A Romantic Evening in Washington DC

We always love some sweet, light filled engagement sessions where couples can really relax and just be themselves with each other. Today we’re sharing Carly & Shea’s engagement session in Washington, DC with you all!

from the photographer: “Carly and Shea chose to spend a romantic evening in DC for their engagement session. Carly wore a stunning white gown from BHLDN for her first outfit and a delicate cape (also from BHLDN) for her second outfit with a feminine blue dress. We started their session at a garden estate in Georgetown and arrived at the Jefferson Memorial at sunset.”

We caught up with Carly & Shea and asked them to share a little bit about their story together for our readers!

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
Carly: “We met in at a Mount de Sales (my all girls high school) field hockey game. I was a sophomore and Shea was a junior in high school. My first impression of Shea was that he’s super confident, yet not arrogant or cocky. The kind of guy whose personality doesn’t change depending on who he’s hanging out with. A strong, steady individual whose compass is always pointing north. That first impression was spot on!”
Shea: “It’s not surprising that my first thought when meeting Carly was how beautiful she is, but her warmth and kindness became apparent very quickly after that.”

Tell us a funny story relating to your relationship!
I had a crush on Shea in high school, but he waited to ask me to be his girlfriend until one week before I left for college. The timing always makes me laugh.

Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship.
Over our 8 years together, Shea and I have faced some trials along the way. The number one being long distance. We didn’t live in the same city once during our first 7 years together. For some years we were 10 hours or 3 hours apart, but we always had a countdown to hold onto! Both of us knew what we were working towards, so every single FaceTime, plane ticket and road trip in between was well worth it.

Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
Shea and I both come from large families! Both of his parents and my mom are one of six kids, and my dad is one of four kids. We both grew up with “family is everything” as our backbone and words to live by. In 2018/early 2019, less than 7 months apart, I lost both of my grandparents and Shea lost his grandfather, who they called Pop. We’re going to commemorate all of our lost loved ones in some special way on the big day, but haven’t decided how yet.

What part of your wedding day is most important to you?
It’s hard to pick just one thing about our wedding day that we’ll place the highest importance on. I think exchanging our vows in the church will be a powerful and life changing moment for both of us. A close second would be the speeches. Whenever I attend weddings, I look forward most to the speeches.

What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another?
Carly: “Shea has taught me how to laugh in stressful situations.”
Shea: “Carly has taught me how to all around be a better man.”

What is your favorite thing about each other?
Carly: “I love Shea’s sense of humor. He’s never the loudest guy in the room, but he’s always the funniest.”
Shea: “My favorite thing about Carly is her perpetually positive attitude and ability to light up any room.”

What is your favorite part about planning your wedding?
In all honesty, we’re ready for wedding planning to be over. It feels like we have two full time jobs, so I understand why people hire wedding planners now! I’ve really enjoyed working with the vendors. They’ve all been super helpful and creative in making our big day come to life.

If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be?
Love your person for who they are, not who you want them to be.

What is the most honest thing you can say about love?
Love isn’t something that can be perfectly expressed through one’s words, but instead through one’s actions.

Photographer: Anna Kardos

Publisher at The White Wren | + posts

Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate


INSTAGRAM
tag #thewhitewren for a chance to be featured
The White Wren