This chic Union Market engagement is vibrant, playful and completely unique– it captures such a fun, modern side of Washington DC!

Phil shared, “I’m into photography and liked the artistic vibe of your photos, the clarity, attention to detail, eclectic mix of photos and how each couple’s style is a little different.”
Bridget explained, “When I saw your photos from Betsy and Evan’s wedding, I knew you would be the right photographer for us. I loved how you incorporate at mix of styles throughout each photo shoot, and embrace artistic, modern elements.  I wanted photos that were unique and different, images that would represent us and our relationship.”
One interesting element of their relationship is how balanced it is.  Bridget is an early riser, incredibly organized, and introverted. Phil is the night owl, more laid back, and extroverted. For me this photograph captures the symmetry and balance of their relationship in a fun, modern way.

Bridget shared, “While we have different personalities, we also share some key things in common– a passion for travel (have been to Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway; planning to meet up in Germany for New Years), music, and good food (we love trying new restaurants in DC).”
I think this colorful mural and joyful expressions captures their adventurous sides well…

Bridget shared the story of how they met.  ” Philip and I were actually friends for a year before we started dating. We met when his roommate (and my friend from UNC) took me out to dinner, and Phil decided to join. While there was an immediate chemistry and a first date, neither of us wanted anything serious. A year or so later of friendship and running in the same social circle, we started dating.”

She continued, laughing, ” I should’ve seen the signs all along – Phil asking me to meet up at Starbucks to work (I was in grad school at the time; he was consulting), Phil helping me move… twice!, and Phil G-chatting me at odd hours while I lived in Rome. I just thought he was being helpful!”
Young lovers, here is some advice for you: Never give up!  And how about that adorable little rainbow connecting them?  Magical!

We embraced the urban vibe throughout but photographing the mural through this chain link fence in high-contrast black and white, really brought out the more artsy gritty side of Washington…

Bridget explained, “We wanted to contrast the urban backdrop of the warehouse and murals with a more sophisticated wardrobe.”

I love to play with interesting visual elements and had so much fun working in and around Union Market!
I just came to say hello:

There were interesting murals everywhere!

Again I played with the idea of balance and symmetry, it fits them and their modern relationship so well!!!
Mind meld– one open eye and two closed…

Eye see you…
Lines and patterns and shadows, oh my!
If you look closely you can see Bridget and Phil…

While I tend to enjoy the more creative, artistic shots, I always capture a few more traditional images as well.  I love giving my couples a nice, eclectic mix…

Bridget mentioned really wanting a shot that looked more serious and I absolutely love how this one turned out!  That vibrant blue sky and bold lettering of Union Market couldn’t have more perfectly complimented this sophisticated look…

This image, converted into high-contrast black and white feels so retro to me– it could have been photographed in the 40’s or 60’s…

They explained, “We knew we wanted to take our engagement photos somewhere that was uniquely DC. We got engaged after a moonlit walk around the monuments, so being able to document another space in DC that we loved was important. Union Market was just that. It’s a space that combines good food, art, and music (we’ve been to concerts and brunch here!). A typical trip to Union Market is with friends for family for brunch. Bridget normally gets sucked into buying a candle at Salt & Sundry, while Phil patiently waits outside with a drink.”

The sunlight was bright and intense during mid-day when I photographed Bridget and Phil’s engagement photos.  So, not only did I have so many interesting visual elements to play with in downtown DC, I also had so much varied light as well.
Here you can clearly see the United States Capitol Building in the distance as well as the Union Market sign, and the lines of cars and traffic lights splitting the frame.   I also really like how their shadows are popping against the striped cross walk…

Wow that color!!!  I am drawn to color and noticed the vibrant oranges and yellows of the foliage, capturing that as the happy couple explored the streets of Washington together.

Bridget shared, “Phil is steadfastly loyal, kind-hearted, and funny. I was initially attracted to his ability to engage in witty banter and his cute smile. He has always encouraged me to follow my dreams, even when it led to me accepting a 1-year post in Kyrgyzstan. It also doesn’t hurt that he has amazing hair. ;)”
Phil smiled, “Ditto all the good she said about me, haha. Bridget is incredibly bright, strong and independent – she’s not afraid to give someone a piece of her mind. At the same time she is incredibly caring, kind, and selfless. That is a great balance to have – she’s quite a catch if you ask me!”

Bridget shared their engagement story, explaining, “After a very stressful week, Phil agreed to spending all day Saturday with me. I thought he was just being nice. We started out our Saturday by going to Glover Park Day, which celebrates the vendors and people that make up our community.”
She continued, “After eating lunch from our favorite neighborhood restaurants, we headed down to the Potomac to go kayaking.” Bridget had been begging to do this for months, so she was beyond excited when Philip agreed. After kayaking, they got ready for dinner. To Bridget’s surprise, Philip had made a reservation at a restaurant they had wanted to try: The Partisan…

After dinner, Phil suggested they go for a walk before heading out for drinks. Bridget readily agreed, especially when he said the monuments were close by. Another DC bucket list item she had been begging him to share: seeing the monuments by moonlight. They walked around the National Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the World War II Monument. Eventually, Bridget suggested they skip drinks and just go home…
Phil led her back further into the monuments under the guise of needing to exit a particular way to get a taxi home. Bridget thought they were lost, and when she turned around, Phil was on one knee! There in Constitution Gardens, he asked her to marry him!!!
Bridget laughed, “It was certainly a day full of bucket list items!”

Bridget and Phil, thank you so much for sharing your story and afternoon with me and introducing me to a super cool DC hangout that I hadn’t experienced before!  I hope that these photos are just as creative, artistic and unique as you had envisioned and that they capture this time in your lives together!
I’m really looking forward to sharing the rest of your engagement photos with you and also photographing your wedding next year at the District Winery in Washington DC.