Lauren & Mark | Bride & Groom Portraits in Washington DC

about the session

True love is braving a chilly early morning at the National Mall for each other.

Lauren and Mark are such a genuinely nice couple. She is bright-eyed, friendly, and so funny. He is sassy and friendly, and he gives you the vibe that once you’re his friend, he will do anything for you. These two met on Hinge and had fallen for each other by the end of their fancy first date. I loved hearing about their proposal story. Mark had planned to wait until after the holidays to propose to Lauren, but he could not wait to ask her any longer. He pulled her aside on Christmas Eve as her family was preparing for their traditional viewing of Lord of the Rings and popped the question.

I was so excited when Lauren told me that they wanted their bridals done in Washington, D.C. The National Mall and Tidal Basin make for epic backgrounds. If you want to take photos in front of the monuments, I would definitely recommend going at sunrise. As I mentioned before, it is cold and early, but much fewer people are around than later in the day. There are people there ALL the time, but in the early morning, you’re likely to only see several photographers and people jogging around the National Mall or rowing in the Tidal Basin. Weekday mornings are going to serve you better than weekend mornings as well, so if you want a photo shoot here, make sure you really plan for it.

We got to the Lincoln Memorial right after sunrise, so we could get there before the tourists. It was perfect because the sun was coming up behind the Washington Monument and we could get photos with the reflecting pool in the back. For some reason, the pool was drained, but it was still beautiful even at half-full. We missed peak cherry blossom season by a few days but were still able to get some of those gorgeous blooms by the waterfront. Lauren and Mark were so fun and easygoing, which I think you have to be to have a successful shoot at a really popular location. Their banter and connection really showed as they laughed and teased each other.

National Mall Tips

The National Mall and Memorial Parks include more than 100 unique monuments and memorials.
To avoid crowds, I recommend early morning photoshoots.
Weekdays are less crowded than weekends, so plan your National Mall sessions for weekday mornings.