Allie & Connor's Old Town Alexandria Engagement Session

I'm super excited to share Allie and Connor's Old Town engagement portraits today! Allie and Connor were so much fun to work with. I really loved their outfits as they had so much color. But most of all, I really loved how Allie and Connor laughed through their whole engagement session. They really had a great time with each other and it showed!

Allie and Connor, I simply love these photos and I can't wait until your wedding later this year! Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Nicole and Dave's Old Town Alexandria Engagement Session

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of photographing Nicole and Dave's engagement photos in Old Town Alexandria! Nicole and Dave were so much fun. They were cute, playful and genuinely had a great time with each other. We wandered around the streets and photographed with lots of interesting pieces of Old Town, but the most interesting person we found was Sean Spicer peeking out of a window. It was hysterical!

I hope you enjoy these photographs from our session! Nicole and Dave, I love these and can't wait for your wedding this spring! Hooray!

Mary and Patrick's St. Louis Catholic Church and George Washington Masonic Memorial Wedding!

I recently had the pleasure of photographing two of the nicest people ever, Mary and Patrick!  Mary and Patrick were married at St. Louis Catholic Church with a gorgeous wedding reception at the George Washington Masonic Memorial.  Their wedding day was as bright and sunny as they were about tying the knot.  As you'll see below, I had a blast photographing Mary, Patrick and their family and friends.  Their bridal party had so much personality and fun posing in photos, and their guests were out on the dance floor until the very end of the night creating some amazing images.  One of my favorites from the wedding though was taken outside at the Masonic Memorial, where I had to light up the memorial and Mary and Patrick to get a nice dramatic photo.  It was a challenging photo, but it paid off!  Mary and Patrick, you looked amazing! Many thanks to Mary and Patrick and their family and friends for having me photograph this special occasion.  Also, many thanks to my second photographer for the day, Lelia!  I hope you enjoy the photos!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Jen and Joel's Old Town Alexandria Wedding - Sneak Peeks!

My awesome couple from the weekend, Jen and Joel, are off on an incredible three week honeymoon.  However, I couldn't resist posting these two sneak peeks from their wedding this past weekend.  Their Old Town Alexandria wedding was so much fun, and I especially love the storm that rolled in at the end.  You'll see why!  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Amanda and Adam's Westin Alexandria Wedding!

Happy Friday, everyone!  Today I'm blogging on two very awesome people, Amanda and Adam!  Amanda and Adam were married at the Westin Alexandria in Alexandria, Virginia on one of the hottest days of the summer, so you can imagine how excited I was when the entire celebration was indoors!  Of course, I'm sure they (and their guests) were equally as excited! Amanda and Adam wanted to start their day off with a first look, and since it's been quite a few weddings since I've actually had a first look, I was thrilled with theirs!  I've never done a first look with a couple perfectly back-to-back, and I thought their reactions were just so cute!  You could tell how happy their were to see each other and it definitely created a calm over them before their ceremony.  Also, can I just say that I love Amanda's wreath that she wore? I haven't seen a bride wear a wreath/veil combination before, and I thought she looked amazing with it!

Amanda and Adam's wedding ceremony was simple and beautiful.  They both were all smiles during the entire event which made for some super cute photos.  After their ceremony, we did make the brave decision to go outside for a few photographs in the courtyard in front of the Westin.  Even though it was incredibly hot, we were in the shade and were mayyyybe outside for 10 minutes max.  But I think it was worth it because Amanda and Adam just look so darn great in their photos!

Once we were back inside it was clear the party was on!  Everyone had an incredible time dancing and letting loose.  At the end of the night I decided to take a shot with one of the Westin windows that had a clear, beautiful view of the George Washington Masonic Memorial (a staple view in Alexandria) and I was really pleased with how the photo turned out!

Many thanks to Amanda and Adam, their family and friends for having me along for the ride!  Also, I have to give a huge shout out to Graceful Weddings who kept the day moving along smoothly and who were always willing to step in as my test subjects when I needed them.  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Amanda and Adam's Westin Alexandria Wedding - Sneak Peek!

