submitted by: Milt Smith
It was a typical Saturday afternoon for Friends of Amicalola Falls volunteer, Milt Smith, as he hiked to the mid-falls bridge to photograph the falls flow swollen by a night of rain. As Milt made his way to the bridge, he was approached by a young man who asked him to snap a picture of him and his girlfriend. Once Milt pointed his camera and said "smile," young man quickly dropped to his knee, pulled out a diamond ring, and proposed to his companion with the sound of the rushing falls to congratulate the newly engaged.
Matthew Richardson and Vanessa Brinson have been dating for over three years, following Matt's return from Afghanistan where he was deployed for a year by the Army. A single mom, Vanessa works as a cardiac nurse and resides in Covington, GA, while Matt is self-employed and does paintless dent repair and lives in Clarkesville, GA.
Matthew and Vanessa are planning a May 2013 wedding and a honeymoon in Hawaii. Following the wedding, the couple will reside in Dahlonega where they plan to purchase a home. Amicalola Friends wish the happy couple a long, prosperous marriage.