Sarah and Alexander’s Stunning Autumn Wedding at The Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington, DC

I’m so excited to share Sarah and Alexander’s autumn Hay-Adams wedding with Karson Butler Events with you today! When it comes to photographing weddings in DC, one of the most gorgeous and historic DC venues in the by far is The Hay-Adams Hotel, with weddings specifically being located at The Top of the Hay. At The Top of the Hay, you not only get an incredible view of The White House, but you are also able to see the Washington Monument and even the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in the distance. It’s truly a magical venue, and one that makes wedding photography in DC so spectacular!

We began our day with Sarah and Alexander in the suites at The Hay-Adams Hotel where they were getting ready. I’ll never forget my jaw dropping to the floor when I laid my eyes upon Sarah’s stunning, sparkling Dennis Basso gown from Kleinfeld Bridal. It seriously is one of my favorite wedding gowns of all time! Plus, she had it perfectly paired with some sparkling Badgley Mischka flats that were to-die-for. Alexander looked equally handsome in his black tie tuxedo! Both parties left The Hay-Adams separately so Alexander could see Sarah coming down the aisle for the first time that day.

Sarah and Alexander were married at The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, a historic church in Washington, DC, which also happens to be their parish. I think my favorite part of the ceremony was the look on Sarah’s face the entire time. She was just so excited and wide-eyed and happy! Seriously grinning from ear-to-ear in almost every single photo and I just loved it. After the ceremony, we all headed back over to The Hay-Adams for some group photos in Lafayette Square, which is the park right across the street from the hotel and also in front of The White House. It’s always a great little spot for wedding photography in DC, because you don’t have to high-tail it over to monuments and sit in traffic at all. You can just make your way over to this little park and have a good mix of greenery with some history in the background as well! My favorite photo from this series is actually Alexander helping Sarah cross the street back over to The Hay-Adams while holding her wedding dress. They both were very amused by the experience and you can tell with their big smiles on their faces!

After returning to the Hay-Adams Hotel, we headed into the Hay-Adams Room for family formal photographs, followed by a cocktail hour with all of the wedding guests. Once cocktail hour concluded, everyone went up to The Top of the Hay for the reception. It was perfect timing because the sun was starting to go down and the view from the balcony at The Top of the Hay was absolutely stunning! Once everyone was settled, Sarah and Alexander were introduced right into their first dance which they laughed through the entire time. It was so cute! After dinner and some toasts, Sarah, Alexander and their guests seriously boogied down on the dance floor. I absolutely loved the energy from everyone and you could definitely see it in the photographs!

I can’t thank Sarah, Alexander and their family and friends enough for having us along to photograph their wedding day. There are so many Washington DC photographers and I feel truly honored that you picked me to highlight such a magical event! I also have to give a big shout out to Emily and her team at Karson Butler Events for coordinating and designing such a beautiful event for Sarah and Alexander. The look and feel of their wedding was a true embodiment of what Sarah and Alexander wanted and I don’t think the wedding could have looked any better! Thank you for working hand-in-hand with me as a team on the big day. You make my job of photographing weddings so much easier! 

Below are my favorite photographs from Sarah and Alexander’s wedding day. But please scroll down to see our incredible group of vendors from this wedding and read about the featured article of Sarah and Alexander’s wedding that was on The Knot! Thanks so much for reading!

DC Wedding Vendors Team

Photography: Lisa Boggs Photography

Design/Planning: Karson Butler Events

Ceremony: The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle

Reception/Catering: Top of the Hay, The Hay-Adams Hotel

Florist: Amaryllis Floral & Event Design

Makeup: Carl Ray Makeup Artist

Hair: Haute N Chic Hair

Bridal Salon: Kleinfeld Bridal

Bridal Gown: Dennis Basso

Bridesmaid Gowns: Adrianna Papell

Cake: Buttercream Bakeshop

Band: Onyx, Washington Talent Agency

Stationery: Emily Baird Design

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We were so fortunate enough that The Knot featured Sarah and Alexander’s wedding in their Real Weddings section of their website! The Knot interviewed Sarah, and this was the excerpt from that interview:

For Sarah and Alexander's wedding in the nation's Capitol, there were two main focuses: “family and DC. I have a big extended family, and it was important to me to have a big party that included everyone in our two families. We so seldom get everyone together, and a wedding is a great excuse! I also wanted to have a very DC wedding. This is the city where we built our life together, and it's been home for seven years. It's also conveniently half way between my family in the NY/NJ/CT area and Alexander's family in North Carolina. When choosing a venue we thought about a vineyard, or a resort, or the city. Since most people would be coming from out of town, we decided to show off our city and make it a fun trip for them! Having all of the events downtown also meant we our guests could walk between locations. The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle is my parish in DC, and also a quintessential location. The Top of the Hay is a DC dream and another easy choice. The DC theme carried over into our welcome bags, featuring Baked and Wired cupcakes, and our specialty cocktail, a bourbon rickey! For our welcome party and rehearsal dinner we went with the theme of North meets South. I chose lobster rolls to represent New England, and Alexander chose pulled pork barbecue to represent North Carolina. We also had a fantastic bluegrass band that Emily found to set the tone for the weekend! We prioritized music at the welcome party, the ceremony, and the reception. We spent a lot of time choosing music for the unbelievable organ at the Cathedral of St. Matthew! It set a grand, inviting feel for the rest of the day. Emily helped us find Onyx, our wedding band, who knocked it out of the park at the reception! Emily also helped us create a cohesive feel for our wedding, from check-in, to the rehearsal dinner, to the ceremony, to cocktail hour, and the reception,” Sarah recalls. 

