Ellicott City Engagement Photographer | Amber & Sean

As soon as Amber said those 4 little words, I knew we were a perfect match. "Black, white, and gold," she responded when I asked her wedding colors; the same as my brand colors. 

Okay, okay, I'm TOTALLY kidding! I definitely don't base whether or not brides are a good fit on their wedding colors!! But, it did tell me that she definitely had great taste (in my opinion) and would have a very similar style to mine. Amber wanted to incorporate some natural pictures into our shoot to complement the posed pictures and we decided a little picnic would be a cute way to do that. What I didn't realize that it was going to be a champagne and chocolate truffle picnic! See what I mean? Great taste, that's my kind of picnic! 

And as if to further my point, Sean, Amber's fiance, asked her to marry him in London -- one of the most beautiful and elegant cities in the world. Sean was across the pond for work and extended his stay by a week so that Amber could join him for a short getaway.  He bought a private cabin on the London Eye and when they reached the top, he dropped to one knee and asked her to be his wife. Isn't that just so romantic!?

These two are tying the knot next March in Baltimore, MD -- a day that is sure to be filled with a stylish bride & groom, gorgeous details, and lots of dancing!


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Old Town Alexandria Engagement Photographer | Stephanie & Pat

Stephanie & Pat are one of my favorite love stories -- the kind where, in spite of all the obstacles in front of them, they still end up together. While attending Northeastern University in Boston, these two ran into each other for the first time at a house party their junior year. It wasn't love at first sight, in fact, they merely went their separate ways at the end of the night. Fast forward a few months later -- Stephanie and Pat ran into each other again during a night out and it was only days until he asked her out officially.

And then the fun part begins, right? The part where you spend every waking moment getting to know one another; going out to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to the mall, to the movies -- absolutely anywhere just to be together. Well as chance would have it, this wasn't the case for Stephanie and Pat. Pat had already signed up to study abroad across Europe that summer and was leaving just shortly after they began dating. Not too bad, Summer goes by quick! But the real kicker is that Stephanie had also signed up to study abroad in Greece -- but hers didn't begin until the Fall semester, literally days after Pat was returning home!

Despite the odds of making it through not one, but two long distance relationships within the first few months of dating, these two clearly won out. Last July, on a family vacation to Bethany Beach, Pat proposed! They will be getting married at WeatherLea Farm next October on a day sure to be filled with laughter, family, wine, and... llamas ;)

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JMU Engagement Photographer | Sam & Matt

By the time Sam & I finally met, it was like we already knew one another. She grew up in Stafford, VA and was friends with my brother-in-law, Tom and his wife, Katie. Not to mention that she also went to JMU… Oh, AND she met her fiancé, Matt, there as well! (If you remember Jenn’s engagement session from last week, she and Daniel also met at JMU -- It’s a small, but awesome, world out there!)

Like all, great JMU romances (ahem, Rob and I), these two met at a college party one random, but lucky night in 2009. I think my favorite part of their story, however, is the proposal! Post college, these two moved to Arlington to start their careers. Sam and Matt were about to celebrate their 5 year anniversary and she was able to convenience him to take her on a picnic. After picking up a box of Georgetown Cupcakes, they headed down to the waterfront to set everything up. Sam, who has a self proclaimed cupcake obsession, couldn’t NOT look in the box to decide on a flavor (ha, that ALSO sounds a lot like me…). Luckily for Matt, there was a single cupcake packaged separately, which he used to slip in the ring while she wasn’t looking. He presented it her and well, I think you can figure out how this ends :) 

We headed back to the place where it all began for their engagement shoot – my first time on campus in nearly 2 years! It felt so good to be back and I honestly couldn’t have been there with two better people. Sam & Matt, you kept me laughing the whole time! Your wedding day next September is going to be one to remember!

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Old Town Alexandria Engagement Photographer | Kelly & Drew

I know I say this all the time, but I have some seriously amazing couples -- each of them are unique in their own way and it's fun learning about what sets them apart. Kelly and Drew are definitely no exception to this because I think these two might win the award out of all my couples of "who has been together the longest".