This past Saturday was a scorcher!  Luckily, Amanda and Adam's wedding was all indoors at the Westin Alexandria in Old Town.  Although we did make it outside for five minutes (and no more...the heat index was 110!), I really loved some of the photos we were able to get inside with the two of them.  The first shot in these sneak peeks is from their first look, and I just adore it.  More to come from these two lovebirds!  Enjoy! Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Jessica and Seth's Old Town Alexandria Engagement Session!

I love Jessica and Seth.  We had a fantastic time strolling around Old Town for their engagement session, and you'll definitely see why! First off, these two are snazzy dressers!  I really loved their outfits and I thought they worked perfectly for their shoot!  Secondly, these guys are just too fun.  They laugh together, make quirky faces together, and are two genuinely great people.  We took our time working around Old Town, heading to some specific spots that Jessica and Seth had picked out.  Personally, I really loved this ivy corner we found while we were out.  I feel like I could have taken all of their photos there!  But I also loved their sassy spy-like photos we took with Jessica and Seth's trench coats and sunglasses (their idea...awesome, right?).  So cute!

Thanks Jessica and Seth for having me, and I cannot wait for your wedding next year!  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Maria and Wayne's Old Town Alexandria Wedding!

Today I get to blog about a really amazing couple, Maria and Wayne!  Just a short time ago, Maria and Wayne were married at the Hilton Old Town Alexandria, and as I'm sure you'll tell from the photos, they were beyond excited about becoming husband and wife! On the day of their wedding we were hoping to have the ceremony outdoors, but there was just too much of a rain threat, so we brought it all inside!  Maria was as cool as a cucumber up in her suite, and I about died when I saw and photographed her wedding dress.  Honestly, I'd never seen a dress quite like it (I guess if I had to compare it to something, it made me reminisce about Jennifer Connolly's white satin dress in the Rocketeer...even though the material and fit was a little different).  Maria just looked stunning in her dress, so I made sure we got some gorgeous photographs of her before we headed downstairs for her and Wayne's ceremony!

The ceremony was full of tons of laughter, which made the whole experience so much fun.  Afterward,  we went outside while the weather was cooperating for and took some photos with family and, of course, the happy couple.  Maria and Wayne were really like pros when it came to modeling, and so far Maria's pose with her veil as a filter (her looking off in the distance) is one of my favorite shots this year!

The reception was probably one of the best parts of Maria and Wayne's wedding day though, as everyone really just breathed easy and let loose!  Maria and Wayne had a mariachi band at their cocktail hour which her father accompanied for a few songs.  They also had a frozen margarita machine (!!!!) and then wondered why in the world no one utilized that at other weddings I've photographed!  The reception room was absolutely stunning, filled with lots of details that echoed how much Maria and Wayne love to travel (note the couple sitting on suitcases on their cake!). It was such a joy to see everyone party on the dance floor and have a great time.  Everyone in that room loved and cared for Maria and Wayne so much, and nothing could make this photographer happier!

Congrats, Maria and Wayne!  Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your special day!  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Maria and Wayne's Old Town Alexandria Wedding - Sneak Peeks!

This past weekend I got to work with the incredibly adorable couple, Maria and Wayne, in Old Town Alexandria!  While more photos are on the way from their wedding,  I just had to share these sneak peeks with you all.  I really hope you enjoy them!  More to come!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Madalyn and Thomas' Old Town Alexandria Engagement Session!

I love a couple with ideas.  When a couple knows exactly what they want out of their engagement session it makes my job so much easier!  And Madalyn and Thomas were just that couple who made my life (and their engagement session) so much better! I met Madalyn and Thomas down in Old Town for their engagement session, and got to meet their awesome dog Bentley as well!  For Madalyn and Thomas' initial photos they wanted to be in formal wear (with Thomas in his Army uniform).  They first wanted to create a scene where Madalyn is reading one of Thomas' letters he sent from overseas and then he walks up as if he just arrived back to the US.  I really dug the idea and I thought they did a great job of portraying that kind of incredible glee that occurs when you get to see someone you've missed for so long!  We then took a few photos of them walking around and hanging out with Bentley (who responded very well when I made monkey noises to get him to look at me!).  And, of course, we got some great shots with Thomas' dog tags and also ones he gifted to Madalyn.  I just loved the his and her tags that said "No Matter the Distance" and "No Matter How Far."  Swoon!

