Clarissa & Maxwell’s cherry blossom engagement session at sunrise on the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC was an absolutely perfect morning! Sure, we were surrounded by, oh, just 7,000,000 other people, but still — you’ll know exactly what I mean when you see the photos below! We fell into sync almost immediately at the start of their portraits and didn’t stop until WELL after our scheduled “end” point! They were complete naturals and it was so much fun exploring with these two! I should warn you now, this is a super long post because I couldn’t narrow down the good ones!

Like my husband and I, Clarissa & Maxwell are college sweethearts! They met the night before the start of freshman classes the University of Iowa, but simply remained friends for the next few years. They continued to keep in touch until finally Maxwell asked her out on a proper date, beginning their relationship officially. Fast forward a few years to when a combination of work and life eventually brought these two to the Washington, DC region where they now call home, with their sweet (and sassy!) cat, Mocha. They just missed the cherry blossom season last year, so they were excited to have their photos taken with these iconic blooms as they exploring their new city.

Many of their explorations have taken them outside the city, as well, to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. VA, in particular, is one of their favorites for its many amazing vineyards. Maxwell dragged Clarissa along to a “work party” at Stone Tower Winery one weekend this past fall, where they arrived (late!) to find no such party. Instead, it was a surprise proposal at one of the prettiest vineyards in the area!

These two will be married next fall in Austin, Texas at a little slice of Europe here in the states! I’m so excited for these two and it was an honor to capture their engagement here in their new home — DC loves having you here!