙂

We met in Rocky Mountain National Park and started their session in the first location I had planned. It was mid-September, which is mating season for the elk in RMNP. We walked to our spot, and could see dozens of elk together. They were very far away, down below us. We also heard the elk bugling like crazy. If you’ve heard this, you know how amazing it is to hear! We had a blast taking in the scenery, and I was so excited for what was to come.

One elk made an appearance…

There was ONE lone elk, further away above us that I was keeping my eye on. Even though we were very far away, I made sure to look back every few minutes to make sure there was plenty of distance apart. We could hear him bugling every so often and even though it was incredible to hear, it was also a tiny bit scary haha.

It was time to trek back to our cars to go to the next location where Erich would propose! As we started hiking up, the elk was literally RIGHT next to our cars. Of course, we had to wait until he was good distance away. In my head I’m thinking “oh my gosh, this is so cool yet a little terrifying and we also really need to get to the second location for this proposal!”. After hanging around our cars for a little bit, he ended up ripping out two of the wooden poles on the road. These are placed throughout the road to mark the edge of the road for snowplowing. It was absolutely WILD to see this with our own eyes!! After he ripped them out and played a bit, he ran down the mountain, and it was finally safe for us to get out of there haha!

Time to get engaged!

After experiencing one of the coolest moments in nature, we drove to our next spot. Erich and Marisa changed into their second outfits, and we were ready to go! I told them to hold hands, and to have Marisa lead Erich, so he could get down on one knee. I remember she kept looking back at him and smiling (it was adorable) yet also hilarious because he was trying to be sneaky! Finally, Erich got down on one knee, and Marisa’s reaction was absolutely priceless. She was completely in shock, in the BEST way. The happy tears were flowing, and after several minutes of them embracing, I had to tell them to look at the sky. The entire sky lit up in a firy red, pink color and it was absolutely GORGEOUS. Definitely the best way to end an incredible and unforgettable day for them.

My heart was completely bursting with happiness for these two. I truly couldn’t be more honored to be a part of such joy-filled and unforgettable moments like this!

As a little bonus… scroll all the way to the end to not only see some gorgeous photos, but to see a phone capture of an elk. I took this driving to our second location!

And of course, a photo of an elk I quickly captured! This wasn’t the elk that ripped out the wooden poles, but a different beauty. 🙂

Are you planning a Colorado proposal, or do you want epic mountain engagement photos?! Click here for more information!

If you’re looking for more Colorado engagement inspiration, check out Hannah and Adam’s Rocky Mountain National Park engagement session!