I love that Vanessa and Will chose the iconic Lincoln Memorial and DC War Memorial as the backdrop for their engagement session. While they are originally from Ohio, and will be married there next October, they were brought to Washington, DC a little over two years ago for Vanessa’s work. Will proposed at their home (alongside their newest addition, a kitten named Tyson!) just outside of the city mere weeks before, so it feels as if this engagement session is truly an encapsulation of where they are in their lives at this very moment.

It was, however, back home in Ohio, where these two first met. They were attending the wedding of mutual friends and a large group planned to get together in advance before the nuptials. They spent the entire morning with one another, sat together at the ceremony, and then danced the night away. It was an instant connection for both of them and my favorite part is that that couple will now be attending their wedding, with the former groom as best man!

For their engagement shoot, in true fall fashion in the district, we had one of the most picturesque mornings! I absolutely love this time of year along the east coast as the weather begins to change to cooler temperatures and the leaves slowly fade from bright green to soft hues of red, orange, and yellow. There was a beautiful sunrise over the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool where we started their session. We then headed up into the Lincoln to grab some shots with those iconic white, marble columns. And then finally we made our way through the Constitution Gardens and over to the DC War Memorial to close out the morning. Vanessa and Will, thank you for allowing me to document your engagement and life in DC — I had so much fun getting to know you two!