These royal-inspired elegant DAR wedding images in Washington, DC were photographed by Hannah Bjorndal in May 2018 alongside photographer Jennie of Jennie Raff Photography. Hannah is a DAR wedding photographer available for weddings in Washington, DC and beyond. Over her career, she has traveled all over the US and abroad photographing beautiful, meaningful love stories. To hire her for your DAR wedding or to learn more, click here.

If you didn’t already know, DAR Constitution Hall is one of my favorite wedding venues in all of Washington, DC. It’s classic, ornate architecture, rich history, and ideal setting for throwing a luxurious DC-style party make it one of the best DC venues. I love it’s central location in downtown DC, which gives couples the ability to easily get ready in one of DC’s top hotels – like the St. Regis, Hay Adams or the Willard. Additionally, it gives couples super-easy access to classic DC portraits on the Mall. So many options!

Typically, I do not second shoot for other photographers. In fact, prior to this wedding, I had only second shot one other time – shortly after I launched my business. I had seen a posting for a second shooting role in Southeastern Maryland and jumped on the opportunity to gain more experience. However, after this one experience, I quickly realized a few things. First, second shooting doesn’t actually help you build a portfolio or make meaningful connections. Two, it’s a very low-pay job for very hard work. And finally, there is absolutely no opportunity to build a relationship with the client. After this experience, I realized instantly that the best path forward for me was to create my own opportunities and build a portfolio in other ways working directly with models and clients.

So, how did I end up second shooting this wedding, you might ask? My dear photographer friend, Jennie Raff, was in need of a really strong second photographer for this incredibly beautiful wedding she was shooting at DAR. As a huge fan of both the venue and of Jennie, I agreed to second shoot again. It was an opportunity to serve a dear friend and also hang out all day at a venue that I loved, how could I say no?!

In the end, second shooting this wedding was a blast. Working alongside a friend is always a treat, and this wedding was no exception. The little cherry on top was that this wedding ended up being published in Washington Life magazine (SO fun!). I absolutely love the images I photographed throughout the day, and I’m so excited to finally share them with you now!

 

VENDOR TEAM:

Photographer (these images): Hannah Bjorndal

Managing Photographer: Jennie Raff

Venue: DAR Constitution Hall

Florals: Le Pretemps

Dress: Carolina Herrera