I remember emailing Lauren before she even booked and she mentioned wanting to nix the engagement session. I have a lot of couples who want to do this but I include it in every collection for this very reason. Usually the only reason a couple doesn’t want to do it is because they think it’ll be awkward and that they’ll have to pose themselves. So I explained to Lauren right away why I include it in every collection! I don’t want my couples feeling anxious on their wedding day about me photographing them. I want them to know how I pose and to be at ease about the fact that I will walk them through everything. So once I explained that, she was in. YAY! Mission accomplished!

We had to reschedule Lauren and Cody’s shoot once because of rain but the day we rescheduled ended up being absolutely beautiful! I went into Alexandria early to scout out some spots and it was my goal to find new locations. I’ve shot in Old Town a few times so I wanted to renew my creativity by finding streets and areas I had never shot at before and I ended up loving every spot I found! We obviously shot on the cobblestone because you can’t miss out on that but besides that, I found all new locations!

After shooting in Old Town for the first outfit, we went to Lauren’s grandparent’s waterfront property that they’ve owned for over thirty years and it was the most perfect ending for sunset! Lauren’s stunning Free People gown blew me away and a lot of these images have made it into the 2016 favorites folder because I love them so much!! So excited to share! Lauren and Cody, you two are so much fun!! I’m counting down the days until I get to photograph you both again at your wedding!! Hope you love this sneak peek of some of my favorites from your shoot!