I never got to post a sneak peek of Ashley & Sam’s McCloud Park Spring Engagement because… well… their engagement was a SURPRISE!! These two had been keeping their engagement under wraps since March 31st! I have no idea how they weren’t bursting at the seams with this huge secret, but they “10/10” recommend it!

So! A little backstory! Ashley was one of my closest friends back in high school, and she & Sam started dating around 7 years ago! Yes! SEVEN years!! And like any family would do, hints were being dropped here and there! So when Sam decided to pop the question, they wanted to announce it in a fun way for their families! Cue Ashley & Sam letting me in on their little (I mean, huge) secret! But in all seriousness, it was such a big honor to be apart of this!

Their plan was to have photos taken, because it is definitely not out of the ordinary for couples to get photos together, and show their family some of the pictures. Super casual, nothing over the top. But as their family looks through the photos, the last one was going to be their engagement announcement! Surprise!! Didn’t see that coming! Aaaand, cue the happy tears! They officially surprised their families on June 1st; 2 months after their secret engagement began!

Oh and I HAVE to share the story about Ashley’s vintage turquoise ring! These two love walking around little towns and seeing all the cute, local shops! They stopped in at the Southport Antique Mall one day and Ashley fell in love with this ring. But it just didn’t make sense to spend so much on a ring that was just… a ring. So they left the mall, all the while Ashley was feeling like she should have bit the bullet, and Sam could tell. So the next day, he goes back into the shop to pick up her future engagement ring. And that evening, Ashley decided she HAD to have it! Cue the disappointment when she found out that someone else had purchased it earlier that day! Hehehe. Sam must have been dying on the inside having to keep her ring a secret too!

Ashley & Sam, I had a great great GREAT time with you during your secret McCloud Park Spring Engagement session! It was so wonderful getting to see you both and I especially loved getting to know Sam more! Seven years a long time, but now you can go into marriage more confident than ever knowing that you can make it through all the ups and downs!