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Category Archives: Venue Spotlight

08.08.11

Places | Oxon Hill Farm

It’s been a while since I posted a new place to do engagement photos, mostly because I’ve been working my tail off doing weddings!  But this weekend I braved the heat to hit up the charming Oxon Hill Farm just down the way from National Harbor and Oxon Hill Manor, which I did not visit, figuring on a Saturday they were probably setting up for a wedding.  This is the right place to do an engagement in the fall.  When I went, it was incredibly hot and incredibly bright.  On the plus side, though, there were cows.

oxon hill cow

It’s kind of a smallish spot, so it would be a good place to do a half-and-half style engagement shoot.  I’d probably recommend some time on the farm and then to hit up the National Harbor – a 180 degree difference!  There’s also some trails so if you’re the woodsy type, we could rock that too.

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05.25.11

Places | Winkler Botanical Preserve

Update Jan. 2012: A wonderful lady looking for a wedding venue for her daughter wrote me to let me know that Winkler does not rent out their lodge or their grounds for any reason, including weddings.  So look here no further for that… but it is still a nice place to walk around and would still make a nice spot for a portrait session.

It’s unlikely you’ve heard of Winkler Botanical Preserve.  First, it doesn’t have a website.  The park isn’t owned by the city and so doesn’t show up on those lovely parks sites I’ve been talking about.  My link there is to the Friends of Winkler group, which recently won their battle to prevent the park from being torn on down to make way for more condos – nice job Friends!  Second, the park is at the end of a completely nondescript street chock-full of apartment buildings.  I would never, in a million years, have thought to look for a botanical preserve down the street.  Indeed, the sign is completely grown over when you’re driving from the east.

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05.11.11

Venue Idea: Mason District Park | Annandale, VA

Today’s “venue idea” is yet another beautiful local park just aching to host your wedding ceremony.  There’s big old signs everywhere saying you can’t have alcohol (and in my book that means no reception), but Mason District Park would make a great ceremony site.  And if you have a lot of people but not much cash, there’s a whole (outdoor) auditorium you can rent out for basically nothing.

One of my favorite things about this area is that we are inches away from downtown Washington, DC and all the excitement and hustle the city has to offer, and also just a few steps from gorgeous open spaces and parks.  For instance, Mason District has an entire hiking path.  For much of this one-mile or so path, you could really believe you were in the middle of the woods somewhere.  I actually was concerned I might be lost at one point!

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Category: Venue Spotlight