Candra & Eric | Old Town Alexandria Engagement Session

I couldn’t wait to share a sneak peek of Candra & Eric’s engagement photo session! I had so much fun with these two lovebirds in historic Old Town Alexandria!

It started out as one of the hottest summer days, but as we starting walking the streets of Old Town Alexandria there was a slight breeze and the temperatures cooled a bit as we approached Prince Street. Candra and Eric just naturally make one another smile. It’s so fun to walk around with a couple that you feel like you have known for a really long time! We talked about the wedding, how they met, and how he proposed, and what they are most excited about. These two will be getting married at the beautiful Piedmont Club in the Spring of next year!

I hope you enjoy this summery Old Town Alexandria engagement!! If you think these two look amazing, just remember that they look THIS happy and THIS in love in the midst of hot Virginia summer temperatures! So impressive! I can’t wait for the wedding!

Susie & Mike’s Engagement Session in Middleburg, Virginia

The quaint historic town of Middleburg was the ideal setting for this relaxed and fun loving couple’s engagement session. We visited the Goodstone inn, The Red Fox Tavern, The Stray Fox, and the sidewalks and cobblestone streets to Main Street. We ended our day stopping at the Greenhill Winery on the way out of Middleburg enjoying the breeze up on the hill overlooking the mountains and grapevines. Susie and Mike’s engagement session was full of fun and laughter on this gorgeous summer day full of dappled sunlight and warm breezes.

Meadowlark Gardens Engagement | Gina + Sebastian | Virginia Photographer

I love photographing engagement sessions and this was a perfect setting for this sweet couple! Gina and Sebastian had me laughing from the beginning and we had so much fun walking the paths in the gardens. I absolutely can’t wait for their big day in June 2016! Enjoy a few of my favorites from their engagement session at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia.

Gina & Sebastian’s Love Story

Despite Gina and Sebastian living less than a quarter of a mile from one another, going to the same gym, walking their dogs along the same paths, and shopping at the same grocery store, it took a “hello” on an online dating site to bring the couple together. Their first date was at Passion Fish in Reston Town Center and their date was filled with 3.5 hours of fun and interesting conversation.

About a year later, Sebastian told Gina that he was taking her to Charlottesville, Virginia for a weekend as a late birthday gift. After touring Monticello and a local vineyard, the couple headed out for a dinner at a nice restaurant. After the server poured the couple a glass of wine, the server brought out a plate with a jewelry box placed on it! Gina, unfazed by the jewelry box in front of her, kept reading the label on the wine bottle. Sebastian then got down on one knee and asked his very surprised girlfriend if she would spend the rest of her life with him!

The couple is busy planning a June wedding and a lifetime of good conversation, good wine, and lots of love!

Congratulations, you two!!

Meadowlark Gardens Engagement | Ron + Sharon | Vienna, Virginia Photographer

Ron and Sharon’s beautiful engagement session at Meadowlark Botanical Garden was so amazing. I had the best time walking the pathways through the woods and around the delightful pond of Meadowlark Gardens with them. Signs of Fall were beginning with the falling leaves and orange & purple thistle which automatically sparked a Pumpkin Spices Latte craving! It is so apparent how happy they are together and I am honored to have been chosen to capture their Wedding Day memories! They are naturals in front of the camera and I loved sharing this special time with them before their wedding.

The gardens are such a perfect magical spot tucked away in Vienna, Virginia for couples to walk and spend some time for romance and relaxation. Thank you Ron and Sharon for so much fun photographing around Meadowlark Gardens. Wish you both the best during this exciting time of you lives and I’m looking forward to seeing you very soon!!!

So Sweet!

Sharon and Danny|Mt. Jackson, Virginia Engagement Photographer

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Danny proposed to Sharon at the historic Meems Bottom Covered Bridge, which is known as one of the oldest bridges around. After taking fun images on the bridge and capturing the very spot where he proposed, we hiked down to the creek where we found lots of people wading and the perfect tree trunk to sit for a while by the creek’s edge. The views of the mountains and cornfields stretched for miles. The Meems Bottom covered bridge is an ideal place for a proposal and of course what better place for their engagement session.

Amazing Couple!

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Danny and Sharon’s Love Story
On June 7, 2014 we were invited to a bon fire at my daughter-in-law’s parent’s home. I knew something was up from all the questions he was asking me, like where this place was and any special landmarks that might be around it. So we get there and socialize, but Danny seemed nervous, after an hour or so, we all here this loud noise from the sky! Danny calls me out into the a clearing from the trees and points up to the sky, ant it’s a plane with a banner flying above the read, “Sharon will you marry me…love Danny”. I was SO happy, but there was no ring given at this proposal. I was just so excited to be engaged and looking forward to marrying the love of my life.

