Viral Internet Search Identifies Couple in Yosemite Proposal Photo, Revealing a Beautiful Side of the Internet

With all the negative stories that come from our use of social media, it’s sometimes a relief to be reminded of its powers for good.

Take photographer Matthew Dippel, who stopped at Yosemite National Park on an early October road trip to Los Angeles, only to capture a wedding proposal and set off a worldwide internet search for the couple in question.

Right Place at the Right Time

Dippel was travelling from Grand Rapids with a buddy, the two stopping at Yosemite in order to capture some sunset photos from the park’s much loved Taft Point, with its views of the valley, Yosemite Falls and El Capitan.

Dippel had lined up to take photos of his friend when he noticed a proposal taking place at the point’s 3500-foot drop ledge. He quickly captured the moment from a distance and, after completing his own photos, raced around to find the couple and show them. But they’d disappeared into the crowd.

Taking to Twitter

Dippel was determined to find the couple. The solution? Social media.

Dippel took to Twitter and shared his photo. “Twitter help, idk who these two are but I hope this finds them,” he wrote. “ I took this at Taft Point at Yosemite National Park, on October 6th, 2018.” The tweet has since been re-shared a whopping 175,000 times.

Ten days later, Dippel tweeted again to say he’d found the couple, who have been identified simply as Charlie Bear and Melissa.

“Everyone meet, Charlie and his fiancé Melissa the happy happy couple that was out on the point in my Taft Point Proposal,” he wrote in a tweet dated October 27. “I’m glad I finally found you to share this special moment with you, thanks for being so awesome, maybe one day we will finally meet in person!”

In an interview with CNN, Bear said Melissa had come across the photograph on Instagram and reached out to Dippel.

“They sent me over iPhone screen shots of some of their friends that were up on that point that day, and they are wearing the exact same thing, and the photos are timestamped on the exact same day and the same time that I was there,” Dippel said.

Bear and Melissa have since taken to Instagram to share the experience and thank Dippel.

“Huge thank you once again to Matthew for capturing this special moment and taking the time to track us down,” Bear wrote. “Also, a big thanks to all of the media outlets and inter-webs for spreading the word. Success!”

The couple is due to get married in Malibu, California in April.