Surprise Proposal Photography at The Cherry Blossom Festival
Every spring Washington DC celebrates The National Cherry Blossom Festival at The Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial! The annual festival celebrates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the mayor of Tokyo to the city of Washington DC and honoring the friendship between The United States and Japan. Today the festival last about four weekends and attracts about 1.5 million tourist. The blossoms can be seen around The Tidal Basin, Jefferson Memorial, MLK Memorial, and many other areas. Many couples choose the Cherry Blossoms as the perfect time to plan their surprise marriage proposal or engagement session but there are some things to keep in mind!
Dealing with tourist and large crowds: The Cherry Blossom Festival attracts many tourist! So avoiding the busiest times will be beneficial to make sure there is space to get photos without people in them. Sunrise sessions are highly recommended as there are not many tourist out just after sunrise. The later in the day the busier it gets. Going on weekdays instead of weekends is also helpful! During your session we can stop by some of the lower traffic locations to get shots without tourist in them.
Peak Bloom: many clients like to have their photos during peak bloom! Peak bloom happens when 70% or more of the cherry trees blossoms are out. The peak bloom may only last for a few days but the week before or after the bloom will still have many trees in bloom. Peak bloom can be hard to predict especially if you are coming from out of town on a planned trip. If you are flexible on dates, I am happy to be flexible in planning spur of the moment to go during peak bloom for photography sessions! You can read more about peak bloom and up to date predictions on cherryblossomwatch.com. Peak bloom depends on the years rainfall and temperature.
Transportation: As The Cherry Blossom festival attracts thousands of tourist it is recommended to use transportation such as Uber or Metro instead of driving as parking is limited! Metered Parking may be available if you are planning a sunrise session.
Other Locations: Aside from The Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial there are other locations around Washington DC that also have Cherry Blossoms. The National Arboretum and grounds at The Capital also have Cherry Blossoms and other great views. Ask about other locations when planning.
Some shots along the pathways around the Tidal Basin! The Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial are ideal locations for Cherry Blossoms!
The Lincoln Memorial is a great spot to propose with a view of The Washington Monument! After the proposal you can walk nearby for Cherry Blossom photos!
Client Reviews
“Jon shot a surprise engagement for us at cherry blossoms up in DC. His efforts were outstanding. Throughout the process (3 months) we kept in contact with him always responding quickly. Jon arrived extremely early the day of the engagement which was good because we got there early as well. Jon knew exactly where he wanted to take pictures but also asked us several times if we had any requests. He sent us a few pictures the same day and we got the full album in less than a week. I highly recommend him.”
Surprise Proposal Photography includes detailed planning/advice, photography session to capture the proposal moment, portraits afterwards, and your online gallery of your beautifully processed high resolution images. The online gallery is easy to share with friends and family!
Learn more about planning a surprise proposal or engagement session at The Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC by using the contact form or emailing jonflemingphotography@gmail.com
Washington DC Ritz Carlton Christmas Surprise Proposal
The week of Christmas I captured this surprise proposal at The Ritz Carlton in Georgetown! This couple got engaged as they walked into their suite greeted by the tree and desserts and champagne already prepared by the hotel. We recreated the proposal moment as it was not possible for me to be already in the room waiting for when they walked in. After recreating the surprise proposal I captured images of the ring up close and portraits in the suite, the halls of the hotel and outside with one of the displays from Georgetown Glow. An in room surprise marriage proposal during Christmas time at The Ritz Carlton was definitely a unique idea for this special occasion. Choosing an indoor location is popular during the winter time when hiring a photographer. You can view a blog post here about other great indoor surprise proposal locations in Washington DC. Many hotels also offer packaging for surprise engagements.
Surprise Proposal Photography includes detailed planning & advice, photography session to capture the proposal moment, portraits afterwards, and your online gallery of your beautifully processed high resolution images. The online gallery is easy to share with friends and family! Jon Fleming Photography specializes in capturing couples love stories from the surprise proposal to the wedding day!
Learn more about planning a surprise proposal photography or engagement sessions by using the contact form or emailing jonflemingphotography@gmail.com
Best indoor locations for Surprise Proposal Photography in Washington DC
You have heard it before; You should always have a back up plan or Plan B! This certainly holds true when planning a photography session for surprise wedding proposals and engagement sessions at an outdoor location. It is a very good idea to have an indoor location as Plan B, especially if you are not able to reschedule the date of your photography session.
On the day of proposing, it could rain or during the winter months you could be faced with ice and/or snow! Washington DC has some great indoor locations and most have no admission fees.
Here are some tips on getting ready for an indoor location:
- If time is flexible, go as soon as the location opens to avoid crowds.
- Plan a weekday proposal/engagement session as weekdays tend to be less busy than weekends
Here is a list of my favorite indoor locations in Washington DC for surprise proposals and engagement sessions:
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art is a wonderful place for photography to capture your special moment. There are two buildings in addition to the National Gellery of Art. In one building you will find modern art and in the other building there are mostly classical paintings. Although both would be ideal, the building with modern art has more natural light. The LED Tunnel makes for a cool photograph!
Open Monday-Saturday from 10:00am-5:00pm and Sunday from 11:00am-6:00pm.
National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery's Kogod Courtyard is located in the center of the building. This location is wonderful as it has a lot of space, natural light and indoor plants. Other parts of the gallery are great for portraits as well. During the holiday season the courtyard is quite festive!
Open Daily from 11:30am-7:00pm.
Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens are located right near the Capital Building. The walkway in the tropics exhibit is an ideal spot for your special moment as it tends to be more private and a there is a lot of natural light coming in through the windows. To add to your photos, you can end the photography session with a photo outside with the Capital Building in the background.
The Botanical Gardens are open daily from 10:00am-5:00pm including weekends and holidays.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is another great place for photos with its beautiful marble floors and spectacular pillars.
Once inside, you must go through security and then walk up to the main area. The top level is suggested as the best place portraits!
Open Monday-Saturday from 8:30am-4:30pm.
Other location Ideas
Restaurant Proposal - proposing at the resturant where you went on your first date or a frequent date spot is also a popular choice. Restaurant proposals may require more advance planning and can be a bit restricted for portraits afterwards if its raining outside. Using the overhang outside the restaurant is an option or a bar area or other parts of the restaurant such as private rooms if the restaurant allows and has this option.
National Building Museum - The National Building museum has an entrance fee but always has cool exhibits that can make for unique photos.
Union Station - The front of Union Station has a great outdoor area that is covered by the overhang. Inside is also a great spot for indoor photos however Union Station can be busy during peak travel times.
Hotel - A hotel room, hallways or the lobby area can be used as a great indoor location as well with the hotels permission. This works well for couples out of town staying in a nice hotel. Some hotels also have proposal packages where they will place flowers or a bottle of champagne in the room for you when you check in. Below are some shots from The Ritz Carlton Hotel in Georgetown where I captured a surprise proposal during the holidays!
Surprise Proposal Photography includes detailed planning & advice, photography session to capture the proposal moment, portraits afterwards, and your online gallery of your beautifully processed high resolution images. The online gallery is easy to share with friends and family! Jon Fleming Photography specializes in capturing couples love stories from the surprise proposal to the wedding day!
Learn more about planning a surprise proposal photography or engagement sessions in Washington DC by using the contact form or emailing jonflemingphotography@gmail.com