In the next several weeks, we began to shop for engagement rings and eventually found a small jewelers in Reston, where a friend of the family worked, and had picked out a beautiful ring, but of course t had to be special made and that would take 4 to 6 weeks. On Friday July 3rd, Danny said he wanted to take me to dinner somewhere. The place was called Dan’s Steakhouse and it was in Luray, so we leave after work and start driving to the restaurant. We go past it and and he said we were early. so we were going to drive around for a while. Then he stops at this covered bridge that he has always loved. We get out and walk around and we sit down on the bridge and he goes to his truck and gets a rose out of the truck and comes over and gets down on one knee and says the most beautiful words, and asks me to marry him. Again, I was so surprised because it had only been a couple weeks since we ordered the ring. of course, I say yes and as we are both wiping away tears, he goes back to the truck and gets a bottle of champagne and 2 glasses and we toast to our future.

And now as we prepare to take those vows, I can’t tell you how this man has changed my life and how happy he has made me. I can’t wait to become Mr. and Mrs. Callahan.

So Sweet!

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Thank you Danny & Sharon for an amazing engagement session! Looking forward to your Wedding Day! Enjoy the preview! xoxo – Donna Gilroy, Gilroy Photography

Victoria and Warren’s Barrel Oak Winery Engagement Session

It was a sunny Spring afternoon at Barrel Oak Winery, when I met up with Torrie and Warren for their engagement session. It was a busy day at the BOW winery in Delaplane, Virginia, so we walked down the lane to find some quiet spots and wonderful views of the countryside. The hillside has views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, rolling hills with horses grazing and weeping willows surrounding a farm pond. What a perfect setting for a relaxed engagement session.

Torrie and Warren are getting married at the beautiful Piedmont Golf Club in Haymarket, Virginia and I am so excited about their big day!

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Thank you Torrie and Warren for a fun time together! Enjoy some of my favorites!

Old Town Alexandria Engagement Session| Alexandria VA Wedding Photographer

So in Love! Jeanette and Jared’s engagement was in Old Town Alexandria and it is my favorite place for engagement photos. We had such a great time and they are such an amazing couple.

If you recently got engaged, you’re probably starting to think about your engagement photo session. How can you make sure you get the best pictures possible? An engagement session is important because it gives you the opportunity to get comfortable in front of the camera and you learn how to communicate with your photographer. The engagement photos also give you both a memory of this special time together. So whether you’re planning to use your engagement photos for your Save-a-Date cards or just want to have some beautiful professional photographs to hang in your apartment, here are some tips on how to get ready for your engagement photo shoot.

Make sure you coordinate. Engagement photos are supposed to be about you as a couple and the love you have for each other, so make sure that comes through in the pictures! You don’t need to be matchy-matchy, but make sure your outfits look good together. You can color coordinate by choosing complementary colors for you gorgeous engagement photos.

Choose a location. Couples can choose a place that is meaningful to them. So as you’re thinking through places that mean something to you, keep in mind what you’ll want to do while you’re there. One of my favorite spots is Old Town Alexandria near the waterfront and cobblestone alleys, shops and historic buildings. There are endless spots to capture private intimate moments. From the place he proposed or your favorite park or town. Some of my favorite DC Metro locations are: Old Town Alexandria, Georgetown, Smithsonian Gardens, Tidal Basin, Jefferson Memorial, Kennedy Center, Great Falls Park, Leesburg, Cabell’s Mill, Middleburg, and Aldie Mill.

Let’s chat!! I sit down with all of my couples for a complimentary initial consultation. We talk about your sweetheart, your big day, the dreams you have, your budget & exactly how Gilroy Photography can help you. After we get to know one another, I provide you a wedding package with a customized price. All Gilroy Photography Brides receive a Bridal Guide complimentary with their package! My Wedding Collections begin at $1,800, with the full experience from $2400. Contact Donna Gilroy at 571-379-9844 to schedule an initial complimentary consultation. Engagement Photographer | Alexandria, VA | Gilroy Photography of Northern Virginia.

Jessie + Kevin | Alexandria, Virginia Engagement Photos

Jessie + Kevin | Alexandria, Virginia Engagement Photos.

Chris + Keith:: Engagement

The Lorton Station engagement session was the perfect way to spend the afternoon enjoying the gorgeous Fall weather! We started at the Gazebo where Keith had proposed to Chris and ended up at the Fireside Grill where they had their first date! I am in love with Chris’s dress : ) Chris and Keith it was so great spending the afternoon with you enjoy your preview!

CONGRATS on your engagement! I’m looking forward to your beautiful wedding!

Denise and Chris | Historic Occoquan Engagement Session

I met Denise and Chris at the Occoquan waterfront for their engagement session and strolled through the quaint Historic Occoquan, Virginia streets. They are such a sweet and down to earth couple! They brought a blanket and picnic to share with me: what a perfect way to end an engagement photo session. I love my clients!

The couple met and fell in love in their Vector Geometry class while attending George Mason University! Chris proposed to Denise at L’Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls. Their beautiful wedding will be held at St Leo’s the Great Catholic Church this summer!