All about engagement sessions! | Northern VA Engagement Photographer

Engagement sessions are so much fun, but it can also be a little stressful. Now that you are engaged, romance is in the air but many couples wonder – Is an engagement shoot necessary? After all, your wedding pictures share the beginning of your life, right? Shooting an engagement is important for some couples for several reasons. First, this time allows you to get comfortable in front of the camera with your photographer, figuring out how you work best together before the wedding. Next, you can showcase your personalities in a more casual setting, while creating some fun captures for wall portraits, your wedding sign-in book, sing-in board and save the dates based on timing. Most important engagement photos allow you to remember this special time together celebrating what’s coming ahead! Some couples have never had ‘professional’ photos taken together – the engagement session is a great time to experience this for the first time!

So you and your fiance have decided to have engagement photos taken, then all the questions begin, what do I wear, where do we do them, what should we do… I get asked all of these questions from couples, I decided to gather the information and share it with you. Let’s start with shoot ideas. This is your chance to do something unique or do photos that bring back wonderful memories together –

• Your favorite restaurant
• Doing your favorite activity
• Where you first met or your first date
• With your pet – many couples have a pet together, this is your time to enjoy some photos with your furry baby
• Local skyline
• Downtown urban session
• Favorite coffee shop or winery
• Local park during the best seasons

So you have some ideas, the next question is – what are some great area locations — living in the DC Metro area we have so many incredible options for photography, from super romantic to fun and everything in between.

Here are some of my personal favorite locations in the DC Metro Area –

• Great Falls Park
• Lake Fairfax
• Downtown Leesburg
• Reston Town Center
• The Capitol
• Smithsonian Gardens
• Meridian Park – DC
• Georgetown Waterfront
• Old Town Alexandria
• The Kennedy Center
• Manassas Battlefield

Once you have a location and time set, then comes the ‘tough’ part, especially for us girls! What do we wear – here are the suggestions I always give my couples –

• Be you. Choose clothing and accessories that represent your style and that you feel great in.
• Try to avoid clothing with logos otherwise you run the risk of looking like an ad for your favorite retailer.
• Try to avoid being ‘matchy matchy,’ instead try to coordinate your outfit colors and selections, style and formality.
• Don’t be afraid a couple of different outfits. Most couples bring one casual outfit and one more formal one.
• Ladies, consider having your hair and make-up done professionally for your session. This is a great time to do a trial run for the ‘real day.’
• Don’t stress!

and remember your engagement photos will be fun it’s a great time to celebrate!  You might even consider having a date night after your session so you can enjoy celebrating together!

Here are some of the 2015 couples engagements – great locations, gorgeous backdrops, wonderful couples!

Old Town Alexandria
LOVE the cobblestone streets, water front, alley ways, and the Wilkes Street tunnel.

Lansdowne Resort – Leesburg, VA
Oh so so pretty… the bridges, and the deer… so many deer.  

Downtown Historic Leesburg, VA
The quaint streets and historic feel make down town Leesburg a great location if you want a little more ‘urban’ feel

DC Monuments
There is something about living so close to the nations  capital and having the beautiful backdrops of Washington DC. 
I love the tidal basin, capitol, the entire area is simply gorgeous.  DC can be a little tricky with photos, as of right now no permits are needed at the capitol and anytime I’ve gone to the Jefferson Memorial we don’t go into the memorial itself it’s never been a problem, I’ve always stayed closer to the water and the Tidal Basin. I’d love to see if an adventurous couple wants to take the paddle boats out for a session, that would be fun!

Bowling Date & Manassas Battlefields
For this session they really incorporated their love for football AND their first date of bowling, then to Manassas battlefields which hold so much history and are simply so pretty.

Great Falls Park
Great Falls is wonderful all year around, you want greenery, fall colors, nature, water – this is the place! I always ‘take a walk’ with couples through some of my favorite trails and really incorporate the park in the images! My favorite time at Great Falls is fall, from week to week the leaves change so much really making an impact on the backdrop of the photos. Great for couples with pets also, dogs love the walks in the trails!

Georgetown Waterfront – Washington DC
At sunset, one of my favorite location, the colors are stunning and who doesn’t love to get in the fountain!

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens – Vienna, VA
The gardens are beautiful, next to Wolf Trap you are surrounded by the natural elements. With Meadowlark, you do have to have a reservation and pay some fees but it’s really worth it. I love sunset time with the lake it gives for beautiful photos any time of the year!
Meridian Park & Kennedy Center – Washington DC
This was actually my first session at these two spots and I can tell they will be one of my faves. Meridian Gardens is nestle in the hustle of DC and quickly takes you to a quiet and romantic spot.The architecture is gorgeous. 

The Kennedy Center was great as well, giving us the DC and Georgetown skyline as a backdrop. Totally suggest visiting the top balcony for some gorgeous views.