The couple further highlighted the importance of family and loved ones through curated details threaded throughout their Washington, DC, wedding. “Before my grandmother passed, she gave me a pendant that my grandfather had given to her. He picked it up for her on one of his many work trips around the world. It is blue and gold, and inscribed with Arabic writing (possibly Turkish) that says, 'Many happy years.' After she died, my aunt also gave me two handkerchiefs that belonged to my grandmother and great grandmother embroidered with their initials. I had my bouquet wrapped in those two handkerchiefs, and the blue pendant pinned to it as my something old and something blue. It was nice to be able to include them in our special day,” shares Sarah.

Part of what allowed Sarah and Alexander to pull off the DC-meets-family-oriented wedding of their dreams was their impeccable vendor team. To current to-be-weds, Sarah offers this advice: “Our advice to couples planning their day is to start early and hire a wedding planner! It really takes the pressure off and makes the process much more enjoyable.”

Many thanks to The Knot for the wonderful feature!

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About Lisa Boggs

Lisa Boggs of Lisa Boggs Photography has been photographing weddings in the greater Washington, DC area for over 16 years. Her photos have been described as classic, romantic, candid and artistic. She has won several accolades over the years, including Editor's Pick by Washingtonian Weddings, WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards and several Fearless Photographers Awards. She has over 130 five-star reviews on WeddingWire (with more five-star reviews on The Knot, Facebook and Google) and is incredibly thankful to all of her clients for their continuing love and support. When Lisa isn't photographing, you can find her networking with other photographers as the leader of Capital Area Photographers, a DC wedding and portrait photographers group that promotes continuing education for local photographers. Lisa is also a huge fan of her family, friends, wine, coffee, chocolate, popcorn and Netflix. To learn more about Lisa Boggs and her work, please contact lisa@lisaboggsphotography.com or call 571-432-8469.

Susie and John's Classic Black Tie Wedding at Daughters of the American Revolution Headquarters - DAR

One of the best parts of photographing weddings in DC is having a handful of favorite wedding venues to photograph at. For me, one of those locations is Daughters of the American Revolution Headquarters, or DAR. DAR is one of those wedding spaces that has so many different options for photographs, you don’t really need to dress it up too much! Most of DAR consists of indoor and outdoor spaces with gorgeous white color and an abundance of natural light. DAR also has multiple levels with different rooms: a balcony, a library, a portico, staircases, and covered areas that work exceptionally well as a rain backup plan. It’s truly a gem in terms of wedding photography in DC!

Susie and John’s wedding was no exception when it came to beautiful wedding photos at DAR. Their wedding day was stunningly gorgeous outside, which set the tone for a truly magical outdoor/indoor wedding. Their wedding day began at Hotel Dupont, before we made our way over to DAR for the first look on the third story balcony. Susie absolutely wowed in her Sarah Seven gown and it totally showed on John’s face when he saw her for the first time! I always get a little choked up during first looks and I definitely did with Susie and John.

Their ceremony took place on the outdoor portico of DAR, which has a gorgeous view of the Washington Monument. The ceremony altar was delicately decorated with hanging ivy on the portico by florist, She Loves Me, to keep things very simple and minimal. Simple gold chairs were used for Susie and John’s guests to watch this special occasion, and it couldn’t have gone better! 

One of the highlights of the ceremony for me was getting to photograph Susie and John’s dog, Larry, walking down the aisle! Larry wore a little tux and walked with Susie and John’s junior bridesmaid. He couldn’t have been happier to participate alongside his owners for their happy occasion. He was a true joy to photograph in portraits too!

After the ceremony, cocktail hour was located indoors in the library while Brielle Davis of Brielle Davis Events and her team wrapped up the finishing touches of the reception space, located on the other side of the portico and in the O’Byrne Gallery. The decor was minimal, simple and timeless, with touches of green, gold and black. Most of Susie and John’s reception area was draped in gorgeous green ivy, and white and green flowers to match in the gold or black centerpieces. Brielle Davis Events did an amazing job pulling everything together for a magical reception!

Susie and John spent the rest of their evening dining in the O’Byrne Gallery or dancing the night away with friends and family under the rotunda, located just outside the gallery. I always love photographing the excitement of dancing after the formalities of the day are over! The happiness is intoxicating and I soak it up as much as I can. Before leaving for the night, Susie and John indulged me in one final photo in the library among all of the books. It was a great way for me to get creative at the end of the night, but also provided a nice break for Susie and John as well.

Being a wedding photographer in dc is so much fun no matter where my couples choose to host their wedding. But, it’s always nice to work at a favorite spot or two, and DAR is definitely one of those locations for Lisa Boggs Photography! Many thanks to Susie, John and their family and friends for choosing me to photograph their special day. If you’re interested in having your wedding at DAR, make sure to reach out to the Events and Meetings Coordinator at events@dar.org. And, if you’d like to inquire with me about photographing your wedding at DAR (or even a different wedding venue), please email lisa@lisaboggsphotography.com. 

