This classic Cherry Blossom engagement session at the Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial was photographed by Hannah Bjorndal on Tuesday, April 2. Hannah is a cherry blossoms engagement photographer based in the the Washington, D.C. area. 

Say HELLO to Abhi & Giselle! I adore this sweet couple and enjoyed every single second of their beautiful cherry blossom session at the Tidal Basin! Their engagement session was my only cherry blossom session of the year and I put every ounce of my creative heart and soul into it! Everything was in bloom, the weather was perfect and these two could honestly be models. What more could I ask for?!

If you’re a D.C. local, you probably have a love/hate relationship with the cherry blossoms. First of all, they’re gorgeous. They just are, sorry. Nothing you can do about it. Second of all, their super high-maintenance. Peak bloom is at a different time every year, and sometimes a freeze comes through early on and knocks ’em out. Therefore, cherry blossom sessions can be really tricky to plan. Even if you miraculously happen to guess correctly and schedule your session on the 2-3 days of peak bloom, there are tourists everywhere AND who knows if you’ll have nice weather!

My strategy for cherry blossoms is quality over quantity. Instead of taking on a ton of cherry blossom sessions because it’s such a popular request, I only allow my full-service wedding couples to schedule cherry blossom sessions with me. Additionally, I only do blossom sessions at sunrise on weekdays. Even at 6:30am on a Tuesday, there are a surprisingly large number of tourists at the Jefferson Memorial. Any other time of the day or week is absolutely nuts (trust me, I’ve tried). Focusing on the highest quality of photos means choosing an ideal time and limiting my number of couples. It allows for maximum flexibility and creativity, and it totally paid off this year! In fact, Giselle & Abhi were my only couple!

This was one of those sessions where it was a struggle not to post every single photo. Gorgeous couple, perfect morning, glowing sunshine and cherry blossoms on fleek. We hit the Tidal Basin just before peak bloom (the perfect time, in my opinion!) and had perfectly sunny skies. Abhi & Giselle are joyful and fun-loving. Working with them was effortless and so much fun! I’m so excited to share my favorites (spoiler, they are all my favorites!).