Hiker searches for mystery couple photographed during proposal at Tennessee waterfall
The romantic moment a man took to one knee by a waterfall and proposed was witnessed by a distant hiker in a Tennessee park, and the resulting photos have inspired an unusual search.
“Before sunset, a fellow hiker spotted this couple at Rock Island State Park and snapped a few photos of their special moment,” Tennessee State Parks posted this week on Facebook.
“The photos have been circulating on social media as people search to find the engaged couple, hoping to share this gift with them.”
As of Tuesday, Nov. 16, the couple’s identity remained a mystery, officials said. The park is about 85 miles southeast of uptown Nashville.
Multiple photos were shared Nov. 15 by state officials on Facebook, and the images hint the woman said “yes.”
One shows the man on one knee, holding something in front of the woman. Then next image shows them standing, with their arms around each other, engaged in a kiss.
A message from the photographer was included in the state’s post: “If you were at Rock Island before sunset yesterday, here is a gift for you. I hope I didn’t impose and that you get to see these. Wishing you both all the happiness in the world, congratulations.”
Abigail Brown of Suwannee, Florida, says she took the photos while visiting family in Tennessee.
It happened Saturday, Nov. 13, and Brown says she was photographing something else when she noticed the couple in the distance and realized what was happening.
“It just melted my heart. I had to capture it,” she told McClatchy News. “It reminded me of all the love and beauty still left in the world.”
Rock Island State Park is 883 acres and a highlight is Great Falls, “a 30-foot horseshoe cascading waterfall,” the state says.
The state’s Facebook posts racked up more than 1,000 reactions and shares in a day, with many asking: “Does anyone know this couple?”
“Totally made me tear up!” one person wrote.
“It is wonderful someone captured this special moment,” another said.
This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Hiker searches for mystery couple photographed during proposal at Tennessee waterfall."