DC Wedding Vendors Team

Photography: Lisa Boggs Photography

Design/Planning: Brielle Davis Events

Venue: DAR

Caterer: Well Dunn

Florist: She Loves Me

Hair & Makeup: Makeup by Ana B & Erwin Gomez

Bridal Gown: Sarah Seven

Bridesmaid Gowns: BHLDN

Cake: Baked & Wired

Ceremony Musicians: Bolero Soul

DJ: Bela Sono Music

Videography: Paperboys

Rentals: Select Event Group & Table Manners

Stationery: Artisan Matchmaker & Minted

Tenting: Capital Party Rentals

Photo Booth: Extraordinary Entertainment

Alcohol: Ace Beverage

About Lisa Boggs

Lisa Boggs of Lisa Boggs Photography has been photographing weddings in the greater Washington, DC area for over 16 years. Her photos have been described as classic, romantic, candid and artistic. She has won several accolades over the years, including Editor's Pick by Washingtonian Weddings, WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards and several Fearless Photographers Awards. She has over 130 five-star reviews on WeddingWire (with more five-star reviews on The Knot, Facebook and Google) and is incredibly thankful to all of her clients for their continuing love and support. When Lisa isn't photographing, you can find her networking with other photographers as the leader of Capital Area Photographers, a DC wedding and portrait photographers group that promotes continuing education for local photographers. Lisa is also a huge fan of her family, friends, wine, coffee, chocolate, popcorn and Netflix. To learn more about Lisa Boggs and her work, please contact lisa@lisaboggsphotography.com or call 571-432-8469.

How to Apply for a DC Photography Permit - National Park Service - Washington DC Wedding & Engagement Photography

Updated: 01/29/2024

What a lot of couples don’t realize when it comes to engagement and wedding photos in Washington, DC is that most of what they’re interested in photographing with is under the umbrella of the National Park Service (aka NPS). This would include the National Mall, with all of the iconic monuments like The Jefferson Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and really any memorial/monument in the immediate surrounding area. Yes, even the iconic DC Cherry Blossoms that circle the Tidal Basin are considered part of NPS! So, if you’re interested in any kind of wedding or engagement photography with those elements, you have to apply for an NPS permit to photograph there (and pay a couple of fees).

The process to apply for a DC photography permit is not that complicated! Here is a link with a long description of what to do from NPS. Or, just read my version:

• Fill out the Application Form: This is the form you need to fill out (should open as a PDF): APPLICATION FOR SPECIAL USE PERMIT STILL PHOTOGRAPHY (Short Form) There is a nonrefundable processing cost of $90.00 when you turn in your application. Write this fee in the “Amount to be Billed to Card: Application Cost” on the Credit Card Authorization page.

• Figure out Your Location Fee: In addition to the $90 application fee, there is a location fee based on the number of people being photographed. For an engagement session, that number is 1-10 people, so that will cost you an additional $50 ($140 total). For a couple and their wedding party, if you go above 10 people, that lands you in the 11-30 person range, which is an additional $150 ($240 total). Here is the breakdown:

Motion Pictures/Videos Location Fees
1-2 people/$0
3-10 people/$150 per day
11-30 people/$250 per day
31-49 people /$500 per day
50+ people/$750 per day

Still Photography Location Fees
1-10 people/$50 per day
11-30 people/$150 per day
30+ people/$250 per day

Once you determine your location fee, write this in the “Amount to be Billed to Card: Location Cost” on the Credit Card Authorization page.

• Fax, Mail In, or Walk in Your Application: You can fax your application to 202-475-2216, which is what I recommend. However, if you’re short on time, you can also drop off your application to this address:

National Mall and Memorial Parks
Division of Permits Management
1100 Ohio Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20242

You can also mail it to the address above as well. It typically takes 7-10 days for the application to arrive by mail.

• You will be notified by a permits specialist of the status of the application and the necessary steps to secure your final permit. If you are in need of a permit quickly, you can call 202-245-4715 to try and move things along a little faster. Once your final permit is available, a permits specialist will send it to you via email as a PDF.

• Have Your Permit Ready on the Day of Your Session: Since the permit is sent in a PDF via email, you can save it to your smart phone and have it at the ready should a park ranger approach you during your session. I always like printing a hard copy to have on hand as well.

Other helpful facts:

• You can apply for a permit up to one year in advance and a minimum of four days from your session.

• If you need to change the date of your session, you can email/call the permits office and have it changed. It’s typically done very quickly and easily.

Still confused? Here’s a Permits FAQ’s page with all of the answers you need. Not sure if the place you want to photograph in is part of NPS? Here is a helpful map to see what falls on NPS territory.

I hope this information has been helpful! Thanks so much for reading.

Love,

Lisa

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About Lisa Boggs

Lisa Boggs of Lisa Boggs Photography is a DC wedding photographer located in Great Falls, Virginia. Lisa Boggs has been photographing weddings, engagements and portraits for over 13 years and primarily photographs in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland. Her photos have been described as classic, romantic, candid and artistic. She has won several accolades over the years, including Editor's Pick by Washingtonian Weddings, WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards and several Fearless Photographers Awards. She has over-100 five-star reviews on WeddingWire (with more five-star reviews on The Knot, Facebook and Google) and is incredibly thankful to all of her clients for their continuing love and support. When Lisa isn't photographing, you can find her networking with other photographers as the leader of Capital Area Photographers, a DC wedding and portrait photographers group that promotes continuing education for local photographers. Lisa is also a huge fan of her family, friends, wine, coffee, chocolate, popcorn and Netflix. To learn more about Lisa Boggs and her work, please contact lisa@lisaboggsphotography.com or call 571-432-8469.

