Love, hope, and kindness are in the AIR this spring, and I was thrilled at the chance to do some more Lake Lure photography last weekend... capturing a beautiful, heartwarming marriage proposal!

When our neighbors in Riverbend were looking for a Lake Lure photographer, I jumped at the chance to connect. (First of all, can we just take a moment for how hard it is to make new friends during a pandemic? It's been so nice to finally meet people. Secondly, proposals are sooo much fun to photograph.)

This proposal was a little different, however, in that it was Mika's mom who was my point of contact for all the pre-engagement scheming! You may remember from the last Asheville marriage proposal I photographed that the groom-to-be Chris sent me an itinerary down to the 15-minute mark. We had to keep Mika off the scent of Fabian's proposal, however, so Lisa put a pretty elaborate plan in action.

Mika and Fabina have a precious little girl, so Lisa secretly dressed her in an adorable t-shirt that read, "Mommy, will you marry my daddy?" The absolute magic, however, was that Lisa somehow managed to keep Lilah from taking off her jacket too soon and spoil the surprise!

We decided on Pearson's Falls in Tryon for the proposal spot, and if you've never been you should definitely make the time next time you're in the area. There's a wonderfully maintained 0.7 mile hike to a stunning waterfall, so I once again dressed in my finest "I'm a nature photographer, I swear" flannel and camped out at the falls until I saw them coming.

Fabian executed the proposal perfectly, right in front of the most amazing waterfall. Mika saw Lilah's t-shirt first, and while she was absorbing what it said, Fabian dropped to one knee with the ring. It was pretty much all tears and laughter and group hugs from there, but in my opinion, it was their matching Star Wars shirts that really made it a fairytale ending... from a galaxy far, far away.

Congratulations to Mika and Fabian and sweet little Lilah! May this next chapter of your life together bring you even more happiness, love, and adventure. And honestly, is there ever going to be a more appropriate blog post for me to end with the words:

May the force be with you, always!

Want to see more Lake Lure photography by Reese Moore? Check out this Asheville proposal shoot! Looking for a Lake Lure family photographer? I hope you'll enjoy this fall family portrait or this family session at an apple orchard!