A Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Proposal Over Charlottesville

Some proposal stories start with a quiet walk through a garden or a dinner reservation. This one started at 5:30 in the morning in a Trader Joe’s parking lot in Charlottesville.

I was there early to meet up with everyone before a prompt sunrise hot air balloon ride with Thomas Jefferson Balloon, owned by JR. It was my first time ever going up in a hot air balloon, which already made the morning feel surreal. But I also had a role to play. To keep the proposal a surprise, I had to pretend I was the pilot’s nephew helping my “uncle” create social media material for his hot air balloon business.

A totally normal thing to be doing before sunrise, of course.

From there, we set out with JR, a few helping hands, and the couple, including one very unsuspecting fiancee-to-be. We departed from JR’s expansive farm property, where the morning dew was still settled over the grass and the whole landscape had that quiet, blue-gold calm that only happens right before sunrise.

Thanks to JR’s decades of experience, the flight was gentle, scenic, and honestly kind of magical. While we floated above the Charlottesville countryside, I photographed a mix of posed and candid moments of the couple, keeping things casual until the big question.

And then it happened.

She was completely elated. Glowing, emotional, surprised in the best way. We captured the proposal, the reaction, the ring, and those first few minutes of “we’re engaged” joy while still floating through the air.

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After more time in the sky, we landed in a cow field. Luckily, there were no cows. Less luckily, there were plenty of cow pies. That gave me some extra work later in Photoshop, but it was more than worth it for the portraits we were able to create with the balloon after landing. Some of my favorite images from the morning came from that little stretch of time: the couple together beside the balloon, tucked into the shape and color of it, still riding the high of the proposal.

Once the balloon was packed up, we headed back to the Trader Joe’s parking lot for a champagne toast. It was such a sweet ending to a wildly memorable morning.

Congratulations to the couple, and a huge thank you to JR and Thomas Jefferson Balloon for making the whole experience smooth, beautiful, and unforgettable. Not a bad way to experience my first hot air balloon ride.