A last-minute change in the weather forecast couldn’t stop Anna and James from having the most magical engagement session at Oatlands Historic House and Gardens in Leesburg, Virginia. While I’m very flexible on rescheduling a session due to rain and had offered to do so for Anna and James, they bravely decided to continue as planned and embrace the rain – which ended up being an absolute downpouring thunderstorm for the entire session! Equipped with umbrellas and lots of patience, we bounced from spot to spot on the beautiful property, seeking areas of cover like the front porch of the historic house and the gazebo in the heart of the garden along with photos in the open areas of the garden under a clear umbrella.

Oatlands Historic House and Gardens is one of my absolute favorite wedding venues in Northern Virginia, and a stunning engagement session location in Northern Virginia. As a Loudoun County wedding photographer, it’s always such a treat to be able to photograph at gorgeous wedding venues in Loudoun County specifically. I was the second shooter for a gorgeous garden wedding at Oatlands a few years ago, and had my own maternity photos taken there in 2021 because I loved it so much. It’s been on my bucket list to return to Oatlands for a wedding or engagement session, so I was elated when Anna and James chose it for their session! Of course, I didn’t picture it quite as damp as this session turned out, but it was magical nonetheless and I can’t imagine a more beautiful place for embracing the rain a la The Notebook.

Anna and James were the sweetest and most adventurous couple I could have asked for to manage this rainy engagement session with me. They had no complaints, waiting patiently while I scoped out areas to ensure we’d have enough light or enough cover, and while we kept them as dry as we could for the majority of the session they requested to do some majorly romantic kissing-in-the-rain photos at the very end where they could get soaking wet in the downpour and fully embrace the moment they were in and boy oh boy did it pay off! Their willingness to trust me to capture these ultra romantic engagement portraits was so heartwarming and I can’t wait to celebrate their wedding day next year – hopefully with a little less rain though!