What started as an annual birthday trip planned by the unbeknownst bride-to-be, ended in her dream mountain proposal, nestled at the edge of June Lake in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range. Since high school, Aubrey, Senior Social Media Manager at Be Inspired PR, spent her summers hiking, paddle boarding, and recharging at June Lake. The picturesque alpine lake is a gem within the Eastern Sierras, with vibrant and natural blue waters consisting mostly of fresh snow melt. Rightfully so, it was quickly dubbed as her favorite place in the world. She always hoped that she might be able to have her own mountain engagement along the lake’s glistening waters – but she never imagined it would be as perfect as it turned out.
Their Love Story
“We both share a background in music and arts – so it was only fitting that we met on a summer evening when Rylan was playing a concert that I helped produce! It was 2021, and the world was making a slow return back to “normal” after the pandemic. After a long run without live entertainment, me and some friends set out to bring the joy of live music back through a series of backyard concerts. Our shows were open to the public to discover and enjoy local bands and musicians. For our first weekend, Rylan’s band happened to be in the lineup!”
“Rylan took center stage with a stellar saxophone solo that piqued my interest. After the encore, he made the first move by thanking me for “making dope concert posters” (one of my projects for the production) and asking if he could commission me to design some art for their upcoming tour. They exchanged numbers…and the rest is history!”
The Proposal
“Working in the events industry makes it pretty tricky to get anything past me. Rylan took my planning skills to his advantage when I decided that I wanted to spend my 27th birthday camping at June Lake. As I was planning out how we would spend the weekend, a friend suggested that we nab dinner reservations on the night of my birthday, so that we wouldn’t have to do any cooking and cleaning over the campfire for a night. It made perfect sense and would be a fun way to celebrate – so I penciled it into the itinerary for the weekend!”
“The day of my dream mountain proposal, we all spent the day lounging in Tuolumne Meadows. We took dips in the water, played card games, and enjoyed each other’s company before it came time for dinner! Just before golden hour, we made a pit stop at our campsite to change out of our bathing suits. My girlfriends told me they were going to wear white skirts, so that’s what I planned on too! As we were about to leave, one of my best friends Zachary Tan – who also happens to be one of my favorite photographers – mentioned that he found a beautiful look out spot that was on the way to the restaurant. He asked if we could stop to get some group photos to document our trip, and we of course said yes!”
“In my years visiting June Lake every summer, I had never seen this lookout spot before. I was so surprised and in awe! After our friends had their photos taken, Zach called me and Rylan up for our turn. Before we got any good shots, Rylan got down on one knee… to tie his shoe (classic) and while I laughed and waited for him to lace up his shoes, he pulled a velvet blue ring box out of his jacket and popped the question. It was a million times YES!”
The Celebration
“Our après proposal was done the Mammoth way, with brews al fresco alongside our closest friends. When the sun finally set, we were surprised yet again with a dinner reservation for two overlooking Convict Lake. We spent the evening over the moon with each other and making some fun calls to family and friends.”
“As if it could get any more perfect, we continued our celebrations the next day on the water with a private pontoon cruise at June Lake! It was sunny, just under 75 degrees, and the perfect way to celebrate my dream western mountain engagement.”
If you love Aubrey and Rylan’s western mountain proposal at June Lake as much as we do, make sure to check out this Dreamy Engagement Shoot in the Swiss Alps for even more inspiration!
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