Oh Lincoln Memorial sunrise engagement sessions, how I love thee. This light and this location may never get old. Ashley and Will were my first couple ever to have photos taken at both the Lincoln and Jefferson Monuments in one session. I was surprised at how easy the transition was! This was also the very first time I was asked to show a permit at Jefferson. Ashley joked that she would be the one bride to be asked… and she wasn’t wrong! 

I will never stop being impressed with couples who show up for sunrise with a smile looking amazing. Will was just the sweetest guy as we joked about the Big Lebowski and Ashley was a knock out in her Kate Spade dress. As a photographer, I wish we could leave reviews for our couples. I can’t say enough positive things about these two. Hilarious, kind, thoughtful.. all of the above describe Will & Ashley! When booking their wedding, Ash made sure I was available on their date! I just adore brides that make photography a priority.  Next October can’t come soon enough! Below is the adorable story of how the two met, fell in love and got engaged!

How we met:

We met the first day of work in federal IT sales, and at first we joked about how he went to Virginia Tech and I went to UVA undergrad, which are rival schools, and a friendship started there.  Months later, we were going on lunch dates, and eventually, he officially asked me to be his girlfriend!  We’ve since adopted an adorable black lab puppy and moved into a Northern Virginia apartment together.  We also are avid travelers and have been to Paris, Lake Tahoe and all up and down the East Coast together!  We definitely want to continue traveling as a married couple next year 🙂  We still work at that same company we met at four years later!

 

How he asked:

I woke up late for a hike we had planned on a Saturday morning in late May, and I wanted to crawl back into bed since it was a little rainy outside.  Will insisted that we go to the Maryland side of Great Falls Park to spend the day outside with the pup.  I finally caved and we headed up to Maryland for the day, with Will carrying our GoPro which I thought nothing of since it was his Christmas gift from me.  

 

I was honestly happy he was using the GoPro and he kept stopping to take photos of scenery, while also asking different park employees if any of the trails were closed due to rain that day.  I kept saying that we definitely should not worry if some trails are closed, and that we could take others, but he seemed concerned.  Little did I know, he was concerned about the trail closures because he was hoping the trail he had used as a dry run for the proposal was not closed!  Luckily, it was not.

 

With our (then) 18 month old black lab puppy’s help, he asked me to check the dog tag since we were moving apartments and he wanted to make sure the address was correct.  Sure enough, the dog tag said “Will you marry me?” instead of our address!  He got down on one knee and of course I said yes!  The entire proposal was captured on our GoPro which was strapped to Will’s chest.  There also happened to be a few hikers behind us who heard my squeals when he asked and took photos of us for the proposal!

#CheerstotheChristophers