Lake Cumberland Proposal | Hannah & Lee - courtneypaigephotography.com

I can’t tell you enough how excited I am to be telling you all about Hannah and Lee’s Lake Cumberland proposal! It’s one I can truly say “ITS ABOUT TIME” for! I am so glad after seven long years, Lee finally decided to put a ring on Hannah’s finger over the weekend. Even better, he wanted me to help capture this special memory.

Lee and my husband have a friendship that goes back a long time, to showing cows at the fairs. Hannah and Lee met at Lorain County Fair many years ago. Hannah’s family shows draft horses, while Lee’s family shows cattle. Their respective barns were perfectly located across from one another on the fair grounds.

Fast forward to this year, and many phone calls from Lee to my husband about finding the perfect ring for his girl. Lee reached out to me a couple weeks ago about their trip to Lake Cumberland, Kentucky. He wanted to plan the perfect proposal near the cute house they had rented. The weekend of their trip would officially mark their seventh dating anniversary.

It broke my heart to tell Lee that I was not going to be able to make it down to photograph this special moment. Hannah had always told him that when the day came, he had better make sure I was hiding in a bush near by to capture it. My sister in law was coming in from Texas the same weekend for the first time since our wedding almost a year ago.

We talked through some plans for me to make a day trip down while my sister in law attended a wedding on Friday, freeing up the day for me to make the six hour trip. Just coming home from Pennsylvania two days earlier I knew it was going to be a lot, and I would be exhausted. We talked other potential dates I was available here in Ohio in the coming weeks. Lee’s heart was drawn to their anniversary. Somehow fate knew it needed to happen, as my sister in law’s flight was canceled with the hurricanes hitting the gulf coast, just TWO DAYS before they left on their trip.

It was crunch time!

With the small window of opportunity and time this created in my schedule, I picked up the phone and reached out to Lee. The planning had begun. If you have never planned a surprise proposal, let me tell you something… it isn’t easy! Their trip was based around boat riding and ATV adventures. So, getting Hannah dressed up and photo ready posed quite the challenge. Between Lee, myself and the other girls on the trip we planned a fake trip to a winery in the area as an excuse to get her glammed and ready.

They arrived on Wednesday and Lee began scouting. The guys took their ATVs out Wednesday night and stumbled on a boat launch not far from their house, with the perfect view. It was surrounded by tall cliffs and beautiful water. He knew right away that this is where it had to happen. He sent me the location and Friday morning my husband and I packed and hopped in the car to star the six hour trek.

It rained our entire trip, making me super nervous. We checked the radar over and over again, and there was a magical window of clear skies right at the time he was supposed to propose. We arrived in town about an hour and a half before the proposal was going to take place. My sweet Kyle had forgotten some essentials when he was rush packing before we left.

We found the local Walmart, and texted Lee’s cousin, who we had been communicating with all day to keep Hannah from seeing our messages on Lee’s phone.We let him know we were pulling in the driveway at the local Walmart to grab the missing essentials. To which he replied they were pulling into as well to grab some last minute things for dinner. Thanks to the current pandemic, there was only one door open to go in and out of. So we decided to wait on the other side of the parking lot until they got what they needed and left.

We almost got spotted!

You will never believe what happened next. They unknowingly pulled into the parking spot directly where we had parked on the farthest end away from the groceries! My heart left my chest when I saw their blue truck pull up next to us. We drove six hours to surprise her and almost got busted in the Walmart parking lot. Thanks to the quick thinking of one of the passengers of the car, they were able to redirect the driver over to the other side before Hannah noticed us right next to them.

After a close call, we grabbed what we needed and headed to the proposal spot! It wasn’t long before Lee and the other guys showed up to get set up. It was definitely not the most organized moment of our lives but we got everything ready just in time.

One of the girls on the trip used the excuse that her boyfriend had her ID and they had to meet up with them to get it on the way to the winery. Hannah had no clue that was the plan to get her to the spot. I had to laugh in side when the other girls told Hannah they should all get out and go say hi to the guys while they were there. In true Hannah fashion on a HUMID day, she opened the car door shouted “HI!” and slammed is shut, not wanting the humidity to wreck her hair. It took some serious coaxing from the girls to get her out of the vehicle.

She stomped her way down the boat ramp, mad she had to get out of the truck. She had no clue what was happening until she looked up on to the cliff my husband and I were hiding on and spotted poor Kyle a mile away. He had to point her towards Lee, as she was completely oblivious to him and the marry me signed pinned to his ATV.

He walked up to Hannah and led her to the edge of the water. He got down on one knee and flipped open the little black box he had been hiding behind his back. I am so glad Hannah is an emotional person because I started crying at the same time she did. Lee is a man of few words so the proposal it self was short and sweet.

She said yes!

I bet you already know, SHE SAID YES! Cheers came from everyone surrounding this awesome couple. I feel we were all so relieved we pulled off the best surprise ever, and that after seven years they are finally getting MARRIED! Celebratory cigars were passed around for the guys while one of the girls pulled out a dress she had rushed shipped to them so that Hannah and Lee could get dressed up for a few nice photos. Seriously the whole thing could not have been more perfect.

Kyle and I joined them all back at their rental house to celebrate with dinner, and wedding talk! The atmosphere was so full of excitement and joy. Her brother and his sweet girlfriend surprised them with awesome his and hers engagement cups! I am so happy to celebrate such an amazing moment in their lives, its one none of us will ever forget