Erin + Jeff Meadowlark Botanical Garden Engagement Session - Northern Virginia Engagement Session

Last April, I got to photograph one of my favorite people on the planet living out one of the best kinds of love stories.

I first met Erin when we were both freshmen in high school. Together, we survived our most angsty teenage selves. Long drives. Singing at the top of our lungs to homemade playlists. Rewinding the same song over and over because it said exactly what we couldn’t.

When Erin and Jeff fell in love, I assumed that was it for them, because obviously, theywereperfectforeachother.

They broke up when we were in college. And when I heard, it felt like their mixtape had got eaten by the tape deck or something.

Turns out, that’s how it had to go.

They lived a lot of life between then and now. And when they found their way back, it was to something better.

Erin + Jeff’s engagement session took place on a cold early spring afternoon at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. And if you look closely, one of the slides even caught two actual love birds perched on a branch, which when I spied them through my lens, felt a little too perfect to ignore.

And while there are many incredibly talented photographers out there, no one else could photograph their wedding day quite the way I can. I remember the way they looked at each other before life set them on different roads. Seeing that same look now feels like hitting play on a song you forgot you loved, and realizing every word still lands. It feels like things have finally settled back where they belong for these two, and I feel deeply blessed to witness it again and document it.

xxo Nicky