Desert Elopement Inspiration & A Surprise Proposal in Moab, Utah
the hearnes » adventure elopement photographers
Jamaal + Schadell’s Surprise Proposal in Canyonlands National Park | Utah Desert Wedding Inspiration | Rue de Seine East Gown + Gold Coin Veil
Oh my goodness, this day was the most amazing way to kick off our 2020 Moab Elopement season!! Schadell fully believed they were just coming to Moab to model for us, and I even asked Rue de Seine to send us some of their wedding dresses (side note, their dresses are AMAZING, but you already know that if you’ve looked at any of these photos!) so it totally seemed like a real elopement styled shoot, but Jamaal had a big secret up his sleeve and he surprised her with a proposal!! She said yes, obviously :) But I want to start from the beginning and share this whole story because it was all so perfect.
Schadell and Jamaal are such an incredible couple. She works as a flight attendant, and he’s currently in training to be a pilot, so clearly we connected immediately. A few years ago they were invited to model for a photography workshop and absolutely loved the experience, so they’ve turned it into a bit of a side-gig where they travel to amazing places and model for photographers, which is why she didn’t think anything suspicious about our shoot AT ALL! So, while I coordinated this while shoot “with Schadell” I was also texting with Jamaal to set up an official plan for his proposal!
We’ve shot a few surprise proposals before and one of my biggest “rules” is having the actual moment early on in the shoot. I’ve found that it helps the personal popping the question be less nervous (or at least their nerves don’t have to be dragged out for so long!) and the emotions that come after such an exciting occasion make for absolutely amazing photos, so we like to capitalize on them! Plus, the quicker it goes down, the less likely someone will ruin the surprise or something will go wrong! The only issue with that idea was that we were planning to shoot at two different locations that afternoon/sunset, and I knew the second spot at sunset would be the most epic. Jamaal obviously wanted the most epic possible spot if they were going to come all the way out to Moab for this! So, the day before, we changed things up and decided to start with sunrise in Canyonlands National Park and I am SO glad we did because it ended being reaaaaaaaally amazing.
That morning, we picked them up at their hotel in Moab at 6am and drive an hour up to the top of the Canyonlands. They’d never been to Moab before and arrived the evening before, so it was extra special to know their first real glimpse of the Moab desert would be at sunrise on the edge of a cliff :) We arrived up top and they got dressed in our camper (#clutch mobile bridal suite) and to no surprise, the Rue de Seine East Gown sample looked like it was made for Schadell! We hiked down to the overlook, I made sure “everyone had everything they needed * wink wink *” and we positioned out on this beautiful overlook and told them to just soak it in for a minute or two. Jamaal had Schadell turn around so he could “fix her hair” and then he got down on one knee!!! And she had the most adorable reaction - she was so surprised and said “are you really doing this? for real? is this real???” and then after a moment of excited squealing she goes “okay sorry I’ll let you finish” and he asked her to marry him! It was amazing. And we were able to get great photos because we didn’t have to hide at all :)
After that, we let them have their moment and soak it all in, as the sun came up behind the mountains and washed all the canyonlands in the most beautiful golden light. Then we spent the next hour taking some REAL engagement photos for them! It was the best time! We absolutely love being in Moab in the winter, we had the area all to ourselves for the whole sunrise, and it honestly wasn’t even that cold! The north-facing cliffs still had a beautiful dusting of snow, and the everything was so quiet. As we wrapped up and drove down, they were still reeling from such an exciting morning. We dropped them off to enjoy their day in Moab (they hiked in Arches and absolutely loved it!) and then I picked them up again in the afternoon for a sunset engagement session (aka the original planned shoot) in another part of the desert…I’ll link those photos here as soon as I post that blog!
Featured on: Green Wedding Shoes | LOOKSLIKEFILM
Boho Desert Wedding Dress: East Gown by Rue de Seine
Bride’s Earrings: Bri Bol
Bride’s Fringe Jacket: Vintage provided by Abbi Hearne
Bride’s Leather Boots: Frye Company
Photographers: The Hearnes Adventure Photography
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The Hearnes Adventure Photography is run by Abbi and Callen Hearne, a husband & wife wedding photography team with an emphasis on adventure. Unless stated otherwise, all blog and social media posts are written from the perspective of Abbi! Our photography style is adventurous, full of stoke, and centered around telling a true story. We are nomadic wedding photographers living on the road, which allows us to photograph your adventures anywhere in the world. We especially love the sierra mountains in California, southwestern desert in Utah, and the glacial landscape of Alaska. We have updated passports and are ready to travel anywhere your love takes you!
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