A photographer and his client planned an incredible surprise proposal shoot like no other when they managed to stage the big moment atop a mountain, high above the early-morning clouds.
24-year-old Ally had no idea what to expect when she headed off in the dark with her boyfriend, Brad, 26, in Banff National Park, Canada.
Brad knew that he wanted to propose to Ally on their vacation in the area, as when they had discussed proposals in the past, Ally had mentioned that she wanted the moment to be somewhere private and with a nice view.
Having searched around online, Brad came across the work of Nick Laferrier of Banff Photography, who specializes in capturing proposals, weddings, and couple photos in the area.
On a call, Brad and Nick came up with an idea to shoot the moment high on the Big Beehive route in the early morning.
Ally was not overly keen on an early morning hike, Brad admitted, but on September 6, 2023, the pair headed off in darkness at around 3:30am, reaching the Lake Louise parking lot for the beginning of their hike at 4:45am.
After setting off around 5:30am, Brad was then in constant contact with Nick as he made his way up the mountain.
Having made their way up the mountain, Brad and Ally then came across Nick at the top, where he was pretending to be a photographer capturing the morning sunrise.
With a wink from Brad, Nick knew it was his client and offered to take a few photos of the couple against the stunning backdrop, which had seen an incredible cloud inversion appear.
Brad then got down on one knee and asked the big question, with Nick capturing the moment and the stunned look on Ally’s face.
The photographer later shared a video of his an Brad’s surprise on social media, where the post received many positive responses to the uniqueness of the proposal – and the amazing shots.
The couple are planning to get married in September 2025.
Brad said: “There was an amazing cloud inversion that day and we luckily got an amazing view.
“About 20 minutes after the proposal, the rain started to move in and we made our way back down to the parking lot.
“I was incredibly nervous leading up to the proposal, and then when she said yes, I was over the moon.
“It was definitely one of the best days of my life.
“Ally was incredibly surprised – she said it was the only time I managed to surprise her completely, and you have no idea how much work I needed to put in to make that the case.
“Ally’s parents were emotional about it, and her friends couldn’t believe I pulled it off.
“We’re so grateful that we have that video and the amazing photos to look back on.
“We couldn’t be happier with how the day and the trip turned out.
“The day went perfectly, and Nick did such an amazing job capturing the proposal.”
