This gorgeous sunrise engagement session at a secret garden in Washington, DC was photographed by Hannah Bjorndal on September 22. Hannah is a Washington, DC engagement photographer available for weddings and engagement sessions in the DC metro area and beyond. She has photographed weddings and engagements around the world, including Paris, Lake Como, Santorini, Negril, the Virgin Islands, and more.

Can I tell you a secret? There are some off-the-beaten-path spots in DC which I absolutely love for engagement sessions, and it seems like no one knows about them. When I say “off-the-beaten-path,” I don’t mean that they are in far-off corners of DC. They’re actually very central to the city, and yet they go completely overlooked so often!

Bartholdi Park, which is just a block away from the Capitol, is one of my very favorite places in all of Washington, DC. I first stumbled across it when I had family in town. We were returning to a parked car and had to walk through the park, and I was instantly in LOVE. However, I didn’t actually get to shoot here until a year after seeing it! I’ve been dreaming of doing a session here for so long, so I was thrilled with Lauren and Nate gave me the thumbs up!

Now let’s talk about Lauren and Nate. Photographing friends’ weddings and engagements is the greatest honor to me! Lauren and I have known each other for more than six years now, and I was absolutely delighted to hear she was engaged! When she reached out about selecting me as her wedding photographer, it seriously felt like my heart would burst!

Working with Lauren and Nate is effortlessly easy. From the start of planning their wedding, they’ve put the focus on celebrating the meaning of the day with the people they love most. I feel so inspired and uplifted by couples who approach wedding planning this way!

The wedding countdown is ON, and we now have less than ONE MONTH until Lauren and Nate’s wedding! We are SO excited and cannot wait for October 24!