Laurie Bracewell Photography: Old Town Alexandria Engagement Session: Julie + Brandon

I asked her how she found me, and she said she had been following my work for a while and knew she wanted to hire me as soon as she got engaged. And that right there is when I became smitten with Julie. It's a photographer's dream to hear those words. As for Brandon, well, he became smitten with Julie the first time he laid eyes on her.

Out playing pool with his roommate and roommate's cousin, the latter two were betting they could spot the other person's "type" if they saw them. While this discussion took place, Julie, who wasn't even in the mood to go out that night but was eventually convinced otherwise, walked in with a friend. Brandon stepped over to his roommate and his cousin, stating, "I can tell you exactly what my type is. She just walked in the door." Playing wingman, the cousin invited Julie and her friend over to play pool with them.

Julie didn't think much of it all night. She actually thought Brandon's roommate was interested in her friend. She didn't realize Brandon was actually interested in her. And Brandon, almost forgetting to ask Julie for her number, ran out to the parking lot at the end of the night to catch up with Julie and suggest maybe they could go out some time.

The third time's the charm, as they say. It wasn't until date #3 that Julie became interested in Brandon as more than just a friend. It was their first "real date" where Brandon dressed up and they went out to a nice dinner. He treated her like a lady, being a gentleman and opening doors for her. He was unlike the guys she had dated before, and she knew he was a keeper.

Julie is a photographer herself, and it can be a little nerve-wracking photographing a peer. But being around the two of them and enjoying getting to know them helped to ease my nerves. They were fun and sweet, not only to each other, but to me as well.