If January was the longest month of the year, February was simply racing. Before the winter is completely gone, we have a Patriotic National Mall portrait session. Hannah and Edward decided to do an DC anniversary session at the monuments because they didn’t have professional photos taken on their wedding day. It was absolutely FREEZING on the day of their session, but these two were total troopers and smiled through the whole thing. Thank you for sharing with us Megan Rei Photography!

How did you know your partner was the one? “I think we knew we were meant to be from the very beginning. Shortly after we started “officially” dating, I ended up getting really sick. After learning some bad news from my doctor, I basically checked out of everything and focused solely on survival. I remember feeling so guilty at the time: I constantly had to cancel plans, pass on opportunities to travel, and stay in and rest. I was sure that dealing with a sick person would be too much for Edward, especially in our budding relationship, but he eagerly stepped right into my new routine and never missed a beat. Over the next several months, he patiently nursed me back to health, understood when I couldn’t go out and do fun things, and even changed his whole lifestyle to accommodate the dietary restrictions caused by my illness. I was overwhelmed by his generosity and understanding, but was also devastated by my newfound dependence. One day, while on a study date in Old Town Alexandria, we had a long conversation about these feelings of general crumminess I was harboring, and Edward assured me that he loved caring for me and wished that he could do more. Eventually, we ended up talking about the future and then he just threw the idea of marriage out: “what if we got married?” I objected initially, but listened to his reasoning. He wanted to be able to care for me in the best way possible AND alleviate my anxiety and guilt about putting all of my “sick people problems” onto a boyfriend. After hours of discussion and many (happy) tears, it became clear that this was what we were meant to do. There was no ring, no grand proposal, no spectators; it was just us following our hearts, which made it all the more special.”

Tell us about your wedding: “We decided to have a tiny wedding, with just the two of us and the officiant. We had quietly made the decision to move forward into the next step of our relationship, so it only felt right to follow through with the decision quietly, as well. We got married on a warm Friday afternoon — in front of a small pond at one of our favorite little parks. We chose this spot because it was quiet and surrounded by nature. We wore clothing we already owned and kept everything very simple, just the way we like things. We spent the evening strolling through Georgetown hand-in-hand and enjoying each other’s company.”