First, I must say these two are…meant for each other! The way they playfully banter and have matching senses of adventure is amazing. Neither of them are the type to go out, but they met at a chance encounter at a bar one night when they both randomly decided to go out. Although, Katelyn gave Josh her number, she wasn’t super interested. As fate would have it, Josh’s luckiest day was the day he was named the same name as Katelyn’s brother, thus allowing her to accidentally text soon-to-be-boyfriend Josh instead of brother Josh. Eventually there was an intentional text to soon-to-be-boyfriend Josh, which led to their first date to a Capitals game. After that, the rest was history!

When I asked them where they wanted to have their engagement session, Katelyn immediately mentioned that she wanted to hike…if you know me, you know I am always down for a good hike. Of course, being from Charlottesville, I immediately thought about the Blue Ridge Mountains and hikes we could do around there. I assumed there were no good hikes in the DC area because it’s all city. I was so wrong! Katelyn mentioned that they had hiked Great Falls before (on the Maryland side—because there’s a Virginia side too) and that it was beautiful.

We were scheduling dates and times and I proposed 6 on the 28th of August…without specifying am or pm. Josh thought for sure I meant am, even though I really meant pm, but once I thought about it, I knew he was right. We should go for the sunrise!! And that we did.

It was a bit foggy and overcast the morning we went for their engagement session, but it brought this quiet and calm to the otherwise roaring falls behind them. I loved every minute of the hike getting to know Katelyn and Josh.

On our way back down the mountain, we saw this little trail that was overrun with some leaves and low-lying branches. It had a sign that read “Danger,” so naturally I was drawn to it. Katelyn still had her nice sandals on, so I told them to let me go explore before I brought them into the “danger” that was impending. Thankfully it was pretty even terrain compared to what I had expected! Once we got down there, it opened up into this breathtaking scene with huge rocks and water that was as smooth as glass. There was no one else around, so we were able to spend time climbing on the rocks and dancing on the little beach that led to the water.

This was our last stop on our Great Falls hike before heading back to the car. But before we reached the car, Katelyn and Josh told me about the six-month world traveling trip they were planning after their wedding. So, like I said, their sense of adventure matches one another, thus making them the perfect fit.

Their April wedding is sure to be a celebration, and I cannot wait to document every moment of it! Now…enjoy some Maryland beauty (and be sure to remember this is minutes from 495!)!

An ARHP session would not be complete without some bloopers! Josh had Katelyn (and me) laughing the whole time! The middle one he was saying, “Is this right? Is this how I ‘nose-to-nose’?”
Also, look at how sincerely Katelyn looks at Josh even during the “in between” moments on the left…love those sweet in between moments!