Biltmore Estate Surprise Proposal || Kelsey + Kyle
The weekend of October 6 was Kelsey’s first time in the mountains, and it’s likely to be a weekend she won’t forget! Saturday morning dawned warm and misty, and when I crested the hill to Diana, the ridges behind the Biltmore House still had a languid fog hanging over them, alluding to the gorgeous day ahead.
When Kyle and I began planning this surprise for his girlfriend - packaged just as a weekend getaway to explore a new city - he knew he wanted the images to be epic, so we chose the top of lawn so that the grandeur of the house would be the background for his own grand moment. As planned, I stood out of the way in the gazebo, pretending to be just another tourist taking photos. After explaining to several actual tourists what I was doing and why I needed to stake out that spot, Kelsey and Kyle arrived. They gazed out at the view and then, of course, took a couple selfies together, Kelsey not know what was only seconds away.
Finally, Kyle dropped down on one knee and whatever he said, Kelsey emphatically said yes! I’d already popped out of my hiding place to capture the excitement, but only after lots of kisses did Kelsey notice the “stealthy” photographer. Introductions made, congratulations given, we started down the hill to take more photos, this time with everyone knowing I was there!
For all that it was October, it felt like July. The morning haze had burned off, the sun beat down on us and boy was it bright out. We took advantage of the gorgeous architecture of the house (and, more importantly, the shade), using the arches to frame this newly-engaged couple’s first dance.
Though golden hour is gorgeous, I just as much love shooting in that harsh late morning light, using natural spotlights to highlight my subjects’ emotions while pushing everything else into the background. This is, perhaps, hard to do when the background is a majestic mansion or an incredible mountain range, but Kelsey and Kyle’s elation still stole the show. As they were all smiles and laughter, I wanted to show off their playfulness, so they spent several breathless minutes laughing from the hilarity of chasing each other through a field and giving piggy-back rides.
We finished our session in the conservatory, again using the clean lines of my favorite building on the property to frame the happy couple. Capturing the excitement of the beginning of a new season in love amidst a beautiful backdrop like this was an incredible way to kick off the weekend.
