I was so honored to capture Nina and Yousef’s intimate elopement ceremony in Old Town Alexandria, VA this June. June 1st, to be precise, as it was exactly 5 years to the day of when these two starting dating. It’s been a long five years, as much of the time has been spent apart while Nina attends dental school and Yousef worked towards medical school. Luckily, they are on the tail end of that journey as Nina is set to graduate in a year and will join Yousef at Auburn University in Alabama. 

I first met Nina through a mutual friend back in 2014. Her sarcastic and funny demeanor made me like her immediately and when I finally met Yousef a while later, I knew exactly why these two were perfect for one another. The complement each other’s personality to a “t” and make one another smile in the most genuine way I’ve ever seen. If you been following the blog, you’ll know that I’ve had the privilege of photographing this sweet couple throughout their relationship. First, their romantic Chicago proposal on North Avenue Beach, followed by their iconic DC engagement session, and finally (and ironically), an elegant DAR elopement in DC… not an ACTUAL elopement, but a stylized shoot set to emit the tone of an elopement. Funnily enough, as the photos start to hit social media of Nina in her blue tulle gown and Yousef in his tux, friends and family furiously texted them to wish their congratulations — so I think I need to be a bit more clear on my captioning in the future to avoid any and all confusion ;) 

Truly though, it was such an honor to now have the opportunity to photograph these two actually tying the knot! We stuck around Old Town Alexandria after the “I dos” for some stunning portraits downtown and throughout the waterfront — it was supposed to rain, but you’ll see we completely avoided the storms and had some of the most glorious summer light for their photos! 

N&Y, thank you for allowing me to photograph you two endlessly — I certainly hope we get to do anniversary & family portraits in the future! I love you both and enjoy your time in MEXICO!