Connelly & Vanessa: Surprise engagement at Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, SD

Connelly first reached out last spring with big plans—he was going to propose to Vanessa while they were on vacation in the Black Hills, and he wanted it to be perfect. After a whole lot of emails (and a little bit of scheming), we landed on a plan: a golden hour proposal at Sylvan Lake, one of the dreamiest spots in Custer State Park for an engagement.

On a crisp October evening, I got to our designated spot and waited as the sun dipped toward the horizon. There’s something so electric about those last few minutes before a proposal—watching, waiting, hoping everything unfolds just as we imagined. Our cover story? I was just a landscape photographer soaking in the views. Connelly would casually hand me his phone to snap a picture of them with the towering rock formations and shimmering lake behind them. But instead of just smiling for the camera, he dropped to one knee and asked Vanessa to spend forever with him.

Spoiler alert: she said yes.

We soaked in the moment, captured some just-engaged magic, and then let them head off to celebrate. Proposals at Sylvan Lake always feel like something out of a movie—but this one? This one was straight-up unforgettable.