Sunrise Cherry Blossom DC Engagement Session

I have always dreamt of photographing a DC engagement session during peak cherry blossom season, and this year Sarah and Brian turned that dream into a reality. The iconic backdrops of DC make any engagement session in that city epic, but adding the cherry blossoms into the mix gave this engagement session a touch of magic.

I always recommend starting at sunrise in any tourist-heavy city, and that is especially essential for cherry blossom season when tourists from all over the world gather in DC for a couple of short weeks to witness the blooms around the Tidal Basin. Sarah and Brian met me at dawn and we walked to a few spots that I had scouted the day before along the Basin, ending at the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial. The blossoms were everything I had ever imagined and I cannot thank these two enough for being willing to meet me that early to take advantage of the space!

It wouldn’t be a DC engagement session without a stop at the Lincoln Memorial, despite the fact that most of it was closed for renovations. We weren’t able to access the column-lined walkways on the sides of the memorial, but we took advantage of the beautiful view of the Reflecting Pool from the top of the Memorial steps.

By this time DC was starting to wake up, but we still managed to fit in a stop at the Washington Monument before heading to the other side of the National Mall for a few final shots. Sarah and Brian mentioned that they play kickball every week on the lawn in front of the Capitol (just…wild - what a backdrop for intramural sports!) so we finished out their engagement session in front of the Capitol.

This engagement session not only celebrated the couple's upcoming wedding in Louisville, KY (their hometown) but also their life together in DC. I love when I am able to weave important details about a couple’s life into their wedding photography story during their engagement session; it’s a perfect way to tie in a city, a pet, or some other important detail in that won’t be a part of the wedding day itself. This DC engagement session was a perfect celebration of their beautiful life together in DC - and I can’t wait for their September wedding in Louisville. Thank you Brian and Sarah for showing me DC through your eyes - congratulations again on your engagement!