Spencer + Kayla | Blacksburg Engagement Photographer | Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory

Spencer and Kayla are engaged!!

I am so excited to share these photos! Spencer reached out to me to arrange a proposal shoot! This was a very special one because it was at the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory in West Virginia! If you haven’t been there, you should go! I waited up at the tower and when they arrived Kayla thought I was just a hiker taking photos of the scenery!

I asked them how they met and they shared that they met on Hinge. They decided to have their first date at a coffee shop in the afternoon but ended up switching to a Thai restaurant when their was no seating available. What was supposed to be a short first date turned into 8 hours of talking about anything and everything. 

While Kayla knew an proposal was eminent, she didn’t expect it quite like it happened. She shared, “I was pretty confident the proposal was coming at the end of the hike. I knew we were planning to get engaged, it was just a matter of when, and I already knew I’d say yes. But I was still very excited. He got down on one knee and took my hands in his, and I could see he was starting to get emotional. He had to pause a few times to collect himself. He forgot some lines of the speech that I later learned he’d been working on for months. Honestly, I had a hard time focusing because I was so worried he was hurting his knee on that rock! But also, certain lines in his speech really hit me (which, sorry, I’m keeping those between us!) Later that evening, he read his entire speech to me, and we both cried. It was magical. Over a week later I am still reeling in the joy and love. I absolutely cannot wait for our future together… forever won’t be long enough.” Absolutely the sweetest ever!

As a couple Spencer and Kayla enjoy cooking. They like to argue about which of them is the better cook. Kayla hopes that is something that will remain true for their entire relationship. They also like to travel with Indy (their cute pup!), garden, and read together. 

Now that they are engaged the wedding planning has become something they are both very excited about. They will soon move in together and hope to buy a house in May. Kayla shared, ” I’ve always been excited for our lives together, and being engaged hasn’t changed that exactly. However, it feels even more real than it did. Before it was discussions and plans about a future we might have… now it’s even more of a commitment, a promise. And for him to plan such an amazing weekend, go to such lengths to surprise me, and just overall take all of this so seriously, even though he already knew I’d say yes… it further affirms that I am the luckiest girl alive.”

I asked each of them to describe the other one. Spencer shared, “Its always hard to have to puck just one thing. But for me, it’s her passion for helping people (especially helping moms deliver babies).”

Kayla shared, “The most awesome thing about Spencer… (do I really have to pick just one?!) He is so many amazing things wrapped up into one person that I am so fortunate to have found. To pick one thing… probably his dedication. Why? Because he applies that dedication to everything in his life, and it makes me love him more and more every day. He is dedicated to his son, his education, his career, his family, and to me. I have no doubts whatsoever that when he says he is going to do something, it is going to get done, no matter what it takes. I can rely on him for anything, and to see him take so many aspects of his life so seriously, without excuses or shortcuts, it tells me that he is going to do the same for our marriage, our future family, and everything else we go through together. I can with 100% confidence know that when he tells me he loves me and he is in this with me for the long haul, he means it.”

I mean… could they be any cuter?? I hope you can tell what a sweet couple they are! Congratulations, Spencer and Kayla!

More photos!!