This “surprise” proposal and engagement shoot above Mammoth Mountain with Annie and Sabina last month had layers.
I use that term “surprise” very loosely here, as I think I was more surprised than anybody and I pretty much knew exactly what was going to happen.
In retrospect, I think most of these proposals are choreographed much more than I ever find out about, but I’m here for them regardless.
Annie and I planned this out a few weeks beforehand and hatched the perfect itinerary.
We obviously wanted this to be a private experience after the public snowmobile tours to Minaret Vista end for the day, so she worked out with Mammoth Mountain Snowmobile Tours to do one final run up just before sunset without anybody else in tow.
I ski toured up an hour ahead of time and, upon their arrival, performed my proposal photographer improv set that I’m getting pretty good at. For more on that, here’s a post from 2021 with a rundown of the Mammoth Mountain proposal process.
Sabina was stoked. But not only did she know it was coming, she had a ring ready for Annie as well. It was a lovely moment by two people who know each other very well.
We shot a series of portraits in the snow up at the summit before jamming back down to Main Lodge with our awesome guide Damon. We jumped straight into the car and caught a second sunset out by Mammoth’s Green Church Road and the Upper Owens River. I’ve never been able to do these two locations in the winter before because there’s so much involved with transporting to and from Minaret Vista, but snowmobiles provided that efficiency that let us hit both locations in just a few hours of shooting.
Minaret Vista is probably my favorite Eastern Sierra spot to shoot and I had so many great times creating up there this winter. It’s not the easiest spot to access when there’s snow but it’s always worth the organization and effort it takes to get there.
That’s all for this spectacular evening with these two.
Wedding season 2022 starts this weekend in Mammoth and we’re super ready to dig back in.
2022 is completely booked up, but now is the time to make plans for 2023. If you’ve got questions on the logistics of a Mammoth wedding, reach out here or check out my extensive Mammoth Lakes Wedding Venue Guide.
Thanks so much.
-Brandon
