Our love story begins on February 2016. My now-husband, Jay, & I were at a point in our lives where we were ready for a major change. Breaking from the norm, we crawled out of our comfort zones & made the connection online. Though I was living in Washington State & he was in California, we frequently visited each other. We flew out to reunite every three weeks or so. Because we shared many common interests & aimed for the same long-term goals, our relationship remained strong over time. I knew this one was special. Continue reading to find out how Jay planned the most epic Machu Picchu marriage proposal!

After several months of long distance dating, I decided to take a giant leap of faith & moved south to begin a new journey in my life, love, & career. Initially it was a difficult transition as I was leaving everything familiar behind. Having lived the majority of my life in the Pacific Northwest, I have become too settled in my comfort zone. But greater opportunities were waiting across the border & most importantly, I was starting a new chapter with the man that I loved. Since then I have never once looked back nor regretted my decision to take the chance.

“Maybe it won’t work out. But maybe seeing if it does will be the best adventure ever.”

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Our Adventure Begins…

My husband & I have been dating for a little over a year when we started planning our first international trip together. I had longed to witness the great Wonders of the World, with Machu Picchu in Peru being at the top of my bucket list. We did our research & found the rates were favorable, so we booked our flight for May 2017. Growing up sheltered & so absorbed in my studies, I never had the opportunity to explore outside of the country. Fortunately, Jay was already a well-traveled man & was ready to show me the world.

Up until our departure, our friends & family dropping hints that this might be “the trip,” as in a Machu Picchu marriage proposal! I honestly didn’t think much into it as it was also Jay’s birthday week. He simply couldn’t have had the time to plan out such an important event. Or at least that’s what I thought…

How He Asked: Machu Picchu Marriage Proposal

Our Machu Picchu experience went perfectly as planned. As one of the first groups to arrive & having blessed with clear weather, we were able to catch a gorgeous sunrise in solitude. While we wandered the central grounds, our private guide, Victor Hugo, recited his history lesson on how & why Machu Picchu was constructed. I was so in tuned to the present moment that I inadvertently missed most of the information. I had no clue that Victor was even in on the proposal as he played his role well. He later admitted he had a lot of practice, having asked to be a part of many other Machu Picchu marriage proposals. He also admitted the awkward times when the woman had declined & his tour had to be cut short!

As we neared closer to the edge of our viewpoint that overlooked the citadel, I fell deeper into a trance & my jaw simply dropped. I couldn’t believe I was standing right in front of the ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu! It was truly an awe-inspiring sight to see. Like a typical tourist, I immediately pulled out my phone & started taking pictures, oblivious of everyone else around me. That was until Jay whispered those sweet words & in my sudden state of shock, I almost lost my footing…

Yes, yes, yes!!

Jay knew my perfect marriage proposal was to be on top of a high mountain summit. However, I never imagined it would take place at Machu Picchu! It took a lot of dedicated planning for Jay to coordinate such a feat. So many minute details went into ensuring the precious diamond would pass through customs safely. He had carefully wrapped the ring & taped a note around the box, asking to keep it as discreet as possible. Throughout our trip, he kept diverting my attention away from his bulging pocket, worrying that I might find out what he had in store. But in the end, his efforts created the most beautiful moment at one of the greatest wonders of the world! And of course…I SAID YES!

And So Our Adventure Continues

Since our visit to Peru, Jay & I have developed an intense wanderlust to explore other countries. However, finding the time to travel internationally when our lives were consumed with work & adult priorities has become quite a challenge. Regardless of the fact, we still try to make the most out of our local outings & quickly learned how to discover great joy from the little things in life.

For our engagement shoot, we planned a sunrise hike up my favorite Washington trail at Rattlesnake Ledge. Our talented photographer captured our intimate session against an unexpected backdrop of wildfire smoke & a fiery, red sun. Months later on the hilltops of Southern California, my dream mountain wedding came true & we were officially proclaimed as the “adventure couple.” After an unforgettable honeymoon, road-tripping around the Ring Road in Iceland, we returned back to reality only to begin planning for our next big trip. So please stay tuned…it will be another epic one!

Thank you for reading about our epic Machu Picchu marriage proposal. We hope our love story has inspired you to keep traveling & sharing the wanderlust passion with other adventure-seekers. ❤️