Outdoor engagement sessions are kicking into high gear! And we are not surprised, rather we are as happy as a sandboy! Not because we are engagement photographers, and nature-inspired colorful engagement photoshoots sprinkle our donuts, but because we love it when we see a couple stealing a day or two leaving their roll-up-your-sleeves attitude at bay just to narrate their love story. It feels great that more and more couples are realizing the importance of having engagement photos that are beyond just being fun snapshots to spruce up the walls or shelves. They’re the metaphor for the love you share, save-the-dates to let the world know how it all started, wedding website content (if you are planning to create one), the ultimate wedding decor chameleon, templates to take a cue from to attain swoon-worthy wedding photographs, the first few but crucial pages of your love story, and above everything else, these photographs act as the litmus test of your photographer who you might want to hire for the wedding day as well (a nod is as good as a wink!). Therefore, it only makes sense to choose a location that means something to you so that it can tell the tale of love itself. You might want to feature your and your sweetheart’s favorite coffee shop where you both first saw each other, or the place where you popped the question or said yes. Or maybe you simply want to plan an engagement photoshoot at your favorite place that has nothing to do with the beginning of your love tale and personalize it with some cute props! This is what Evan and Alexandra, our 2021 star-crossed couple, did!

The shoot location was no less than a concrete paradise!

Be still my heart! I am going to tell the tale of two people who are head over heels in love and keep each other on a pedestal! It was the cold but sunny day of January this year when we got to meet up with this cozy couple in DC. They picked out Sarah from the pool of our most affordable and best wedding photographers in DC, to capture their post-engagement bliss! And our Virginia engagement photographer was pleased as punch, the moment they revealed the engagement location, which was none other than the historic streets of Old Town Alexandria in Virginia! We kinda love Old Town Alexandria engagement sessions because of all the different varieties within one small area! And our photographers wouldn't give up a chance to photograph lovey-dovey couples in the vicinity of City Hall and Market Square, not for all the tea in China! And it’s easy to see why! Lovebirds flock to Old Town Alexandria for many reasons, not least among them the picture-perfect scenery. Ivy-covered brick buildings? English gardens? Waterfront views? Yep, Alexandria lends the perfect backdrop for endless photo ops. So if you’re jonesing for save-the-date worthy engagement photo locations, look no further: Old Town is bulging at the seams with romantic and historic hotspots that set the perfect stage for a dreamy engagement session. Perched on the Potomac River waterfront, Old Town is Alexandria’s beloved downtown and nationally designated historic district. The King Street Mile and surrounding brick-lined sidewalks are lined with beautifully preserved 18th- and 19th-century architecture, historic attractions, and independent businesses. Old Town is the heart of Alexandria, located just minutes from Washington, D.C., and named a Top 5 Best Small City in the U.S. 2020 by the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards and one of the South’s Best Cities 2020 by Southern Living.

Beware, you could be fooled into thinking you have traveled back in time, the moment you will set your foot onto Old Town Alexandria’s storybook-style sidewalks! Home to over 200 independent restaurants and boutiques alongside intimate historic site museums, the walkable downtown buzzes with families and lovers enjoying the events right on the waterfront. But amid all that ye olde charm, there’s also a full-of-beans modern town known for its walkable streets, independent and national stores, and a vibrant dining scene. You’ll love to unveil them on the main drag, King Street, as well as small side streets, where offerings range from fashionable shoe stores, chic home boutiques, and worth-a-hunt vintage clothing and decor shops. Studded with Market Square and the Colonial-inspired additions that face the plaza, built in the 1960s, the City Hall has been gracing Alexandria’ 301 King St. since 1874. Apart from being the spot for the weekly farmer market, Market Square gleams with annual holiday tree lighting and festivities throughout the year (Mon-Fri 8-5). And it’s pretty visible in the photos ahead as well! The city itself came into existence in 1749 and just after a few years, Alexandria’s Market Square had its origin. The site chosen was smack dab in the heart of a prime block of the colonial settlement, right adjacent to the City Hall. At the time, Cameron and North Fairfax Streets were the main avenues in Alexandria, and that convergence was taken into account as one of the most significant in Northern Virginia. We can talk about this photogenic engagement session location in DC till the cows come home, but it would only hold you back for longer from witnessing the photographic depiction of the couple’s love story, so without much ado, let’s talk about what we are here for!

