Gabby + Paul // Cherry Blossom Vows at Sunrise

How exactly does one stumble into one of the most perfect mornings in the midst of one of the most fickle and craziest seasons in DC? By kind of winging it, apparently. I met these two about a year and a half prior to this, when I photographed Paul proposing to Gabby at Raven’s Roost off the Blue Ridge Parkway, and loved them immediately, so I was excited when they got back in touch about eloping on a morning during Cherry Blossom season in DC. But this season is always chaotic, and true to form, we ended up with a situation where peak bloom was happening weeks ahead of schedule, these two in the middle of international travel, and needing to get rings and other details all in order before doing the thing. I don’t know how we ended up reassembling a plan on a dime, two days beforehand, but I showed up at their apartment at 6AM and we just went for it.

What followed was what can only be described as the most perfect elopement imaginable. I have never seen the Tidal Basin entirely empty in this season. The light was so beautiful as it hit the horizon behind Gabby + Paul. It felt like watching good friends say their vows in a scene from a movie. I will stop talking now and just let the pictures speak for themselves, because, really. Magic. So grateful to get to be a part of this.