Congratulations to Emma and Ben! As they start to plan their 2026 summer wedding at Herrington on the Bay (one of my favorite venues!), we met up for a gorgeous garden engagement session in Arlington VA. Emma and Ben chose the Bon Air Rose Garden as the backdrop for their floral-forward engagement portraits in the gardens and it couldn’t have been more gorgeous! I loved getting to know Emma and Ben more throughout out session, and hearing more about their Phuket Thailand proposal and summer wedding plans! 

Romantic and Floral-Forward Garden Engagement Session 

Emma and Ben’s vision for their engagement session was a romantic and floral-forward setting. This was to emulate the coastal garden party aesthetic of their wedding next year. Many local gardens require a permit or don’t allow photographer access at all, but luckily I knew of a public garden that fit the bill perfectly: Bon Air Rose Garden in Arlington, VA. I’d been wanting to shoot here for years! Everything was in bloom during our session and it created a perfectly elegant ambiance for their portraits. 

Bon Air Rose Garden Engagement Portraits

The day of Emma and Ben’s engagement session was heavily overcast, with rain threatening to cancel our plans. We took a chance and decided to shoot anyway – and it all worked out perfectly! The questionable forecast meant we had the garden almost entirely to ourselves, and the overcast skies gave us the most gorgeous soft light to work with. In addition to the beautiful blooming flowers everywhere we turned, Emma also wore a light pink gown covered in flowers. I love that they didn’t shy away from their vision, and instead leaned into the coastal garden vibes. If this is what came of their engagement photos, I cannot wait to see their big day!! 

Congratulations again Emma and Ben! Thank you for trusting me with your vision and taking a chance on some rain with me to capture these gorgeous garden engagement portraits! You two are the sweetest and I’m already counting down the days until next summer. 

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