Anuj & Krishna's DC Cherry Blossom Proposal - Washington DC Cherry Blossoms

It’s been almost a year, but I’m so excited to share one of my favorite cherry blossom photo sessions from 2019: a proposal! When Anuj first contacted me about proposing to his girlfriend, Krishna, I got really excited. It’s been a long time since I’ve photographed a proposal in general, but to plan one out around the cherry blossom peak bloom at the Tidal Basin sounded really fun.

I met up with Anuj during the week before the proposal to scout some areas in the Tidal Basin I thought might work photographically. We began at the Jefferson and walked down to the FDR and MLK Memorials. We knew the proposal was going to happen that weekend, which would be incredibly busy and overrun with people. So although we had some pretty ambitious spots in mind for the proposal, we ultimately landed on a quieter area at the FDR Memorial, in front of a cherry tree, where we could have a little bit of privacy and keep people out of the background.

The day came for the proposal and the weather was absolutely perfect. Of course, the Tidal Basin was packed with people! However, Anuj and his friends were able to secure the spot we’d decided on and we waited for Krishna to arrive.

Krishna’s arrival was perfect, and as she rounded a corner and realized what was happening, I did my very best to stay focused and photograph, even though I was dying (and crying a little!). Anuj waited for Krishna to get closer, then got down on one knee and proposed. Krishna was so shocked, but ultimately said yes, and the crowd that had gathered to watch cheered valiantly!

After the official proposal was over, I took photos of Anuj and Krishna’s family and friends hugging and celebrating, along with a few group photos of everyone. Then Krishna, Anuj and I walked around the Tidal Basin for a bit and took some photos of just the two of them with the cherry blossoms. It was so much fun and I really could not have been happier for Anuj and Krishna. Here are some photos of the experience below:

Thanks for reading and looking!

Lots of love,

Lisa

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When Do the Cherry Blossoms Peak in DC?

Generally, DC’s cherry blossoms (aka, Yoshino cherry blossoms, aka the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms) bloom during the last week of March into the first week of April. However, it changes every year due to weather conditions, so sometimes it can be a little earlier or a little later than that time period.

This year the cherry blossoms peaked on March 20th, 2020 (earlier than normal) due to warmer winter temperatures. Last year, the cherry blossoms peaked on April 1st, 2019. You can also count on the Kwanzan cherry blossoms to peak roughly two weeks after the Yoshino’s. Those trees are a little more scattered throughout DC, but there’s a really lovely grove of them on Hains Point if you ever want to go check them out!

For up-to-date information on the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC (Yoshino or Kwanzan), I always keep an eye on two websites: the National Parks Service and Cherry Blossom Watch.

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About Lisa Boggs

Lisa Boggs of Lisa Boggs Photography is a DC wedding photographer located in Great Falls, Virginia. Lisa Boggs has been photographing weddings, engagements and portraits for over 13 years and primarily photographs in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland. Her photos have been described as classic, romantic, candid and artistic. She has won several accolades over the years, including Editor's Pick by Washingtonian Weddings, WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards and several Fearless Photographers Awards. She has over-100 five-star reviews on WeddingWire (with more five-star reviews on The Knot, Facebook and Google) and is incredibly thankful to all of her clients for their continuing love and support. When Lisa isn't photographing, you can find her networking with other photographers as the leader of Capital Area Photographers, a DC wedding and portrait photographers group that promotes continuing education for local photographers. Lisa is also a huge fan of her family, friends, wine, coffee, chocolate, popcorn and Netflix. To learn more about Lisa Boggs and her work, please contact lisa@lisaboggsphotography.com or call 571-432-8469.

Jessica & Andrew’s DC Cherry Blossom Engagement Photos - Washington DC Cherry Blossoms

It’s 2020, a brand new year! Even though we are in the throes of winter right now, I can’t help but get excited about the next season (which happens to be my favorite): Spring! And, as I’m sure you can imagine, because I’m a dc wedding and portrait photographer, my mind goes straight to the  Cherry Blossom Festival DC. I used to love visiting this festival and the blossoms before I was a professional photographer, but I love it so much more now. Photographing couples among those puffy pink blossoms is so magical.

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite sessions from the cherry blossoms in 2019: Jessica and Andrew. Believe it or not, it was actually pretty chilly the morning I photographed them, even though the sunrise at the Tidal Basin looked nice and warm. But they were total superstars and looked so sweet and in love, regardless of the cold temperatures.

What I really love about photographing at the cherry blossoms is the ability to get so many different looks out of my couples within a small amount of space. As I’m sure you can tell in the first silhouette photo, there are a lot of people around, whether they be tourists, photographers, runners or cyclists. So it’s always a fun challenge to see what I can create among this slight chaos. I actually talk about that a little bit in an article “5 Ways Photographers Get the Perfect Cherry Blossom Engagement Photo” the Washingtonian interviewed me for last year.

