Valerio & Vanessa

One of our favourite places to be is my family’s cabin on Lake of the Woods. We spent so many summer weekends there and I have thousands of perfect memories on that island. It was where Valerio first told me he loved me. We were sitting in the boat tied up to the dock one evening when he first said it. (And yes, it was as cute as it sounds.) So naturally, a Kenora engagement session was the only thing to do.

This July, we were driving to the cabin and I was nagging him about proposing for probably the millionth time. He played it off so relaxed and had me convinced that it wasn’t going to be for a while yet. Although I somehow managed to miss every single very obvious sign that he was definitely about to propose.

For one, he hardly wears jackets even in winter but asked to borrow one because he was chilly (in JULY!). I figured yeah, it is a little cold this weekend. (Nope, he just needed to hide the ring box). He had left super early that morning to go pick up “parts for his semi-truck” in the city before we left. He literally picked the ring up that morning.

Now this is one of the big ones that I don’t know how I missed. On the way to the lake, he brought up how we have hardly any photos together and that I should take some of us with my tripod on the dock like we have before. HE suggested it! And wait for it… he said that we should light candles on the dock in the evening for the photos! I just thought “Aw look at him being all creative!”

I tried to get my brother to take the photos so that I didn’t have to fuss with the tripod but Valerio went and told Ryan that he had to make up some kind of excuse as to why he couldn’t. So that evening, we were waiting for it to get a bit darker so that we could light dozens of tiny tea lights all over the dock (still didn’t have the hottest clue it was a proposal). Valerio was really set on doing these photos even though it was getting dark and the mosquitos were coming out. We took a few and as I was setting up the tripod for the last round of photos, the bugs were getting bad and he was being extremely nice and trying so hard to keep me happy.

The Proposal

I pressed the shutter, ran into place, and all of a sudden he was starting to kneel. My first thought was “This isn’t the real thing!” After all my nagging he convinced me that he wasn’t going to propose for quite a while, so I didn’t even think he was proposing as he was literally proposing.

Until he pulled out a little white box. That’s when my heart nearly stopped. I’m not sure who was more surprised; me as he was actually, finally proposing, or him when he saw my reaction (He was a little worried). Once I realized what was happening, I was completely speechless and my knees nearly gave out. But it was one of the happiest nights I’ve had so far and I can’t wait for our next!

I still can’t believe we’re engaged and May couldn’t come soon enough for our wedding at Ashgrove Acres! All the lovely engagement photos are taken by our even lovelier photographer Kassandra Donaldson. I’m just so ready to marry my man and celebrate with our people!