After the formal shots, Madalyn and Thomas changed into some casual wear and we kept walking around in Old Town!  We landed in a small park down there where I recently took some proposal shots, and we were able to do a ton of different looks with what they brought!  We used a blanket and pillow, bubbles, a parasol and chalkboards!  So awesome!  Madalyn and Thomas did a fantastic job just hanging out being so in love.  They really needed next to no direction, as they wanted their photos to have a very natural flow to them.  I was incredibly impressed with this couple, not only with their incredible modeling skills, but also with their relationship.  It's so amazing to see a couple so united, especially when they have been apart so much!  They're just awesome.  :)

Thanks so much for a wonderful shoot, Madalyn and Thomas!  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Dan and Kristen's Old Town Alexandria Proposal

It was only a week ago that I was emailing back and forth with Dan to finalize photography for his proposal to Kristen last Saturday!  We met prior to the big day as well to find the ideal spot for him to pop the question to his girlfriend.  We decided on a small park in Old Town that was between where they normally park their car and then where they were supposed to go to dinner.  It is such a cute park located right by the water, and is actually pretty quiet for the most part in terms of people! Kristen was under the impression they were meeting another couple in Old Town to go to dinner, but Dan had actually planned for the proposal and then for just the two of them to have dinner at the site of their first date: The Chart House.  Dan and I texted back and forth to make sure we were both on track with the schedule and where we needed to be!  I, of course, looked like a super spy with my giant camera and zoom lens, tucked in behind a tree and some bushes.  The few people that actually came down and walked through the park were definitely thrown off by me!  Nevertheless, the timing worked out perfectly and I was able to capture the proposal from my hiding spot and also get some brief portraits in afterward before Dan and Kristen headed off to dinner.  And...if you hadn't guessed it...she said YES!

Many thanks to Dan for his hard work coordinating with me, and to Kristen for allowing a crazy gal like me to photograph their proposal.  You two were great!  It was a wonderful experience, and I hope I get to photograph more proposals in the future!  Enjoy the photos below!

This is next shot is one of my favorites.  I got it as the two were walking away to go to dinner.  It's one of those really special candid moments!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

The Old Town Alexandria Squirrel

This photo is too ah-mazing not to post now.  I know, I know, it's the weekend, but I don't care.  I have lots to post on this week and I just could not hold out on keeping this photo from you any longer!  This is a squirrel I photographed in Old Town Alexandria.  I spotted it when it was climbing up the tree to eat (what resembled to be) a cookie.  It stopped and perched on a branch for a bit to eat, so I took out my camera.  It didn't like me pointing my giant zoom lens at it, so it decided to jump up to a higher part of the tree.  Guess which part I photographed?  ;) Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Libby and Matt's Old Town Alexandria Engagement Session!

I've been waiting for a while for a couple who would embrace some rain, and I finally met my match with Libby & Matt!  I met them both down in Old Town, Alexandria this past weekend, with my awesome new assistant, Mr. Mike Boggs.  Libby & Matt came complete with wellies and an umbrella (as did Mike and I), and we braced ourselves for what could have been some major rain.  Luckily, the heavy rain and storms didn't come through until after noon that day, so we just got some cloudy skies, with a lot of puddles!  As you'll see below, Libby and Matt were an amazing pair to work with, and totally embraced the atmosphere we were in.  Engaged couple + rain + wellies = magical.  Hope you enjoy!

Thanks for looking!  And many thanks to Mike Boggs for second shooting and taking some killer shots!

Love,

Lisa

P.S.  Stay tuned for some non-welly photos of Libby & Matt, and more engagements from the weekend!