It’s hard to pick a favorite photo from the bunch, but I do have a few. I actually love the photos I took near a beautiful old cherry blossom tree that has a hole shaped like a heart in it. I knew if I found that tree one day I would want to use it in a photo, so it was a real treat to track it down and shine a light on it. However, I really love the last two photos from the session because those photos were totally unique. Can you guess what it is you’re seeing? It’s Jessica and Andrew’s reflection in a puddle! It’s such a different perspective of the gorgeous blossoms and I really like that it’s a little perplexing at first glance. Plus, they’re just so adorable laughing and having a good time that it’s hard not to love it. And them!

Thanks so much for taking the time to check out one of my favorite cherry blossom tidal basin portrait sessions!

Love,

Lisa

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When Do the Cherry Blossoms Peak in DC?

If you’re a big fan of the DC cherry blossoms and want to attend/photograph the Cherry Blossom Festival DC 2020, make sure you keep a close eye on those projected peak bloom dates. Last year they peaked on April 1st, and all of my portrait sessions happened between April 2nd and April 6th (at least with the yoshino cherry trees. Kwanzan cherry trees bloom roughly two weeks later). For up-to-date information, I always keep an eye on two websites: the National Parks Service and another called Cherry Blossom Watch 2020. Hope that helps and fingers crossed those yoshino cherry blossoms look magical again this year!

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About Lisa Boggs

Lisa Boggs of Lisa Boggs Photography is a DC wedding photographer located in Great Falls, Virginia. Lisa Boggs has been photographing weddings, engagements and portraits for over 13 years and primarily photographs in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland. Her photos have been described as classic, romantic, candid and artistic. She has won several accolades over the years, including Editor's Pick by Washingtonian Weddings, WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards and several Fearless Photographers Awards. She has over-100 five-star reviews on WeddingWire (with more five-star reviews on The Knot, Facebook and Google) and is incredibly thankful to all of her clients for their continuing love and support. When Lisa isn't photographing, you can find her networking with other photographers as the leader of Capital Area Photographers, a DC wedding and portrait photographers group that promotes continuing education for local photographers. Lisa is also a huge fan of her family, friends, wine, coffee, chocolate, popcorn and Netflix. To learn more about Lisa Boggs and her work, please contact lisa@lisaboggsphotography.com or call 571-432-8469.

Arielle & Hugh's Garden Inspired Decatur House Wedding

It feels like just yesterday I was meeting Arielle and Hugh at a coffee shop in DC to get to know all about them and their pups, Champ and Charlie. You may remember them from their spontaneous snowy engagement session on DC’s National Mall around the time cherry blossoms were supposed to bloom (but, spoiler alert, we got a snowstorm instead!). Most recently they were married at the Decatur House in Washington, DC on a truly magical, early autumn day. Words cannot accurately describe how perfect their wedding day was from start to finish. CG & Co Events did a fantastic job of bringing their garden inspired wedding to life, and their wedding was so incredible, it was recently featured in Washingtonian Weddings. Many thanks to this amazing couple, Arielle and Hugh, for having me along to photograph their wedding day. It was truly an honor!

Thanks for looking! And many, many thanks to these fabulous vendors:

Photography: Lisa Boggs Photography

Venue: The Decatur House

Event Planning & Design: CG & Co Events

Florals: Amaryllis Floral and Event Design

Invitations: By Invitation Only Designs

Caterer: Spilled Milk Catering

Hair & Makeup Artist: Renata Lynette Makeup

Bride’s Attire: Leah da Gloria from Bridal Reflections

Groom’s & Groomsmen’s Attire: The Black Tux

Bridesmaids’ Attire: Amsale Bridesmaids

Music/Entertainment: Fusion Band

Lisa Boggs Photography's Interview with the Washington Post Express - Steal This Job

Just a couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by Angela Haupt of the Washington Post Express about what it’s like to be a wedding photographer! The piece is called “Steal This Job” and I basically go into detail of how I became a wedding photographer, some stories about weddings/engagements over the years, what I love about the job and how a person could become a wedding photographer. It was a lot of fun to be interviewed and I can’t thank Angela enough for the opportunity! To read the full article, you can go to the Washington Post Express digital version and scroll to pages 19 and 20 or read the online version here. Yay!

Lisa Boggs of Lisa Boggs Photography is a DC wedding photographer located in Great Falls, Virginia. Lisa Boggs has been photographing weddings, engagements and portraits for over 13 years and primarily photographs in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland. Her photos have been described as classic, romantic, candid and artistic. She has won several accolades over the years, including Editor's Pick by Washingtonian Weddings, WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards and several Fearless Photographers Awards. She has over-100 five-star reviews on WeddingWire (with more five-star reviews on The Knot, Facebook and Google) and is incredibly thankful to all of her clients for their continuing love and support. When Lisa isn't photographing, you can find her networking with other photographers as the leader of Capital Area Photographers, a DC wedding and portrait photographers group that promotes continuing education for local photographers. Lisa is also a huge fan of her family, friends, wine, coffee, chocolate, popcorn and Netflix. To learn more about Lisa Boggs and her work, please contact lisa@lisaboggsphotography.com or call 571-432-8469.

Natalie and Eddie's Holiday Baseball-Inspired Wedding at The Willard in Washington, DC

I’m so excited to share Natalie and Eddie’s baseball-inspired wedding at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel with you today! You may remember Natalie and Eddie from their two engagement sessions, one at The Kennedy Center and one at the Washington National’s Park. So, I’m sure you understand that they are no strangers to baseball by now (hint: they met while working for the Washington Nationals)!

