April 25, 2019

DC Cherry Blossom Engagement || Courtney + Mike

Engagememt



A Sacred Experience

Cherry Blossom Engagement Sessions are always a favorite, but as this Cherry Blossom season began to unfold, I knew that I wanted to change my approach. The blossoms are just too gorgeous and special to turn it into a mass product. It was my desire to find a couple who would take the time to really relax and enjoy each other under the magical canopy created by the historic Cherry Trees that rim the Tidal Basin of Washington DC.

Over the years of capturing Cherry Blossom Engagement Sessions, I have developed a love for very specific trees… that may seem strange, but I feel as though the process of new life and the coming of Spring that the Cherry Blossoms signal is quite a sacred experience. It’s as if each of the trees is a character playing a distinct role in encircling the basin with unique outstretched limbs adorned with perfectly pink flowers that whisper and sing the song of celebration that I feel deep in my soul Winter gives way to an awakening.

When Courtney mentioned wanting a DC Cherry Blossoms Engagement session… I knew that she and Mike were THE RIGHT couple.

And So It Unfolds

We made our plans as Winter still hung on longer than most of us had hoped. We waited and closely watched the “Cherry Blossom Updates”, and we adjusted accordingly as peak bloom shifted forward and then back.

Then on the 3rd of April, peak bloom arrived in all of its glory!

Under the Canopy of Blooms

We left our homes in the dark and drove into the heart of DC so we could converge at daybreak. We met at the Jefferson Memorial just as the sun was rising, and watched from the marble steps as the light began to bathe the trees and glint off the water below. We took in the the pink halo from afar, and then we slowly begin to make our way around and into the canopy of blooms. It was truly an experience filled with wonder.  An experience worth the watching, planning, and waiting.

And so is it of most truly good and lovely things in life… they don’t come quickly, or easily. There may even be pain in the journey, but it is so abundantly worth it.

I can not imagine a better setting for a love story built for a lifetime.


I am so excited for Courtney and Mike’s Wedding at Birkby House this Summer. Courtney was a Bridesmaid in a Wedding I shot last May. She was a rockstar Maid-of-Honor… and I am so very thrilled to be a part of capturing her Wedding in August. I know their day will be an experience filled with love, surrounded by family and friends, and marked by joy.

 

Vendor Love

Planning – Bright Occasions

Makeup – Izzy B Makeup

Bouquet – Petals & Promises

Film Lab – The Find Lab

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Manda is
A creative genius!


I met Manda when she photographed a wedding I was maid of honor in. I got to know her throughout the wedding planning process and spent lots of time with her on the day of that wedding. Her demeanor, positive energy, and absolutely stunning shots made her a natural choice for me to select when I got engaged. She was an absolute joy to be around when she photographed my wedding. 
                                                                      Courtney & Mike

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                                                                       Svetlana & Tyler

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                                                                       -Janna + Sam