Category Archives: engagements
we personally think we’re some of the luckiest in the world. for many reasons (here’s looking at you, miss isabella rose!!)… but in regards to where we live and what we do. as washington dc engagement photographers, we’re able to photograph incredible couples in some of the most incredible locations.
though there are so many wonderful backdrops in the district, many of our clients opt for lincoln memorial engagement sessions. and it never, ever gets old!
mary kate and lance are college sweethearts who met at school in indiana. though they’re getting married in indiana later this year, they wanted to pay tribute to mary kate’s hometown when they visited last fall. because of this, they picked downtown d.c. as their backdrop for their session.
these two are so incredibly kind and so clearly in love. we met up at sunrise on a chilly october morning, and you wouldn’t have ever guessed that they had to get up at the crack of dawn! they looked perfect and were so chipper. you couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces if you tried.
mary kate and lance looked absolutely classy in both of their outfits– the first full of d.c. staples and the second giving a nod to the fall season– and were so natural in front of the camera. they were full of laughter, little jokes, and sneaky kisses, which made their session so fun to photograph. they were so natural in front of the camera. so natural!
we spent the morning chatting about their history and wandering the monuments. after college, mary kate started cheering for the indianapolis colts and lance got his feet wet in the business world in indy. they recently moved out west to colorado together and will be wed in a few short months!
congratulations, you two! thanks so much for letting us document part of your story, and enjoy every moment of your wedding!
XO,
anna + mateo
elice + olumide are two of those people who you want to become best friends with the instant you meet them. though we often meet our clients before our first photo session with them, i didn’t know neither elice nor olumide, so i had no idea who i was looking for when we were set to meet at the beginning of their engagement session.
i remember looking around the portrait gallery and seeing an incredibly handsome couple approaching me with a change of clothes in hand, and i thought, “whoa.” they’re effortlessly stylish and have a certain glow about them. they picked the best locations that made for neutral backdrops and kept us warm from the chilly, spring wind!
as a washington, d.c. wedding photographer, it’s so fun to get to explore parts of the city with my clients during engagement sessions and during portrait time on wedding days. we spent the first part of the afternoon wandering the smithsonian national portrait gallery (and trying to not catch every saturday family outing in the background!), and it was just so very pleasant. we then head over to the lincoln memorial just before sunset to take advantage of the pretty dusk light.
these two have such an incredible love story and lead really beautiful lives. olimude is from england (and has the accent to boot!), and both of them work for NGOs in international development, which warms my humanitarian heart. they both have lived and worked abroad extensively and chose to wed in elice’s favorite place on earth, cape town!
i’m not sure if i have ever laughed more during a photo session. these two kept each other smiling continuously (and i mean continuously!) throughout the afternoon, and i absolutely loved capturing their joy.
thank you for allowing me to capture a tiny bit of your love story, you guys! sending you all the love in the world.
XO,
anna
aaaand, we’re back! (again!)
every year, we promise we’re going to be better about blogging. and every year, we end up getting so caught up in the doing that the blogging doesn’t happen. but we have sooo many amazing weddings, films, and sessions to share, and we are determined to make it happen! so let’s get going!
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there are about a thousand things about spring that we just can’t get enough of. the feeling of everything thawing out (our toes included!), the renewed energy, the disappearance of mostly-gray skies, and the cherry blossoms. one of the best parts of being a washington d.c. wedding photographer is getting to witness the blooming and celebration of these beautiful blossoms every march and april. there’s just something so magical about them; they’re endlessly fluffy and bring such a lightness to the environment.
so we were naturally thrilled when hannah and tim picked a beautiful april day for their engagement photos and wanted to take them outdoors! the couple met while attending college down south and were visiting tim’s family back in maryland. they chose tim’s family farm as the location for their engagement session, and they honestly couldn’t have picked a better location! the property was littered with beautiful farm houses, white-washed barns, and acres and acres of pretty landscapes. not to mention so many memories for tim and his family!
fun fact: we have been lucky enough to photograph members of tim’s family more than once! we photographed one of his gorgeous cousins in this eastern shore engagement session in maryland, and another gorgeous cousin at this pond view farm wedding, to name a couple.
hannah and tim are such a kind couple and have a very sweet relationship. we loved getting to know them and having the opportunity to spend the afternoon walking around the farm and chatting. we heard their new year’s eve wedding in north carolina was so great– and we’re so happy we could document a small part of their love story!
thanks for having us along, you two! XO.
there’s actually nothing better than when one of your brides is an identical twin– and her twin gets engaged shortly after she does! you guys remember this gorgeous baltimore engagement session? well, megan is emily’s twin, and when we met her + ryan, we knew they were a perfect match.
we head over to washington college on the eastern shore of maryland, to honor where megan and ryan met and started dating. these college sweethearts got engaged a few years after graduation, and we celebrated by taking photos all over campus and in some of their favorite areas around chestertown– a beautiful old fountain and some docks on the water.
