Spring engagement sessions can’t come soon enough! Between snow in Colorado this week and all the rain that DC has been getting, I am ready for some sunshine! This look back at Arielle and Adam’s Washington DC spring engagement session is just what I needed to power through the rest of winter.
Arielle and Adam met through a mutual friend New York City but came home to DC. For their spring engagement session, we captured the city they love and where they are building their life together. And while we love a good Cherry Blossom session this day was proof that there is more to DC in the spring than the madness of the blossoms.
We started the day with a few pictures in Georgetown and then headed to the National Mall for some more quintessential DC shots. A&A’s outfits perfectly matched the vibe for each location and captured the different sides of their personalities.
We are, of course, going to miss having these monuments in our backyard but are so excited to find amazing new locations for Denver engagement photos. Stay tuned for more Colorado weddings soon!
My love and appreciation of New York City is showcased in this sunrise chic and minimalist bridal session in Central Park. I collaborated on the shoot my friend and destination wedding and event planner, Jasmine from Vivid Vibes Event Planning. We planned the session with simple, elegant details and played off the nature and beauty of Central Park before sunrise.
For those of us who love clean lines, minimalism is a way of life. But just because it’s simple that doesn’t mean it can’t be organic and luxurious. For this minimalist bridal session we showcased a bride that wants to be feminine and yet look strong, independent and current.
Amanda from Studio Imbue designed florals that perfectly blended into the natural flora and fauna of the city; meant to look like they were growing out of the cracks of the NYC pavement. The end result was effortlessly chic.
Details were king at this modern wedding at The LINE in Washington DC. Our bride Jennifer admits “no detail was too small for me to think about. I knew that the details mattered to me, even if they wouldn’t be noticeable by everyone in the end.” As photographers we could not be more happy with Jen’s state of mind! As a result this minimalist wedding was chock full of gorgeous details to capture.
Jay proposed to Jen at the base of the Washington Monument. As the planning began the couple landed on The LINE for their I dos even before the hotel opened. Uniquely, the LINE is not your traditional hotel ballroom but a historic church converted to a modern hotel. Details like the organ turned in to a chandelier and pews used as seating create a space unlike anywhere else. Not to mention breathtaking views from the rooftop of the Washington Monument which created such a special full circle first look for J&J.
Personal and Thoughtful Details
Jen and Jay worked person touches all throughout the wedding celebration to honor both their love and they city they love together. For instance the meal and bar featured ingredients and spirts from local providers. Correspondingly, one of the specialty cocktails was a recreation of a family punch recipe. Also, as a nod to history Jen had her wedding dress customized with a pearl button from her grandmother. Also, the couple’s dog, Panda, served as the “dog of honor” walking down the aisle with the best man.
Jen initially didn’t want any flowers for the dinner tables. Jen’s planner and florist, Julie of Kruse & Vieira, convinced her that a few simple arrangements of roses and greenery would be elegant and modern. Furthermore Julie and Jen designed the tablescape to be minimal allowing for the family style meal to be served.
Finally, the table numbers were based on the four letter park codes assigned to each National Park by the National Park Service. Not only did the groom work for the NPS, but the bride and her late father spent a lot of time hiking in National Parks. Furthermore the ode to the National Parks continued with vintage parks postcards on the tables and a donation to the National Park Service made in lieu of favors in memory of bride’s dad.
See much more of this modern wedding featured on Brides.com.
For this Indian elopement, I partnered with Nisha of Bridelan, an Indian styling company. We went on a Calcutta trail; partly to rediscover my and Nisha’s roots and partly to bring the Calcutta of our collective consciousness to the contemporary lens.
The Bengali life is full of nostalgia and we aimed to capture this perspective in our shoot. We took our inspiration from the venue, the Raj Bari, a historic elite mansion turned luxury hotel on the outskirts of Calcutta.
We styled two bridal looks for the elopement. The first, a lace gown, is by Naeem Khan, who has an ability to bridge cultures in an elegant and understated way. The second look is by Sabyasachi, India’s most famous bridal designer. In India, brides from Bengal traditionally wear red for the Hindu conjugal ceremony. However, in a departure, we kept it white. Our inspiration was the white wedding dress made in Indian style, paired with red accents of Bengal.
The florals were simple and pulled inspiration from the colors of the environment. Bright fuchsia greeted guests in the main hall of the Bari. Then we used those colors to create the tablescape and ceremony backdrop. The cake design was inspired by the celebration of the most important goddess to Hindy locals, Durga. The minimalist cake design by the Rogue Cafe was, as with the rest of the shoot, a beautiful blend of cultures.
See more of this Indian elopement and read more of our inspiration for the shoot on Style Me Pretty.
In the city that never sleeps, there are very few things worth waking up at dawn. Rachel and Jon’s NYC engagement shoot was one of them.
We will be shooting Rachel and Jon’s wedding this November at the St. Regis in DC. The pair lives on the Upper West Side so we headed up for a NYC engagement shoot. We love capturing our couples in the cities where they have built a life together.
We started the day at sunrise with the classic Bethesda Terrace in Central Park. The gorgeous morning light and early hours free of tourists made for one of those magical NYC moments only true New Yorkers get to experience. After a quick outfit change to a second Rent the Runway look, we ventured to SoHo to finish off the day.