Evan and Alexandra were so excited about their Alexandria engagement session, and so was our engagement photographer! The couple was as natural in front of the camera as pretty, it came as no surprise that they were total pros! These two are truly the sight for sore eyes, and our engagement photographer from Washington DC had so much fun spending the afternoon walking around Old Town Alexandria with them! And you’ll know why after having a glance at the Instagram-worthy pictures of Evan and Alexandra ahead. Brace yourself, you sure are going to skip a beat!

They looked dang photogenic in both their styles!

Evan and Alexandra’s outfits in jewel tones matched perfectly and created a pleasant contrast to the colonial structures and luscious greens of all stripes around. They opted for two different styleoholic looks - one casual and one dressy! The couple reached the location wearing casuals, and we set off the first round of the session! Alexandra was looking so cute in her off-white short A-line chiffon dress paired with a blue denim jacket and black ankle booties to stay warm and look chic during her winter engagement session. A lovely delicate pendant was perfectly complementing the round sheer neckline of her elegant dress and her red lips and nails added to the allure. Her ombre curls with golden tones were dancing to her tunes, and the barely visible tic tac clip was perfectly doing its job of keeping the tendrils away from Alexandra’s flawless, pretty face, adding a twist (literally!) to the look! For the second round, she changed into a gorgeous emerald green lacy dress, and was looking as pretty as a picture! Evan too cut a dash in both his looks! For his first, casual engagement look, he slipped on a pair of dark blue denim and a burgundy button-up crew-neck pullover sweater, to match the look of his beloved fiancée, and brown boots were the perfect pick! And his glossy short side-swept sun-kissed hair that was neat and short on the sides was making the gentleman as smart as paint! His megawatt smile was enough to steal the thunder from the sun that day! For the dressy part of the engagement shoot, our handsome, hunk groom-to-be donned a black blazer on the same attire and ended up looking even more dashing! Throughout the whole session, you can tell Evan knows how to make Alexandra laugh, and their laughter is absolutely contagious!

Our fave couple portraits

Humming with a walkable lifestyle and easily accessible via the airport, Metrorail, Amtrak, bike share, or car, Alexandria - the location they chose for the shoot was awesome and so was our newly engaged couple! Being a colonial tobacco port in the time of yore, the small yet lively city still boasts dark cobblestone streets, 18th-century buildings, and even a town crier, all of which can instantly make one feel like they’re in George Washington’s era. From rustic red-brick sidewalks throwing their weight around to the mix of green and brown foliage omnipresent to the sophisticated centuries-old colonial structure sprinkling the magic of old-world charm to the streetlamps sticking out like a sore thumb, everything in the backdrop came together to create swoon-worthy engagement pictures. Besides this solid magic, the location was brimming with the liquid magic too, we mean, the waterfront area in conjunction with vibrant docks! And by the same token, their waterfront engagement photos came out magical! The engagement photographer in DC got the ball rolling with exploring some of the ancient cobblestone streets of Old Town and took some casual shots of the couple billing and cooing on their way, on the staircase, against the ivy-covered brick buildings, and with the historic props studded on the property! Although Washington, D.C.’s cherry blossoms make this location a sight to behold, it is ethereal during winter month too! And the engagement photos of Evan and Alexandra bear witness to what we just said!

Incorporating interesting photo props, still or handy, to take the photos to the next level is our thing! And our professional DC engagement photographer did the phenomenal job of utilizing all the props available in the surroundings, whether it was the plain staircase that turned magnificent as the love birds sat there and posed for some cute couple shots or the white colonial buildings that took us on a ride to Europe straight away as the soon-to-be-married couple shared laughs, hugs, kisses, and “sweet nothings” against its white doors and walls and stroke cute poses holding the lovely LOVE banner, conveying the message that the only thing that can stay between them is “love”! Hey, look at the clicks where the gentleman is cuddling his beautiful doll from the back at the same spot - simply adorable! The photo expert also played beautifully around the LOVE banner for some innovative and stand-out couple shots! The “sweet tug-of-war captures” against the red-brick building of the City Hall in which our happy couple is playing with the LOVE string are definitely worth the hype! We can’t get over the clicks where Evan is pulling his darling with the fragile thread of LOVE literally and then kissing her cutely! The photographs really tug at our heartstrings! The list of our favorite shots also includes the pictures where Evan is hugging Alexandra sweetly, whether they are captured on the cobblestone streets, by the water, or near the staircase! The pictures taken on the red-brick steps where our blushing winter bride-to-be is unwinding on the shoulder of her dotting groom-to-be can tickle anyone pink! The old-world charm in the backdrop worked like a charm, and the cute couple cut a charming figure together in every nook and cranny of the area! 

