SALT LAKE CITY — Dylan Brown came up with an elaborate engagement plan to surprise his girlfriend, Julia Bessen, at the top of Park City Mountain Resort on Valentine's Day.
"It means so much. And I'm still surprised — none of it feels real," said Bessen.
The couple met three years ago in Nashville. He's originally from Chicago and she's from Kentucky. After meeting, they planned a trip to Park City for an event, and that's where they started to realize they were meant for each other.
"He helped me fall in love with this sport (skiing), with this lifestyle, and so to get engaged in that environment, it's just the most beautiful place," said Bessen.
They love the mountains and skiing, so where better to spend Valentine's weekend — is what Julia had thought. Little did she know there was a special plan in place.
"I was so surprised; I flew out there to visit, to just hang out for Valentine's Day, and we were going to spend the weekend in the city that we fell in love," said Bessen.
With a few months of planning, Brown pulled off quite the proposal. He said he couldn't have done it without the help from Park City-based wedding photographer Trevor Hooper. Hooper was able to get pictures of the couple on the mountain and capture the special moment.
Brown said there was one part of the engagement he hadn't planned, when the ring was in the snow several feet from them.
"I was professing my love to her, and I didn't know where the ring was. And then I saw it like eight feet below us in the snow. Thank God, then I ran down hiked back up and finished proposing," said Brown.
Each part of the engagement had a special sentiment.
"There's a run, 'Charlie Brown,' which is the name of our dog. On the way down, I stopped in front of a tree, and while it was snowing, it couldn't have been better conditions," said Brown.
Bessen shared how shocked she was, saying she had no idea the proposal was planned for their day of skiing.
"It was the middle of the ski day. The last thing on my mind was Dylan proposing, and then he was down on one knee in front of me with the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," said Bessen.
The happy couple, now back home in Chicago, look forward to sharing their engagement with loved ones.
"Makes me so happy and I hope that everyone else have the luckiest, opportunity to find someone as much as I love her," said Brown.