This wedding was such a joy for me. Natalie and Eddie are really the cutest, goofiest, loveliest couple and I was thrilled to capture their wedding day. I also love weddings during the holiday season, so I was very amped up for the baseball decor mixed with some holiday decor as well! Emily of Karson Butler Events did a fantastic job of merging the two looks into a seamless, gorgeous design that we all loved!

I have too many photos I love to pick favorites, so just enjoy the entire bunch below! And if you want an even more detailed write-up of this fabulous couple, Washingtonian Weddings printed their wedding in the latest issue and also blogged about it. Hooray!

And don’t miss the incredible list of vendors at the bottom of the blog post. We couldn’t have done this wedding without them!

Photography: Lisa Boggs Photography

Event Planning & Design: Karson Butler Events

Ceremony: Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle 

Reception, Catering & Cake: Willard Intercontinental

Florist: Amaryllis Floral & Event Design

Invitations: Minted, Paper Source, Vintage Stamps

Hairstylist: Bridal Hair by Remona

Makeup Artist: Amie Decker Beauty 

Bride’s Attire: Tony Ward Couture, Kleinfeld Bridal 

Groom’s Attire: Brooks Brothers 

Bridesmaid’s Attire: Jenny Yoo, Amsale 

Groomsmen’s Attire: Vera Wang, Men’s Wearhouse 

Music: Marc Augenbraum DJ Services 

Videographer: Bowen Films 

Calligraphy: Laura Hooper Calligraphy

Rentals: DC Rental

Rings: Adeler Jewelers

Courtney and Patrick's DC Cherry Blossom Engagement Session

It feels like just yesterday that I was taking cherry blossom photos of Courtney and Patrick down at the Tidal Basin! Courtney, Patrick, their dog, Lucy, and dog watcher, Denise (Pat's mom), all met me at the MLK Memorial in the spring for some gorgeous engagement portraits. It was the perfect spring evening despite the crowds and a little bit of wind! We were able to get tons of different looks with the blossoms, but my absolute favorite photos were the silhouettes I took with Courtney and Patrick in front of the Washington Monument. I was able to get candids with other tourists, but we also did some with Denise walking Lucy in a couple of the frames, which was a nice personal touch! I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Arielle & Hugh's Snowy DC Engagement Photos

If you know me well, you know I love extreme weather. Whether it's a good thunderstorm or several inches of snow, I am always excited about it...and even more excited to photograph in it! So when I received a call from Hugh and Arielle on one of our snowiest days this spring asking if I'd be interested in photographing them in the snow, you bet I was thrilled! I packed up my things and left quickly to meet them at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC.

Arielle and Hugh were already slated to have a cherry blossom engagement session with me, so I was pretty pleased when they spontaneously switched it to a snowy engagement session. I knew they were going to bring their two dogs, Champ and Charlie, regardless of what we did, and I have to say...those dogs loved the snow! I think I can speak for all of us that the snow was really magical that day. We were all in such high spirits and I was able to capture very fun, playful and joy-filled photos. I really can't get enough of this adorable couple and their dogs!

I hope you enjoy the photos below! And many thanks to Arielle, Hugh, Champ, Charlie and dog-wrangler extraordinaire, Niki, for such a fun time. P.S. Love the photo of Niki hitting Arielle and Hugh with a surprise snowball! Ha!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Lisa Boggs Photography Voted Editors Pick by Washingtonian Bride and Groom and and Best of NOVA by Northern Virginia Magazine!

We're excited to share that for 2017 we received a couple of unexpected accolades! In case you missed it, at the beginning of 2017 Washingtonian Bride & Groom picked Lisa Boggs Photography as editor's pick out of 64 of DC's best wedding photographers. Eek! Then, a few months later, Northern Virginia Magazine informed us we'd been voted Best Wedding Photographer for 2017.

Both of these accolades were a complete surprise and we are beyond grateful for the recognition among so many talented wedding photographers in the greater DC area. Thanks for following Lisa Boggs Photography and cheering for us along the way!

Love,

Lisa

Nicole's Cherry Blossom Washington, DC Bridal Portraits

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for spring! So today I'm sharing Nicole's cherry blossom bridal portraits from this past spring to get everyone ready for warm weather and flowering blooms!

Nicole and I both are a little obsessed with cherry blossoms. If you were around this past spring, you may recall that the Yoshino cherry trees in Washington, DC's Tidal Basin were a little lackluster! However, both Nicole and I know that right after the Yoshino trees bloom come the Kwanzan cherry blossoms (think a little more pink and extra puffy)! So, we knew we had to at least check out the Kwanzan cherry trees on Hains Point in East Potomac Park. 

We were thrilled to discover that the Kwanzan blossoms looked amazing! So Nicole turned on her inner model in her Berta bridal gown and Jimmy Choo shoes and we got some stunning photos of her. Yay! I hope you love these photos as much as I do!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Emily & Andy's Fairmont Hotel Washington DC Wedding

I'm so excited to share Emily and Andy's wedding with you today! Emily and Andy were married at Epiphany Catholic Church and the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC. Their wedding was right around July 4th, but lucky for us, the weather was more like a gorgeous spring day!

As you can see from the photos, everyone was giddy with excitement the entire day. My favorite photos are of Emily and Andy when they're laughing! The best is when they're laughing with their family and friends on the dance floor. You can just feel the love!