as washington, d.c. wedding photographers, we feel so lucky to get the chance to make the skip-and-a-hop across the bay bridge to on the gorgeous eastern shore. there’s not quite anything like an eastern shore sunset. at times, when i’m out there, we forget we’re only an hour’s drive from the district!
during their session, we were blessed with the most magical dusk light, perfect summer weather, and these two who were up for anything! we loved the lovely, collegiate architecture of campus (mixed with those old, pretty trees?!) and the preppy, nautical east-coast vibes on the shore. these two were full of smiles and laughter, and their chemistry was obvious. it was so fun to see them at her sister’s july wedding, and we can’t wait to see them again when they tie the knot next spring!
m + r, we can’t wait for next spring! can’t it be april already?!
XO,
anna + mateo
the start of spring has got us craving warm weather and laid-back vibes, and as we anticipate the start of wedding season (!!!), we wanted to share with you the lovely engagement photos from our first wedding of the season– coming up this spring! sometimes, i think we take for granted our proximity to such beautiful scenery, and looking back through these images, that’s certainly the case.
linda + arash wanted something quintessentially d.c. as the background for their engagement photos last summer, and so we quickly decided we needed to pull out all of the stops and shoot at iconic d.c. landscapes. we picked the tidal basin and jefferson memorial and somehow lucked out with the perfect evening– minimal tourists out and about (possibly attributed to the forecast of rain… or to taylor swift playing at the nearby redskin’s stadium!) and perfect temperatures.
i loved the classic, timeless feel of this dc engagement session, complimented perfectly by the couple’s warm affection and great style. i mean, can you believe linda’s blush ball gown!? it’s real life people, i promise.
to linda + arash: we cannot wait for your big day! thanks for choosing us to be a part of it.
XO,
anna + mateo
anna + mateo are washington, d.c.-based wedding photographers and cinematographers who love street tacos, netflix-night ins, and capturing love. they focus on capturing timeless, natural wedding photos and films in the dc area and beyond. and they love sharing their good fortune with others, so if you’ve got a friend who’s engaged and in the market, send them their way, and you’ll be rewarded– pinky promise!
Melanie Painter - Wow! This Washington DC engagement photography set is stunning! I love how you were able to incorporate the historical DC monuments into this couple’s engagement portraits.
Corey - Awesome engagement session! I love everything about it – from the sweet and genuine moments and emotion you captured, to the historic DC location, to her gorgeous sparkly dress! Just perfect!
Christine D - I have never been to Washington D.C., but I have always wanted to go to see those landmarks. How fun to take a virtual tour through this beautiful engagement session! This couple looks like they enjoyed every minute of their portrait time. Her dress is amazing! I can’t wait to see their wedding!
Jennifer Horner - This DC wedding/engagement photographer has captured these moments so effortlessly and naturally. I love her dress!
Deanna Woodworth - These D.C. Monument engagement photos are the epitome of class. I love how stylish they chose to dress in a suit and elegant dress. The styling matches the architecture of the monument so well. I can’t wait to see images from their wedding!
Allison Anderson - I love how glamorous these engagement photos from the Washington DC monuments are. It almost feels like they are stepping away from a fancy private function with the President to have some intimate pre-wedding photos taken. Great job!
Kathy - I have not had the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. yet, but it is on my bucket list to see all the monuments and tourist-y spots! This engagement session is stunning! I LOVE that gown of hers! (and I NEED those earrings!) Their formal attire was spot on and such a great compliment to their surroundings. I can’t wait to see the wedding photos, if this is a glimpse in to how they will style the wedding… we’re in for a real treat! You’re such a talented DC wedding and engagement photographer, I know you’ll showcase their wedding perfectly as you did with their engagement photos!
Nicola - Washington DC is such a pretty city and the locations you chose for Linda and Arash’s engagement session really do give a quintessential DC background. I love the mix of casual and formal outfits…. That blush dress really is stunning. I can’t wait to see what magic you create as their wedding photographer!
Alyssa - Oh my goodness, these are just gorgeous. I am so impressed that you were able to make this DC background so stunningly perfect for these photos. I am sure this couple is blown away by their photos! Can’t wait for the wedding!
Jennifer - I love these engagement portraits, her dress is stunning, the color is amazing. You have captured these images perfectly. The Washington DC location by the monument is beautiful.
Jennifer Rittenberry - I would not have guess that an engagement session at the Washington Monument would be so amazing. I am in love with every image in this gallery and especially love her dress! Anna Gleave Photography would definitely be my pick for an engagement session and wedding in Washington DC!
Maria Martinez - D.C. Monument is a gorgeous location for an engagement session!! My gosh, this couple is stunning! I love how they had a change of clothes and the gown and suit are gorgeous!!