lake lure

Harry Potter Engagement at Lake Lure | Alivia and Blake

A Harry Potter engagement session? Count me in!

Alivia and Blake made a day trip to Chimney Rock, North Carolina and stopped at the Flowering Bridge. When Alivia wasn’t looking, Blake tossed an envelope into a bush, then pointed it out to her. It was sealed with the Hogwarts wax seal and addressed to Alivia with the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge as the address—in Harry Potter, the letter is always addressed to wherever the person is at that moment. After Alivia read the letter Blake got on one knee and presented Alivia with his grandmother’s ring in a Marauder’s Map ring box.

The Flowering Bridge is a beautiful place in any season, but it hits differently in the spring when the weather is perfect and all the pinks and whites are out. Although it looks small when you drive by it, you can spend a lot of time in there taking photos with all the beautiful plants and displays. While there’s no Harry Potter references at the Flowering Bridge, it has a lot of bricks painted to look like classic books and a few artifacts, like Dorothy’s ruby slippers on yellow-painted bricks. The spot that Blake and I originally had in mind for the proposal had different decor this time that I didn’t think for the vibe he was going for, but since I got there early, I had time to pick a new spot. Lake Lure had been drained over the last several weeks and barely looked like a body of water, so having that in the background was out of the question too. I ended up choosing one of the archways that leads to the Peter Rabbit area. One of the mountains is right behind it, and the trees behind the arch had pink blooms. I texted a picture to Blake with a description of where it was and a stick figure drawing of where he should stand.

Enjoy some of my favorite photos of Alivia and Blake’s Harry Potter engagement at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge!

Check out some of my other work at Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, and read about my elopement and engagement services!

Ready for the best day ever?

Photo by Shehzad Ziaee

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Lake Lure Engagement | Andrew and Lindsey

Lindsey and Andrew had been friends since FIRST GRADE and have been together for the last 3 years. Andrew decided he wanted to propose while they were in the Asheville area. He saw my blog post from Leah and Jacob’s proposal at Chimney Rock State Park and reached out to me about taking photos of him proposing to Lindsey in the same spot.

We talked on the phone and planned it all out. I sent him a map with different spots marked and sent him some photos from Leah and Jacob’s proposal to tell him where to stand without being blocked by the fence. We aimed to get there right when it opens so we could have the best lighting and the place to ourselves. We planned everything perfectly!

Except it didn’t work out.

When I got to the park, the staff told me that the park was closed until further notice. Some trees had fallen into the road and taken some power lines down with them. Andrew and Lindsey went into a nearby coffee shop while I parked near the park entrance and watched the cars continue to be turned away. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to reopen, so I sent Andrew a video I had taken at the only other scenic place I knew around there: the Flowering Bridge at Lake Lure. He took a minute to think and decided we should go for it!

The Flowering Bridge is a small botanical garden on the side of the road, just a few minutes away from the entrance to Chimney Rock State Park. It covers a bridge that starts to go over Lake Lure and comes back to the road. Parts of the garden are themed, and you can see Chimney Rock from there.

Andrew decided to propose on part of the bridge that overlooks the water. Lindsey said that it was a perfect spot because she loves flowers. With all the flowers and herbs, it just smelled so good! To top it off, there were tons of butterflies and bees flying around, which Lindsey loves. Andrew remembered Lindsey chasing butterflies back in first grade, when they first met. Lindsey asked me to take a photo of them on her Polaroid that she brings everywhere with her, so they immediately had one photo to take home.

Even though this wasn’t at all what we planned, we’re all happy with how the day went! Check out some of my favorites of Lindsey and Andrew’s engagement at the Flowering Bridge at Lake Lure!

Read more about Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, and if you’re looking for a photographer, read about my elopement services and my engagement services!

Ready for the best day ever?

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources