Erica & Steve | Engaged

admin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:39:03 +0000

There’s something fantastically special about Erica & Steve. Not only are they an absolute joy to work with, but I can’t say enough how happy I am that they found me, and I’m truly excited to shoot their upcoming wedding in May! It was clear to see that these two are head over heals for each other. There is something contagious about Erica’s smile, and their personalities combined are just magnetic! I knew early on, when speaking with Erica that we would click. She cracks me up and I really can see why Steve is drawn to her. We decided to meet in Old Town Alexandria for a morning shoot along the water. The weather was perfect for a December day, and the two were joined by their ADORABLE bulldog, Peanut. They were such naturals when it came time to shoot, and seriously, the best kissers I’ve ever seen! I am so excited to show you my favorites of this amazing couple! Enjoy.

Could these two be any cuter?!

Love in Paris

admin — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:46:44 +0000

I believe in love. And wholeheartedly. Especially the unconditional kind. The idea of affection without limitations seems just right and couldn’t be a better definition for my recent trip to France. Paris is stunning in the late summer. It’s a magical city, with unrelentless love everywhere you look, where you won’t get shamed for PDA’s, where buying fresh flowers just for yourself is never a splurge, and where you can have all the cakes, macarons, and chocolates you want….and eat them too! Being in such a city made it easy to forgive any negative thoughts about love, because it was being rediscovered and wonderfully confrontational everywhere I went. And I, probably like most Americans traveling to this great city, quickly found myself falling in love with love again.

It’s as if people make it a point to say that Paris is where you come to be in love, and leaving love’s mark in a way that symbolizes the idea of everlasting love, lies in thousands of padlocks on the Pont de l’Archevêché bridge outside of Notre Dame. Lovers come with metal locks with their names etched on them, they lock them onto the bridge and with a kiss, drop the key into the river, as to say, this love will never be broken. It’s quite a romantic sight, and gives you butterflies, not to mention that feeling of hope, as you wonder how love has treated all of these traveling romantics.

some pretty amazing love stories are here….

And my favorite was this. I wonder if that person asked, and what Secil said.

Everything about Paris was inspiring. I have to say, what love I truly discovered in France, was the food! The food….the food was to die for! Anyone who knows me, knows if I were stuck on an island and could only bring one thing, it would be, yes, a wheel of cheese. I love it that much. and in France, fabulous cheese was everywhere! I had rented an apartment just above the best cheese shop in all of Paris, which did come in very handy when trying to find my way home at nights, because you could smell the cheese nearly a mile away.

An antique marché | Paris linen shop

And of course, it doesn’t get more romantic then watching the glow of the Eiffel Tower at sunset and under the fireworks on Bastille day. The perfect way to say goodbye to this city of love.

Voilà ! <3

Jenny & Jacob | Married!

admin — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 03:00:31 +0000

This September was such a fun month for me!
It seemed like just yesterday I was shooting
photos for Jenny & Jacob’s engagement, and
now the big day has finally arrived.

I was so excited when Jenny told me about
all the wonderful ideas she had planned for
her wedding. She and Jacob are wonderfully
creative and have an amazing eye for design
and details, so I knew this wedding would
most certainly be beautiful, but I could never
have dreamed that it would be as Over-The-Top-AMAZING as it was!

Their wedding had so many personal touches
that reflected their personalities and who they
are as a couple. Jenny, a designer and Jacob, an architect, held their wedding in the GORGEOUS Darlington House in downtown Dupont Circle.
It was the perfect setting for their modern
wedding theme.

I just adore their matchbox favors!

Details, details, details! The gluten free cupcakes were absolutely delicious!

This is definitely one of my favorite moments captured.

Jen & Ben | Married!

admin — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:49:57 +0000

A few months ago, I received a call from my dear friend Ben. He shared with me that he and Jen were engaged and getting married. I was elated! But when he continued to explain to me what they wanted to do, I wondered, how on earth do you pull something like this off?!?

They had planned to have a SURPRISE Wedding, and the mischievous side of me absolutely adored this idea! With the help of a wedding planner, some local flavors, their adorable downtown DC home as the setting, and an already planned engagement party, it became a total reality for this fun couple.

Jen and Ben are DC residents and wouldn’t have it any other way. They are proud to call DC their home and couldn’t think of a better place to tie the knot. What better place then at the city’s center to take some amazing pre-wedding shots.

The plans were set for guests to arrive for what they believed was a lovely weekend engagement party. Both family and friends arrived to find a beautifully decorated house, tons of local foods only to be found in DC and back yard patio for guests to enjoy the absolutely perfect June weather. Mid party guests were escorted outside for a special announcement and a fantastic surprise. Jen waited atop the front porch of their home with her “best man” Marvin (the cutest boston terrier), while Ben anxiously rode his bike around the corner with his “best maid” Eleanor (also a boston). The idea behind this was tooo sweet not mention, as they were reenacting how they first met! Guests were aw-struck.

To finish out the evening guests were treated to dinner provided by the Cap Mac food truck, followed by pies from Dangerously Delicious Pies. It was AMAZINGLY YUMMY!

Family is really important to this couple and one thing that made their nuptials truly special is how they incorporated personal vintage items into their wedding, of those who were not able to be here. Ben wore Jen’s grandfathers suit and a shirt that belonged to his father. Jen wore a stunning vintage green dress with vintage rings and a family brooch.

Nicole + Brad | Engaged

admin — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:11:14 +0000

Vienna, VA has so many photogenic spots, tucked away in this adorable city. One of my favorite places is the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, a 95 acre space with amazing plants and landscapes. I was so thrilled when Nicole and Brad asked me to photograph their engagement pictures there. I’ve been to the gardens many times, yet it always amazes me how it is so different with every visit and season. Nicole and Brad plan to wed in October at the gardens Atrium, which is the perfect setting for these two love birds to tie the knot. Their personalities are just adorable when mixed, and there was never a dull moment when photographing the two of them. It was obvious they are in love.

In addition to Meadowlark, Nicole, Brad and I found some amazing architecture in the downtown area, where we continued our shoot on this chilly day. Regardless of the cold temps, luck was on our side, as the sun came out to provide us with the perfect natural lighting.

Meet Cassidy & Seneca

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:28:19 +0000

Isn’t this a great post to start off spring?! Meet adorable sisters Cassidy and Seneca, donning their
precious Easter dresses. I was so excited when working with this family because they were so happy and willing to tramps through the woods all in the name of a good shot. I think the most wonderful thing about photographing children is
their ability to be so perfectly unpredictable, care free and
emotionally open. I obviously
focus on weddings and
engagements but when I get a
chance to do a session for some
little ones, I love it! Enjoy!

Meet Chandler

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:30:25 +0000

I was so lucky to have the privilege
of photographing this cutie patootie,
little Chandler, who turns two this year.
He is the epitome of the term photogenic
and loved being in front of the camera.
I mean how could you resist that face!
We had so much fun with this shoot.

love those eyes

Welcome!

admin — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:08:14 +0000

Hello! I’m Leslie and I’m a Wedding, Portrait and Destination Photographer, based in Northern Virginia. Here you’ll find all my latest works, meet some of my amazing clients and get an inside view of my life and all that inspires me. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!