A Springtime Old Town Engagement Session

The 2019 wedding season is officially underway! We kicked it off with Aili and Tom’s engagement session yesterday in Old Town Alexandria. It was unseasonably warm for March, which is great – especially with cherry blossoms in bloom! But we also had the most beautiful, glowy sunlight, and if you know me, you know that gorgeous light makes my heart sing!

Amazing weather was just the start of our good luck. Tom and Aili are so laid back and sweet, and made our job so easy. Seriously, if the hardest thing I have to do during a session is pronounce the bride’s nickname correctly, that’s a pretty good day! This was our first time meeting in person, and I’d been pronouncing her name “EYE-lee” to myself since they first booked. But it’s actually pronounced “AIL-lee”, so I had to keep correcting myself – gah! Fortunately Aili laughed it off gracefully! I’d say after this session, we’re on nickname basis anyway and she’s forever Aili Bailey to me now!

One of the biggest benefits of the engagement session is the chance to get on nickname basis before the wedding. It’s so important to me that I feel like an old friend to my couples! This builds trust and familiarity, and helps the wedding day be so much more relaxed for the couple. Plus it’s more fun for us, too – we loved getting to know these two!

The first 15 minutes of any engagement session are supposed to be practice, but the first images below were taken about 30 seconds in! Tom perfected the nuzzle and had the most genuine laugh, and Aili is absolutely gorgeous with that red hair and beautiful smile. I could have photographed them all day long. Luckily for me, I’ll get to do just that at their wedding in a few months!

Tom and Aili are planning a classic summer wedding at the historic Rosemont Manor this July. Aili Bailey loves lavender as much as I love turquoise, which is totally the perfect color for her. Can’t you just imagine her stunning hair against a pop of soft purple?! It’s going to be MAGICAL. I can’t waaaaait!

Enjoy getting to know these two through a few favorites from their engagement session!