Laurian and Chris | A Sunrise Cherry Blossom Engagement Session at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.

I don’t know if I’ve ever met two people filled with as much JOY at 7AM as Laurian and Chris! Oh my goodness, was our time together so much FUN!

Laurian and Chris met on an app called Coffee Meets Bagel. They shared the same love for quirky board games, world travel and creating art, however, when they started chatting, Chris was actually in London for a few days for work! They spent the next week talking as much as they could, and when they finally were able to meet in person, they hit it off even better than they did online. Before their first date was over, they were planning when they would see each other next.

Fast forward three dates, and Laurian already knew that Chris was her forever person. She decided to give him a few more than 3 dates to decide about the whole marriage thing 😉I thought about summarizing their proposal story here, but honestly, it is SO much better the way Laurian tells it…

“After ten months of dating, I could not wait any longer for this wonderful man to be my husband, and I came up with a plan for how I was going to ask him to marry me. I started by creating an “Up”-style Adventure Book that reflected back on the many amazing memories we had shared together as boyfriend and girlfriend. At the end of this book, I asked Chris to marry me and to start a new adventure together as husband and wife. On April 27, 2019, I took Chris to Grayson Highlands State Park, one of his favorite places on the East Coast. While we were sitting down to photograph some wild horses, I told Chris I had an early birthday present for him and handed him the Adventure Book. When he reached the final page I got down on one knee and asked Chris to spend the rest of his life with me, and he was crazy enough to say yes!”

Our time together at the Tidal Basin was perfect in (nearly) every way… warm temps… gorgeous blossoms… just enough sun for some beautiful glow… and so many giggles. Though this season is so tough and so scary, I am feeling so grateful that we were able to snap these images a few weeks back! I can’t wait for you to see just how sweet these two are!

A quick little note: I’m not going to lie… leading up to cherry blossom sessions this year was way more stressful than usual. I lost a lot of sleep, wondering if these sessions would be able to happen… would be safe if they were to happen… how would the be received by my online friends considering everything that is going on… and on and on. Know that being a small business owner is tough in a normal season of life, but feels near impossible these days. I’m so thankful for my incredible couples and online community that have been and continue to be so supportive, understanding, and flexible. Now… all that said, we made the decision to proceed as smart as we could, kept a distance from each other (It feels so weird not to hug clients hello at the start of a session!!!) and others, used lots of hand san, are practicing social distancing in our persona lives, and followed all local and federal guidelines. I know the Cherry Blossoms are a bit of a hot topic right now, but I’m so, so grateful that these sessions were able to happen and hope that these images encourage you to enjoy the beauty of these blossoms from the comfort of your own home! 

So much JOY! These two are just a little excited to officially become husband and wife! These two are posing PROS! This pink magnolia tree grove is EVERYTHING!

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

MAYA AND ALEX | A SUNRISE CHERRY BLOSSOM ENGAGEMENT SESSION AT THE TIDAL BASIN IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

WASHINGTON DC’S CHERRY BLOSSOMS | MY PERSONAL RECAP!

YOUR GUIDE TO HOSTING PHOTO SESSIONS AT DC’S MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS