It called for rain the evening of Brittany and Rocky’s Blueridge Parkway engagement session. The day before I had made the call to push up our start time by two hours. I felt like we would be dodging rain all afternoon but it actually turned out to be the perfect amount of overcast with the sun popping out every now and then.
We stopped at Beacon Heights Overlook first to make sure we got our epic mountain shots because we really weren’t sure when and if we’d run into rain. It was a super short and easy hike to a breathtaking and serene view. 10000% would recommend this hike for anybody and for any reason. We had a crowd at one point watching us and then at another point, we were the only ones out there.
Our second stop, just a few miles down the parkway, was Flat Rock Trail which was a very similarly short hike. A little bit steeper than Beacon Heights but still manageable for all ages. Once you got to the top, you did have to walk a bit and search for the grand overlook but the rocks were super cool! We time it perfect because as soon as we got to our cars at the end of the session the rain started to drizzle.
It was super fun getting to spend time and get to know Brittany and Rocky in their engagement session. They were actually wedding guests and Kim and Travis’ Whitehead Manor wedding last fall. I had snagged a photo of them on the dance floor and she remembered me all this time.
How they met
Brittany and Rocky met playing in a co-ed flag football league in Charlotte. They had mutual friends and Rocky was already on the team and Brittany and a few of her girlfriends were asked to join the team a little later. They continued to be just friends for a couple of years but given their mutual group of friends, they did give one round of dating a try. However, they didn’t live in the same city so it didn’t work out…yet. Just a timing thing, you know? Rocky ended up moving back to Charlotte and while Brittany was at her friend Caitlin’s wedding, she decided to give him a call (clearly she hadn’t stopped thinking about him!). They went on their second first date that next Monday and the rest was history.
How he proposed
On our hike down the overlook, they told me their super sweet proposal story and although it’s not as extravagant as some, it was super special and simple for them. Rocky’s planned to propose on Brittany’s grandmother’s birthday on May 30th. You see Brittany’s grandmother was her favorite person in the entire world and she passed away a few years ago. She was one of the best people in her life and she was very close to her grandmother. Rocky had a conversation with her the last time they were able to see her and she knew she was sick and said she wished she could see the day for them to get married. He wanted to honor her grandmother in that way.
In order for his proposal to be done the right way, he had to of course ask her father for permission. Well COVID delayed his plans of flying to Upstate NY. Multiple opportunities were taken from him. However, while Brittany managed to make a trip up to see her family, Rocky drove 10 hours from Charlotte to New York with the engagement ring, somehow managed to dodge Brittany the entire time she was there. Literally missing each other by 10 minutes at her dad’s house. She never knew he was in the same town, much less state.
On the morning of her grandmother’s birthday, May 30th, with her dad’s permission, Rocky proposed to Brittany privately in their home. It was the perfect start to a day in which they would normally be celebrating her grandmother’s birth and life!
