April 27th, 2016
A North Carolina-based aerial photographer launched a drone atop Grandfather Mountain to capture a surprise marriage proposal — his own — from a spectacular vantage point high above the peak.
Jordan Nelson, the owner of Boone-based Nelson Aerial Productions, had convinced his girlfriend, Meghan Frye, 24, to hike with him to MacRae Peak, at the altitude of 5,844 feet. Frye had no idea that her boyfriend was planning to propose or that he had brought his equipment to film the exact moment he would pop the question. She was hardly suspicious because he shoots these sensational vistas for a living.
Nelson, 27, chose Grandfather Mountain in scenic Linville, N.C., for his proposal because exactly three years ago this is where the couple hiked on their first date. They also returned on their anniversary one year later.
"We spent a lot of time on top of Grandfather Mountain," Nelson told ABC News. "That’s why I wanted to go back to that spot for the proposal.”
The drone's fabulous footage captures the couple from a bird's eye view as it circles the mountaintop. Nelson explained that the drone has an automatic setting that allows it to circle a specific point, in this case, the couple's exact location.
Nelson also used his smart phone to capture his girlfriend's reaction from an intimate, up-close perspective.
"It's been three years since we hiked in this spot," Nelson says in the lead-up to his proposal, and at this point Frye can hardly believe what is about to happen. She slaps him on the chest playfully and says, "Are you really? No you're not."
"At that point, I was getting pretty nervous,” he told The Today Show. "She thought I was joking with her, that it was a late April Fool’s joke! But when I reached into the bag to get the box that had the ring, she kind of just lost her breath. In the video you can hear her kind of just go really quiet and she just couldn’t breathe for a minute… and then she started crying and everything.”
Then Nelson gets down on one knee and continues his sweet proposal. "I want you to know that I love you," he says. "Will you marry me?"
Overwhelmed with emotion, Frye accepts Nelson's proposal and obliges when he asks her to show the ring.
"I was not expecting this," she says.
Nelson's innovative, high-flying proposal has earned the attention of national and international media powerhouses, such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, Reuters TV and the Daily Mail.
The aerial photographer is right at home filming in the rugged terrain of North Carolina. Just last week, he attended the Manhattan Film Festival for the screening of his work, Aerial Appalachian.
The happy couple is planning to wed in the fall of 2017. The venue will be the Linville Ridge Country Club.
“It’s on the mountain peaks across from Grandfather," Nelson told ABC News. "We want it on top of that mountain with Grandfather in the background.”
You can check out Nelson's breathtaking video here...
The Proposal at MacRae Peak from Nelson Aerials on Vimeo.
Credits: Screen captures via Nelson Aerials.
Jordan Nelson, the owner of Boone-based Nelson Aerial Productions, had convinced his girlfriend, Meghan Frye, 24, to hike with him to MacRae Peak, at the altitude of 5,844 feet. Frye had no idea that her boyfriend was planning to propose or that he had brought his equipment to film the exact moment he would pop the question. She was hardly suspicious because he shoots these sensational vistas for a living.
Nelson, 27, chose Grandfather Mountain in scenic Linville, N.C., for his proposal because exactly three years ago this is where the couple hiked on their first date. They also returned on their anniversary one year later.
"We spent a lot of time on top of Grandfather Mountain," Nelson told ABC News. "That’s why I wanted to go back to that spot for the proposal.”
The drone's fabulous footage captures the couple from a bird's eye view as it circles the mountaintop. Nelson explained that the drone has an automatic setting that allows it to circle a specific point, in this case, the couple's exact location.
Nelson also used his smart phone to capture his girlfriend's reaction from an intimate, up-close perspective.
"It's been three years since we hiked in this spot," Nelson says in the lead-up to his proposal, and at this point Frye can hardly believe what is about to happen. She slaps him on the chest playfully and says, "Are you really? No you're not."
"At that point, I was getting pretty nervous,” he told The Today Show. "She thought I was joking with her, that it was a late April Fool’s joke! But when I reached into the bag to get the box that had the ring, she kind of just lost her breath. In the video you can hear her kind of just go really quiet and she just couldn’t breathe for a minute… and then she started crying and everything.”
Then Nelson gets down on one knee and continues his sweet proposal. "I want you to know that I love you," he says. "Will you marry me?"
Overwhelmed with emotion, Frye accepts Nelson's proposal and obliges when he asks her to show the ring.
"I was not expecting this," she says.
Nelson's innovative, high-flying proposal has earned the attention of national and international media powerhouses, such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, Reuters TV and the Daily Mail.
The aerial photographer is right at home filming in the rugged terrain of North Carolina. Just last week, he attended the Manhattan Film Festival for the screening of his work, Aerial Appalachian.
The happy couple is planning to wed in the fall of 2017. The venue will be the Linville Ridge Country Club.
“It’s on the mountain peaks across from Grandfather," Nelson told ABC News. "We want it on top of that mountain with Grandfather in the background.”
You can check out Nelson's breathtaking video here...
The Proposal at MacRae Peak from Nelson Aerials on Vimeo.
Credits: Screen captures via Nelson Aerials.