See, Kelly and Drew have known each other their whole lives; they started dating all the way back in high school! They took some time apart in college to learn a bit about themselves, as Kelly was a few hours away at VCU while Drew studied at GMU. The distance was hard, but in the end they came back to one another which is how you know it was truly meant to be. These two now live in Centreville where they are saving up to buy their first home together! Their wedding is next October at Airlie Center -- one of my all time favorite places to shoot! To say I'm excited would be a major understatement :) :)

Side note: Tomorrow I'm going to be posting another awesome engagement session, this time at JMU with a 2015 couple: Sam & Matt. You're probably like, "okay, Alicia, why are you mentioning this?" Well. Sam and Kelly are actually very close friends!! They are part of a group of 6 couples that are all getting married in 2015. And I am lucky enough to be shooting both their weddings -- how cool is that!? 2015 is going to be a GREAT year!

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Old Town Alexandria Engagement Photographer | Jenn & Daniel

Have you ever met someone that you've had so much in common with that it almost freaked you out a little bit? Well that was definitely the case during my session with Jenn & Daniel! Engagement sessions are awesome because it is one of the first opportunities I have to get to really know a couple. There is always some light conversation at booking, but engagement sessions give me the opportunity to learn about how a couple interacts, as well as their likes and dislikes. It also gives the couple experience in front of the camera to practice posing and learning cues in the hopes that it isn't as foreign on their wedding day.

So anyway, prior to our engagement session I already knew Jenn was a JMU grad -- we were actually in the School of Business at the same time and had a few classes together! Daniel was there as well and he and Jenn met during COB 300, a 12-credit course all business majors had to take to graduate. It consisted of 4 core classes where you developed a business plan for a made up company of your choice and all 4 classes had the same students in them. Daniel and Jenn were in the same class so they spent a lot of time together that semester and hit it off immediately. So like Rob and I, another JMU romance was born.

But that's not really that unusual, tons of couples meet at college. It did get weird, however, when they were talking about how they were on their Alternate Work Schedule (AWS) day for our Friday engagement session. I asked which agency they worked for in DC and when they told me GSA, I thought they were kidding! Turns out, like Rob and I, Daniel and Jenn both work at GSA as well! The more we chatted, the more similarities we found (we were even in Europe at the same time last year).  I just LOVE getting to know my clients beyond the surface for who they truly are; it makes shooting their wedding day even more special.

Jenn & Daniel, I loved our engagement session adventures and getting to find out that we were basically the same people :) :) I cannot wait for even more adventures at your wedding next fall!

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Central Pennsylvania Engagement Photographer | Colleen & Adam

I have known Colleen for a seriously long time -- like basically since we could walk. She and I attended the same church together where we grew up and lived in Palmyra so we went to school together through graduation. And well, if you don't live in Palmyra, lets just say that it's a pretty small town where you pretty much can't not know someone, especially if they are in your grade!

Needless to say, I was really excited when Colleen reached out about needing a photographer for her wedding in 2015. It's so great getting to meet new clients but it's also kind of fun to have the opportunity to work with someone you have known for years. They are actually the best of both because Adam didn't go to our high school so it's been a lot of fun getting to know him and see how the two of them complement one another. 

When Colleen asked if I would be up for shooting at Adam's private farm, I replied with an all resounding, "YES!". Too often I find myself shooting in the same places, which isn't a bad thing, but it is extra fun when I get to switch it up a bit. The property was huge and filled with everything imaginable: rustic barns, cornfields, bridges, and huge trees. Oh and just down the road there was a lake surrounded by all things fall -- just wait til you see it! Their new puppy, Ellie, even joined us for a few shots and let me say, she is just the cutest!

I am beyond excited to be shooting their wedding back home in Hershey next summer... if our session was any indication, it should be pretty amazing!!


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Manassas Battlefield Engagement Photographer | Lynzie & Shane

When I first started chatting with Lynzie, I asked her about how she and Shane got engaged. She told me that they had met about a year ago and then said, "I know what you're thinking, 'woah that's fast'"...

