Meg & Stu - Engaged!

Yay, it's been a virtual blogging marathon for me these last couple of weeks while I try to catch up! And I'm *almost* there! Fall is such an awesome (and crazy!) time for weddings and sessions! I love it! For their engagement session, Meg and Stu met up with me in Old Town a couple of weeks ago on a rather unseasonably warm November day. It was gorgeous! People were even walking around the quaint streets of Old Town in shorts and tank tops! (If it seems that I am reminiscing a little too much, it's probably because there is now ice on my driveway and I'm suffering from a mean winter cold.) We had a fantastic time as we worked our way down to the water and around some new areas that I've never photographed before. These two will be getting married next June in fabulous St. Michaels, MD and I am beyond myself excited to photograph their day!

I'm only showing two from this next series (there are actually four total), but I think you get the idea! Love these!

Another of my favorites!

Meg's great orange jacket was SO perfect for these Fall images!

Jessica & Heath - Engaged!

It was fantastic to meet up with Jessica and Heath a couple weeks ago and roam around the streets of Old Town for their engagement session. Old Town is definitely one of my favorite areas to shoot around and each time I try to take a different path and hunt for new and fun locations. I think one of my favorite parts about engagement sessions is really getting a chance to learn more about my couples. Not just their wedding plans, but what they do for fun, what attracted them to each other when they first met, and what color they like to paint their walls (okay, maybe that last one was just with Jessica and Heath!). I had so much fun walking, talking, and shooting with these two! I'll be designing a guestbook out of their engagement session images, so I'll be sure to share images when the completed book arrives in the studio later this winter. Their wedding is coming up quickly in February and I cannot wait to work with them again!

Being the true Caps fans that they are, Jessica and Heath put on their jerseys for a few shots!

Still a touch of Fall color in the trees!

I think the next two are my favorites from the day! Love these!

Qiao & Chris - Engaged!

I'm going to jump out of order here for this post because Qiao and Chris are getting married just one month from yesterday! They met up with me in Old Town Alexandria for their engagement session and we had so much fun seeking out new places to shoot. This was a little different for me, because Qiao and Chris are both photographers themselves (they even shoot weddings!), so we spent the first half-hour or so talking shop and laughing about what it feels like to be on the other side of the lens. These two are a LOT of fun and I can't wait for their wedding next month!

You have to view these next two in sequence. Chris kept pretending to nibble on Qiao and got some fantastic laughs out of it!

My tilt-shift lens was thrilled to come out of the bag for a couple of images.

They brought a toy camera with them and were snapping shots with it as we went along. Definitely the first time I've ever had a camera pointed at me during an engagement session!

Chris was up for anything!

And even after the sun disappeared, we still found one more great spot.

Erin & Randy - Westin, Old Town

Ceremony: Dahlgren Chapel, Georgetown
Reception: The Westin, Old Town Alexandria
Flowers: Petal's Edge
Wedding Coordinator: Myra Lewis, Exceeding Expectations

After I come home from photographing a wedding, there are always things that keep replaying through my mind about the day. For Erin and Randy, I can say without a doubt that one of the things I remember most is the way that Erin just gets Randy's sense of humor. There were other things, of course, like the beautiful Fall colors of the flowers and the running away from the chapel doors during portrait-time (I'll explain that later, I promise)! All in all, it was a very fun day for this photographer and a beautifully touching day for Erin and Randy and all the people that have obviously shared so much of their lives.  Anyway, on to the images...and congrats to you both!

Their flower-girl was too cute for words (which is why I'm a photographer!)...

I love Erin's rings! So unique!

These next two images are for Erin. During our final consultation before the wedding, she told me that one thing that was really important to her were images of her ring-bearer and flower-girl coming down the aisle since she was going to be outside and unable to see them. I wanted to make sure she got to see the images right away...these two were as cute as they could be!

Their ring-bearer made it down the aisle in a flash, but the flower-girl took her time making sure those petals were put down ever so perfectly!

Definitely one of my favorites from the day!

There was another ceremony that followed Erin and Randy's, so we had to move out of the Dahlgren quad pretty quickly afterward. But as I saw the sun going down, I knew I needed a shot of them on that chapel step, so we snuck back into the quad for a moment. I'm so glad we did because we had time for one great shot before the chapel doors started to open and the next group came out!

This is so sweet! It was right after the cake-cutting and the crowd had started to clear out. I love how they look totally lost in their own world, even if just for a moment.

Great Fall colors!