Reva and Jonathon were married on a beautiful summer morning at the DC War Memorial in Washington, DC. For those of you not from the area, one of the unique things about the District of Columbia is that a couple can actually self officiate their  own nuptials, which is what these two opted for during their private ceremony. It was a true elopement in that their exchanging of vows was going to be a surprise — a surprise to everyone in their lives, even their closest friends and family. They, of course, wanted to document the occasion so that when they shared the news in person with their parents the following week, they would have pictures to share of the joyous day.

There is something so special about being part of a couple’s private wedding day; don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the large scale events and the festive celebrations that they bring, but there is just somethings so romantic about a true elopement that I simply can’t resist. As you can tell from the photos, it was a nearly perfect day. The weather was just coming off of a cool stretch the weekend before, so we had a light and airy morning beneath the sunrise at the Reflecting Pool. With so few people out and about we were able to visit the Constitution gardens and the Lincoln Memorial before finally heading over to the DC War Memorial where Reva and Jonathon would exchange their vows. Reva is a woman after my own heart, as she has a magnificent attention to detail. I loved the custom vow books that she designed and printed up for her and Jonathon so that they would have a beautiful booklet to recite their everlasting words. She was even able to find a blueprint sketch of the DC War Memorial to include on the back as a small nod to their wedding venue.

Reva and Jonathon, thank you for including me in this intimate celebration of your love! It was such an honor to be a small part of your wedding day, and I hope your families are thrilled to look back on the photos and relive every moment with you!