Semir & Manal’s Washington D.C. Engagement Session

I absolutely love getting to meet my couples and hear about them and what they’re most excited about for their wedding day! I also always appreciate when couples are able to convey what they value most on their wedding day and I loved Semir & Manal’s emphasis on not only photographing them well throughout the day but also simultaneously serving both sets of their parents really well and making sure they were taken care of on the wedding day as well!

We took their engagement pictures around DC starting at Bluff Bridge in Rock Creek Park and then hopping across town to the National Gallery of Art for some formal pictures as well! Here’s a little Q&A with them to get to know them better! Here’s a little Q&A with Semir and Manal to get to know their story a little better 🙂

How Semir & Manal Met:

“A mutual friend of ours made the connection for us to meet. The mutual friend, Rich, was Manal’s friend in undergrad while he was Semir’s friend in graduate school. Towards the end of the first year of our grad school year – Semir in DC and Manal in Denver but she was doing a semester in DC – Rich wanted us to meet. He kept asking Semir to come and hangout all together and meet Manal. He did and from that point on they started talking, seeing each other, and six years later they are moving on to the next step!”

Their First Date:

“Manal was living near Old Town Alexandria and we decided to do an restaurant in Old Town. We went to Notting Hill, which is now closed, and enjoyed a beautiful dinner with live music on the 1st floor while we dined on the 2nd floor. Afterwards we walked through Old Town and took pictures near an art installation, we have those pictures still!”

I love that they took pictures on their first date and cherish them to this day about 6 years later!!

Their Favorites around DC:

“We love a spontaneous and fun outing whether for the entirety of the night or parts of the night. We love to try out new restaurants in the city and some of our favorites are Zenebach and Cher Cher for Ethiopian, Beau Thai and BKK for a neighborhood weekday date night, Tail Up Goat or Sfoglina for more romantic dinners. As part of the date night its dinner followed by a movie, we love going and watching movies or going to a jazz club to enjoy a shared love for the music.”

I’m so glad they found me through the GW Masonic Memorial Washingtonian feature because two are such a great fit and I absolutely can’t wait for their wedding at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington D.C. this upcoming April! They’re planning on having a lavender, pastel, white and gold wedding themed around the DC springtime and I know it’s going to be absolutely stunning!

If you enjoyed this post, follow along on Instagram & check out these posts:
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