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do! Many thanks to Emily, Andy and their family and friends for including me in this special day!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Ashley and Tom's New Years Eve Wedding at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC

I'm finally blogging one of my most epic weddings of all time! Ashley and Tom were married on New Years Eve last year at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. It was a seriously beautiful wedding for two seriously beautiful people. Ashley and Tom are two of the nicest individuals you will ever meet, so I was honored they picked me among an incredible group of vendors to join in their special day!

It's really hard to describe how jaw-droppingly gorgeous this wedding was. The Perfect Palette, who featured their wedding thanks to our florist, Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, does a much better job of it! All I can say is you couldn't help be wowed by everything. They had custom bars, a cigar lounge, a chandelier wedding cake, a wall of escort party horns, a server wearing a metal skirt carrying champagne glasses and even...to my delight...an actual ball drop! It was truly a spectacular event and I am lucky to have been a part of it.

Many thanks to the seriously incredible team of vendors on this one, but especially to Kelley Cannon Events for pulling off such an amazing event! Cheers to a brand new year! 

Vendor Dream Team:

Venue and Catering: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Photography: Lisa Boggs Photography

Planning: Kelley Cannon Events

Floral Design: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers

Decor, Lighting, Draping & Furniture Rental: Event Revolution

Invitations & Day-of Paper: Paperzest

Calligraphy: Just Write Studios

Tabletop Rentals, Linens, and Chairs: DC Rental and Party Rental Ltd.

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts Cakes

Ceremony Music: Sage String Quartet

Cocktail Hour Music: Jason Masi

Reception Music: Nation

Videography: Bowen Films

Photo Booth: Bialek's Music

Tent: Sugarplum Tents

Vintage Rentals for Cigar Tent: Bella Villa

Cigar Rolling: Cigar Row

Inflatables and Casino Games: Big Country Amusements

Transportation: Point to Point Limo

Horse and Carriage: Carriages of the Capital

Hair and Makeup: Creative Hair and Makeup Design by Perry Warren

Bridal Boutique: Elegance by Roya

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Tiffany and Vishal's Colorful Indian Fusion Wedding at the Mayflower Hotel!

I'm so excited to share Tiffany and Vishal's Indian fusion wedding today! I had the honor of photographing their wedding in December and loved every minute of it. Tiffany and Vishal have this undeniable chemistry when they're together. As I'm sure you'll see from the photos, every time they look at each other they grin from ear-to-ear and genuinely love being around one other! 

Tiffany and Vishal had colorful Indian and American ceremonies at the stunning Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. We were lucky enough to take some photos with the Mayflower holiday decor, plus some photos with White House and some other outdoor locations! Tiffany and Vishal were such troopers even working outside in the cold at times. Then, back inside, everyone laughed and partied the night away. I loved every second of photographing Tiffany and Vishal's big day and hope you enjoy the photos we were able to capture!

Many thanks to Tiffany, Vishal and their family and friends for letting us be a part of the festivities! And a big thank you to Mallory Rood of All the Dainty Details for planning this fabulous event! ❤️

Thanks for looking! 

Love,

Lisa

Sarah and Daniel's Reagan National Airport Engagement Session!

I'm so excited to share Sarah and Daniel's engagement photos with you today!  I have known Daniel for a long time now, as I've photographed both of his siblings weddings (Hi JP and Jacqueline!).  So when Sarah, Daniel's fiancée, reached out to me about photographing their wedding, I was beyond thrilled and I cannot wait for their big day!

Sarah and I became immediate friends and we both decided it was a good idea to do an engagement session so she and Daniel could get comfortable in front of the camera.  We went back and forth with location ideas, but when she suggested Reagan National Airport as an option, I was totally in.  Sarah and Daniel both LOVE traveling and they really wanted photos that represented travel well. Daniel is also an architect and is a fan of gorgeous architecture (of course!), so that played a huge role in choosing Reagan Airport as well.

So, one bright, sunny afternoon, we met up and drove to Reagan Airport!  We had luggage in tow so Sarah and Daniel looked like legit travelers.  We stayed mostly in the terminal C area, grabbing a lot of wide architectural shots on the main floor, then some fun departure area photos on the second floor.  We took a little break in the airport restaurant for some drinks  (yay!) and then moved on to the Metro station area for some train photos.  After that we decided to head to Gravelly Point Park to get some sunset photos with the planes as they landed.  I am beyond thrilled with how all of the photos turned out and hope you enjoy them below!

Sarah and Daniel, thank you so much for having me photograph the most unique and fun engagement session I've ever had!  I hope you love the photos as much as I do!

Update: This engagement session was featured by Washingtonian Magazine! Squee!

Lisa Boggs is a Three-Time Fearless Photographers Award Winner!

