Thursday, October 28, 2010

Old Town Alexandria+Mount Vernon+Rock Creek Park Engagement: Kristi + Tim

She was on a bike ride to Mount Vernon with her aunt and uncle, and they had paused for a short rest.  She hadn't noticed him at first, until he ran by and cheered them on with encouragement to keep going.  But it wasn't the cheering that caught her attention.  It was him.  Shirtless.  Kristi is an avid bike rider and didn't need the encouragement to continue riding, but she certainly had a little extra incentive that day. 

They continued to pass each other along a 10-mile stretch of the Mount Vernon Trail.  Tim jogged by her on the hilly ascents, and Kristi whizzed by him on the descents.  They traded conversation along the way, but during the long climb on the final stretch to Mount Vernon, Tim had disappeared ahead.  But then he came back.  He jogged back down the path just to let Kristy know that the water fountain ahead wasn't working.  And before he could even ask, Kristi was handing him an extra bottle of water from her backpack.

They chatted for a while, and then parted ways without even knowing each other's last names.  But Kristi couldn't stop thinking about this charismatic, shirtless guy.  So she put her PhD researching skills to work and did some Google-sleuthing.  After figuring out his last name from a Massachusettes marathon race report, and with the encouragement of her aunt, she Facebooked him.  Their first date was two weeks later. 

On their 11-month anniversary, Tim proposed to Kristi on an unassuming Monday night at one of their favorite local eating spots.  Kristi was concentrating so hard on not passing out during the proposal that she didn't hear a single word he said, and she was so overcome with joy and excitement that she couldn't even eat her dinner afterwards.  And now engaged, neither has to worry about passing the other on the path of life, but rather, they will experience the joy of traveling the journey side by side. 

We started their session in Old Town Alexandria, where Tim used to live, and where he began his run to Mount Vernon on one of the best days of his life.  And that morning light?  I lurrrrrve it!


Soft diffused light and an incredible textured background?  I could shoot in this all.day.long!


Kristi...I love your beautiful smile!!




Our next stop was Mount Vernon.  Of course!




Kristi and Tim love spending time at Rock Creek Park for biking, hiking, and just to picnic and enjoy the outdoors.  They scoped out an amazing location with incredible fall colors for the next part of their session.




The ring?  Tim just happened to pick out the exact same engagement ring at Tiffany's that Kristi had been looking at a few months before, when she was visiting a friend in Texas!  Only, she never told him about it, she had never pointed it out to him, and he had never even spoken to her friend.  Further proof that they were meant to be together!


An abandoned raquetball court with amazing filtered light?  Yes, please!  This hidden gem was on the rooftop of Tim and Kristi's apartment building...




Tim........Diesel!!!


Kristiiiiiiiii....You.are.beautiful!!


And I can't end this without giving many, many thanks to Beny - the nicest driver I've ever met.  Tim and Kristi hired Beny to drive us around DC and Virginia for their session so they could relax and enjoy champagne while en route to each location.  And because of unexpected road closures in DC (I mean, they even closed Constitution Avenue!!!), we ended up stuck in an absurd amount of traffic.  Beny, bless his heart, cancelled and rearranged his other appointments so he could be with us for as long as we needed.  If you need a driver with incredible service, contact him!  Beny, I don't know what we would have done without you...THANK YOU!! 

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8 comments:

  1. Laurie, thank you so much! These are terrific! We couldn't be happier about how they turned out!

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  3. Such nice pictures! We couldn't have hoped for anything better!

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  4. Beautiful session and such a sweet story - love the fall colors! You are getting a heck of a season to shoot in!

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  5. These are fantastic - they look so relaxed. That last shot is the most gorgeous and impacting portrait. Love your work!

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