The best wedding pictures tell your love story to the world. They capture the essence of who you are as a couple. They reveal those special things that make your relationship beautiful and explain why the two of you are getting married. So your wedding photographers absolutely must find a way to draw out the connection that binds you together when taking your portraits. That is only part of the job, though. They also need to give your love story context. To root in a time and place. And that’s where your choice of location comes in. Getting married in a city and venue that matters to you is a great way to give background to your story and pictures. Like this couple did. Their Capitol Hill DC wedding portraits are beautiful, but they also tell you that the Nation’s Capital is an important part of their love story.
Let’s explore this topic a little further. Why does giving your wedding photos context matter? Because your marriage celebrations are neither the beginning nor the end of your relationship. They are a moment in time. An extremely important moment in time, of course! But just one day preceded by many falling in love and many more building a life together. So telling the story of your wedding means talking about what came before.
If you’re getting married in the Washington DC metro area, the Nation’s Capital must have played some part in your path to the altar. Perhaps the two of you met here. Maybe you both moved here after you started dating. Or it could be that one of you is from the region, and the other got to know your family during visits to DC. Whatever your particular story is, the city matters to you and your relationship. And so your wedding photographers need to give you DC wedding portraits. Meaning pictures that let the world know that your marriage celebrations took place here.
The easiest way to do that, of course, is to incorporate elements that are undeniably “DC.” And frankly, there aren’t too many cities in the world with more easily recognizable landmarks than Washington DC. Our skyline is filled with some of the most distinctive structures you’ll find. The monuments and memorials make great backdrops for your wedding portraits and give them a perfect sense of time and place.
Few of those iconic buildings are as special to the city as the US Capitol, though. Its dome, spire and columns are synonymous with the Nation’s Capital and are often a symbol for it. The building is also very much Washington’s heart. Though the US Capitol does not sit in the geographical center of the city, it is hardly surprising that the home to our legislature is the centerpoint of its four quadrants.
With this in mind, it is also no surprise that the US Capitol is a very popular location for wedding portraits with a DC feel. Unfortunately, getting pictures near it is not that easy. It requires a special permit from the Capitol Police. The permit itself is not hard to get (especially given that we’ll do the paperwork for you!), but there are only a few spaces in which commercial photography is allowed.
If you have your heart set on US Capitol wedding portraits, though, please don’t worry! Our city’s unique design makes it possible to get beautiful shots from various other locations. And in some cases, those other spots offer even more breathtaking views of the iconic building! A great example is the grassy area of the National Mall near the Capitol. Being a little away from the dome makes it easier to include it in your portraits, because you’re not right up on it. More importantly, the sight of the Capitol’s distinctive shape rising behind you is truly striking. The only downside is that any commercial photography on the Mall also requires a permit.
The best spot for beautiful US Capitol wedding portraits, though, doesn’t cost a dime. The broad expanse of Pennsylvania Avenue NW offers a completely unobstructed view of the dome and is not subject to any permitting restrictions. Even better, the road’s two bike lanes are in the middle of the lanes dedicated to car traffic. That allows us to bring couples out away from the crowded sidewalks and the buildings lining either side of the street. The resulting photos are like this one – just the couple and the iconic US Capitol building rising behind them. The personal side of their love story and the context, all in one beautiful portrait.
If you’re getting married in the Capitol Hill area but the home of our legislature isn’t so much your thing, not to worry! There are a lot of other great spots for wedding portraits in the neighborhood:
Interested in learning more about our services? Please visit our Wedding Photography FAQ page for answers to all your questions! Ready to inquire about our availability on your wedding date? Contact us now to get the conversation started!
Location: United States Capitol, First St SE, Washington, DC 20004.
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