Say whaaaaaaat?!  I won some awards?!  It's true!  Last year I decided to take the plunge and start entering some of my wedding photos into competitions, my first competition being with Fearless Photographers.  I cannot even begin to explain how intimidating Fearless Photographers is to me.  Each and every image I've ever seen from this group of photographers has floored me!  So, needless to say, I never thought in a million years I could win anything with it.  Plus, the odds are not fabulous...each image I submit has less than a 1% chance of receiving an award.  And those odds are only getting harder!  Eeek! Anyway, as luck would have it, I nabbed three awards, one each in Collections 20, 21 and 22!  I screamed like a maniac each time I received one and I'm convinced Penny the Dog thinks I was possessed each time.  But hey, what're ya gonna do?  :)  Here are the photos that won with little mini descriptions about the the photographs underneath:

"This was one of those photographs where you had to be right there in the action to get it in time! I was already following the best man and his girlfriend quite closely, as they had a ton of energy and were dancing wildly on the dance floor. In a span of seconds, I saw the girlfriend jump up on the best man, wrap her legs around him and then he proceeded to spin her around in the middle of the dance floor! I'm still not quite sure how I got this shot as the best man did not spin his girlfriend for long, but I'm so happy I did. It's a really fun, sexy, dynamic shot with lots of color and movement. Plus, I absolutely love the way the girlfriends hair looks in this photo. It's definitely a favorite reception photo of mine!"

"My couple happened to be dentists (who even met at dental school) and they incorporated the teeth/dental theme throughout their wedding. I had conjured up a few ideas before the wedding that had the same motif, but when I saw that my couple had floss favors at their candy table (so cute, right?) I knew I had to take a photo of them flossing together. So, after my bride changed dresses for the evening, I had my couple head into the bathroom for the flossing photo. The best part about this shot, besides it being completely silly, was that they really did floss their teeth and thanked me for having them do so. Apparently they needed a good flossing and didn't know it!"

"When I found out that my couple owned a 1965 Plymouth Fury, I just had to photograph them in it! I envisioned the groom in the driver's seat with the bride behind him and their hands clasped together outside of their windows (focusing on the hands with the couple slightly blurred in the background). I have to admit, it wasn't the most natural of poses, but once I put them there, it just worked. We were in an average neighborhood, so to make the photo more visually appealing, I crouched down on the ground and shot up toward them. I was very pleased with the result and it's one of my favorite couples portraits I've ever taken!"

Here's hoping I can nab a few more Fearless Photographers awards this year, but with so much talent to compete with, it's going to be really tough to do!  At any rate, I'll just keep pushing myself to try new things and continue grow as a photographer and a person.  That's the very best I can do!

Thanks so much for reading!

Lisa

P.S.  To view my Fearless Photographers profile, just go here!  Thanks!

Andrea and Nicole's Old Town Alexandria and Lincoln Memorial Engagement Session!

I'm so excited to share my engagement session with Andrea and Nicole on the blog today!  I met Andrea and Nicole this past summer and I instantly felt like they were old pals of mine.  They're both gorgeous gals, super laid-back and incredibly fun to be around.  Not to mention, they are just smitten with each other and I love the energy they have between the two of them! For their engagement session, we decided to incorporate Old Town Alexandria (where they live) and the Lincoln Memorial to add a little DC edge!  Photographing Andrea and Nicole was a dream because they really connect with each other without too much direction.  They also could switch back and forth between looking like total models and being complete goofballs!  My favorite moment though was when I had positioned Andrea and Nicole on the ground with some leaves and started photographing above them.  We had some passers-by who had to exclaim, "Look!  Twins!" and we all had a big laugh over it.  Thanks so much for a ridiculously fun engagement session, Andrea and Nicole!  I can't wait for your wedding later this year!  :)

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Saleena and Omar's Washington DC Engagement Session!

I'm super excited to share Saleena and Omar's engagement session with you today!  Saleena and Omar were a blast to work with .  Leading up to the engagement session Saleena and I texted back and forth about outfits for the two of them (which even included photos!).  So I got to play the role of stylist and photographer with them which was definitely different for me, but so much fun! As I'm sure you'll see from the photos, Saleena and Omar are not only gorgeous, but have an electric energy between them.  I did not have to instruct them how to pose very often, because they knew exactly what to do!  We were able to get some gorgeously bright and dramatic photos at the Lincoln Memorial and Georgetown Waterfront, which I'm sure you'll enjoy.  My very favorite is the one of them about to kiss in front of columns with Saleena's hair blowing in the wind.  :)  Enjoy!

Thanks for looking!

Love,

Lisa

Beeta and Ali's Stunning Persian Fairmont Hotel Wedding!

I am so excited to share Beeta and Ali's wedding at the Fairmont Hotel in DC with you today!  Beeta and Ali are two incredible people that I had the pleasure of meeting through some former clients of mine, Gina and Dan.  Like Gina and Dan, Beeta and Ali had a stunning Persian wedding with their closest family and friends and their wedding did not disappoint!  I probably took a record-setting number of photos due to how gorgeous Beeta, Ali, and their wedding guests looked, plus their Sofreh Aghd and reception were so breathtaking I couldn't stop myself! It's hard to say what I loved most about Beeta and Ali's wedding, but if I had to pick something, it would probably be how close all of their family and friends are to one another.  Particularly during the reception when they were all dancing, you know when big groups of people start forming a giant hug that they must really love each other!  Plus, this crowd really loves to dance and have a good time, so it was so fun and entertaining to photograph.  :)

Beeta and Ali, I can't thank you enough for having me along to be a part of your special day!  It was truly a pleasure and I hope you love the photos as much as I do.

Photographer: Lisa Boggs Photography Venue: Fairmont Hotel Wedding Coordinator: Patrice Golesorkhi of Exclusively Events Bride's Dress: Monique Lhuillier Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss Hair & Makeup: Victoria Stiles Florist: Petal's Edge Floral Design Officiant: Niloufar Nouri Videographer: Blue Sky Films DJ: Babak Hafezi