Zach Proposes to Ana at Grotto Falls, Tennessee

When Zach contacted me earlier in the summer, he wanted to see if I was available for a special occasion. He was going to propose to his girlfriend of 4 years, Ana. Ana is a good friend of mine, so I was stoked to be the one he chose to be there to capture this moment for the two of them, and without hesitation I agreed to make it happen.

The plan was for him to convince her that they needed a trip, and to get her somewhere in nature. He chose Tennessee, and then after more research decided on Grotto Falls. For a couple months, we went back and fourth planning how to make this go as smooth as possible. I had only ever passed through Tennessee, but I hadn’t spent any time there and I had never been out to this waterfall either. So after using Google to get to know the area, we had a plan that I’d arrive before them to hike out and wait. He shared his location with me so I could track them driving in, and then also shared what they were wearing so I would be able to spot them easier through the trees when they walked in.

It’s a 3 mile round trip hike to the falls. When I got out to the waterfall there were people everywhere. I was evaluating how I’d work around the constantly changing environment. That was, until one by one everyone trickled out, leaving me to be the only person there with Zach and Ana due to arrive any minute. Sure enough, they showed up and Ana was so in awe of the waterfall that she didn’t notice me. The universe took care of us. Zach got down on one knee, and Ana said, “yes.”