Did we tell you that we are a huge fan of natural elements, particularly waters and skies?! Afterward, we walked down to the waterfront for a few more portraits at the docks and around Founder’s Park, located close to the shops and restaurants of King Street, the marina, and the Torpedo Factory Art Center. And the couple pictures that were captured there along the Potomac River dotted with small rocks, take the cake for being super romantic and magical! These laid-back waterside couple portraits where Alexandra is sitting on her sweetheart’s lap, who is sitting on the tiny cute rocks by the river, surely belong to stock photos! The way Alex and Evan are looking into each other’s eyes against the majestic blue skies and pristine waters can give anyone <3 eyes IRL! In the end, how can we not talk about the fun captures of the sweet couple amidst share bikes?! The forehead-to-forehead shot of the duo captured at the same spot is without any doubt frame-worthy!

Our DC engagement photographer went the whole hog to add the true atmosphere of the place, the new year vibe (that was still floating in the air), and the sparkle of Alexandra’s engagement ring to the photos! Case in point: the couple shots against the yellow water taxi and in the middle of the light poles adorned with the festive wreaths made of greenery and a giant red ribbon bow testify to the efforts she made to provide the DC couple a spectacular bunch of engagement photos to cherish forever and a day! The charming betrothed couple also left no stone unturned to help the photographer to capture the photos that are dankest of the dank! We are fascinated by their performance as a couple to the hilt! And we are sure that they will be dancing in the streets whenever they will flip through the pages of their engagement album in the coming time!

If you are planning an engagement session - whether in your home cities like Evan and Alex or somewhere you always wanted to because your favorite movie featured that - you sure belong to the camp of couples who have a lot of get-up-and-go! Engagement sessions are worth their weight in gold! Who wouldn’t want to flaunt their love when it’s in full swing! And we are bound to admit that Old Town Alexandria, Virginia is always a wonderful place for photographs, even in the cold months like January. With a skilled hand and creative brain, the dazzling location of Alexandria, and the support that the lovely duo provided during the session, our engagement photographer in and around DC nailed an awe-inspiring engagement photo session that will be talked about for years!

2020 tested us beyond measure, no doubt! But, despite the turbulent times, the wedding industry somehow managed to keep the lights on. With vaccinations happening all over the world, things are getting better (gradually, tho!). And we don’t need to hunker down inside anymore, especially when a special occasion like an engagement or wedding is in the offing! With all your safety gears on (or if you have been vaccinated), you can perform your chores and be back in the saddle to nail a perfect celebration of your union, which was postponed due to the unexpected evil appearance in the love story on a whim! Not only that, you can include the whole enchilada in your celebration. And a mind-blowing photo session of you two in love is the mainstay of your love story! After all, these sentimental snapshots are going to appear on everything from your save-the-dates and to the wedding gift table to the walls of your happily ever after. To that end, it's important to put together looks that feel 100 percent you. While some couples are comfortable in having a short engagement shoot of 1 hour or so with just one look, there are couples like Evan And Alex, who love to book an extended engagement session of 2-4 hours with two or more outfits to showcase the multiple sides of their personality or add a variety to the pictures! So go all out like our 2021 couple, Evan and Alexandra, and nail a remarkable open-air botanical engagement session in the location of your choice!

Evan and Alexandra are tying the knot next year on 22nd January 2022. Looking at the pictures and the delight on their faces, it's plain as the nose on your face that the engagement shoot in Old Town Alexandria was all beer and skittles! We appreciate the choice of location! When it came time to choose a wedding venue, they knew they wanted to bring together their closest friends and family for an intimate affair somewhere in DC only. They ended up picking the gorgeous Bowling Green Country Club!

Evan and Alexandra - it was so much fun hanging out with you both for your engagement photo shoot in Alexandria, and we can't wait for your wedding day to come! We are sure your wedding will go off with a bang like your DC engagement session with our professional and affordable wedding photographers in DC by your side! As you, with a new spring in your steps, start the new chapter of life together in the coming winter, we wish you both smile, sparkle, and shine together like the moon, sun, and north star!