Devin & Jason

When you’re the photographer in the family, you’re inevitably asked to capture many of the milestones in people’s lives. And while I love all my couples, my heart does have a special flutter for those closest to me—those friends and family members I’ve known for years.

So, when my brother Jason mentioned he was ready to propose to his girlfriend, Devin, I was over the moon. After some back and forth, we landed on the perfect proposal idea—popping the question during our family trip to Olympic National Park.

Picture this—my immediate family all knowing about the impending proposal, having to keep their lips sealed for a whole week. It wasn’t easy! But we all managed to keep the surprise until the big moment.

A Marriage Proposal in the Hoh Forest

After a full week of activities—including beach visits, hiking trips, and plenty of good eats—we entered the Hoh Forest.

It was early morning and the air was damp. It seemed appropriate since the Olympic Peninsula boasts one of the continental US’s few rainforests—so all that enchanting fog and mist definitely lived up to the hype. It’s also all that rain and moisture that gives the area its rich greenery.

While Jason had told the family today would be the day, I’m not really sure that sunk in—for reasons I’ll explain in a moment. But the plan between my brother and I was pretty clear: At some moment, he’d give me the signal, and I’d capture it on my camera.

As Jason managed the ring in his bag and the nervous feeling through his body, my husband Isiah and I managed the rest of the family. It isn’t easy when we all have different hiking speeds. My dad prefers a slower pace, while my mom likes to snap lots of pictures on her phone. Isiah, notoriously a fast walker, was invisibly wrangling everyone for the upcoming moment.

And, there it was. A particularly lovely grouping of trees. Jason locked eyes with me, sending the secret sibling signal that I should get ready with my camera. Turning to Devin, he said, “That’d be a good spot for a photo.”

One of the trickiest parts of proposal photography is justifying why you have a photographer on site. What made this especially easy was that I had been taking photos of Jason & Devin with my professional camera all week. So, it’s not like one more would set off her alarm bells.

As Jason & Devin got into position, he dropped to one knee and (in his words) fumbled his way through a wordsalad of romance, commitment, and jitters. From my perspective, I think it took Devin a moment to realize what was happening. She later shared with us that she was completely surprised. And through glistening teardrops, she said “Yes!”

As I was 100% focused on the proposal, my parents were telepathically clued in the same way I was. My mom was walking towards the couple having their moment, hoping to get a photo of the same tree area. Isiah, holding a phone to record the moment, threw out an arm to hold her back. After a little back and forth, it dawned on her—and she broke into happy tears immediately.

We gave Jason & Devin a moment to collect themselves, before rushing in with our “congratulations.” We fawned over the ring and retold the story from each of our perspectives—what we knew, what we didn’t, and how beautiful it all was.

We spent the next hour or so exploring the rest of the Hoh Forest, all in the afterglow of a wonderful wedding proposal.