...But truly, I wasn't. I am a firm believer that when you know, you know. There is something in your gut (and head) that tells you when something is right or wrong... love can definitely take over your heart, but in your head, you always know. And immediately upon meeting them in person, I was able to tell that they were perfect for one another. The way Shane was able to make Lynzie laugh so easily or how they jokingly rolled their eyes at each others funny comments; those are the type of things that make marriages last. Of course there is a lot of hard work behind it all, but when you know each other inside and out and can make the best of any situation, it creates a lasting bond that is unbreakable.

That sense of joy rolled over into our engagement session and I had SO much fun with these two last weekend. Shane joked with me at our initial meeting that the camera loved him -- I think you'll agree that he wasn't kidding... and Lynzie was loved as well! There is usually a bit of a warm up period at the beginning of the session to get out all the nerves, but that was definitely not the case with these two! Oh, and make sure you see the ring that Shane picked out, it's a stunner!! I cannot wait for your wedding next May, I know it's going to be even more fun than your engagement!

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Georgetown Engagement Photographer | Lucy & Michael

Prior to Katie & Matt’s sunrise session (here), I hadn’t had the opportunity to do a session in Georgetown despite desperately wanting to take advantage of all the beautiful, hidden spots it has to offer. Oddly enough, I got an inquiry from Lucy who also wanted to do a sunrise engagement session with her fiancé, Michael, in Georgetown that same weekend! I giddily accepted on the spot; Abby Grace turned me into a sunrise convert so anytime someone agrees to one, it’s icing on the cake!

I knew it would be a bit of a challenge to ensure that the sessions didn’t turn in to a replica of one another; when doing them back to back in the same location it is easy to fall into the trap of repeats. In some ways, the weather did half the work for me! Katie and Matt had overcast grey skies, while Lucy and Michael had a glowing sunrise – neither bad, just different! While I tried to avoid going to the same locations, we of course had to go to the canal – the beautiful reflections that it creates are to die for! Both turned out beautifully and there is no way to pick a favorite!

Lucy and Michael were an absolute dream to work with; their love for one another came pouring out immediately, doing half the posing work for me through their natural embraces and soft gentle kisses.  These two will be getting married next April in Peru! The majority of Lucy’s family still lives there and instead of having them travel here, they decided to take the once in a lifetime opportunity to have scenic Peru as the backdrop for their big day. I hope you enjoy some favorites of this sweet couple as much as I did!

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Georgetown Engagement Photographer | Katie & Matt

Where to begin!? Katie and I were college roommates at JMU and have an endless amount stories... stories that are probably best kept buried in the apartments at Sunchase. We shared everything from closets and beauty tips to secrets and relationship advice. Katie and I are so much alike and yet I've never found it hard to get along with her as she is a kind, giving, and loving friend. I graduated a year early and we parted ways then, but have kept in contact over the years. Any time we talk or see each other it's like no time has passed, we can pick up right where we left off. But, this post is about Katie and her fiance, not me! So moving on...

Katie interned at Georgetown during the summer after her Junior year at JMU. Matt, a recent PSU grad, was also interning in the city during this time and heard that there were a couple of "cute" girls who moved in next door. Upon their initial meeting, they actually did not hit it off; Matt thought Katie was a little bit too serious and even a bit mean! When they finally had a chance to sit down and chat a few weeks later, they realized that they both had family/grew up near the same small town in PA and their relationship took off from there. 

As many relationships go, it wasn't easy, of course. Katie had to head back to school to finish up her Senior year while Matt stayed in DC. They were able to spend a year together after graduating but were again separated when Katie moved to Philly to pursue her passion of becoming a nurse anesthetist. Matt now works for Under Armour in Baltimore, which has eased the commute quite a bit, but it is still a (wonderful) challenge. After getting married in May 2016, they plan to make their home in DC. 

We shot their session in Georgetown as it holds a special place in their relationship. We somehow managed to dodge any rainstorms and ended up with some beautiful images on this overcast day. Enjoy some of my favorites!

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