Engagements · Documentary photography

Romantic Engagement Photoshoot at a Stylish Chinatown DC Restaurant

December 30, 2024 By Trevaughn Smith

Jasmine and Aaron sharing a romantic moment at Tonari during their Chinatown DC engagement session

02 · Jasmine and Aaron settle into the warm bar light at Tonari.

03 · A quiet moment over shared plates and drinks at Tonari.

Photo essay
9 frames

Jasmine & Aaron's engagement session at Tonari, a Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant in Washington, DC.

01 / Story

Behind the photographs.

I love when couples choose an engagement-session location that already feels like part of their story. For Jasmine and Aaron, Tonari brought together the warmth, style, and city energy they wanted for their photographs.

We made space for polished portraits at the bar, playful moments around the restaurant, and the little glances that happened when they forgot about my camera. The result felt romantic and completely their own—a night out in Chinatown documented as it naturally unfolded.

02 / Gallery

Frame by frame.

Jasmine sipping a drink at the Tonari bar as Aaron smiles beside her during their Chinatown, Washington, DC engagement session — 01 · Jasmine and Aaron settle into the warm bar light at Tonari.

Jasmine and Aaron leaning in to sip drinks over a spread of food at Tonari during their Chinatown DC engagement session — 02 · A quiet moment over shared plates and drinks at Tonari.

Jasmine and Aaron with cocktails at the Tonari bar during their Chinatown, Washington, DC engagement session — 03 · Cocktails at the bar set the tone for a night-out engagement session.

Aaron wrapping his arm around a laughing Jasmine in a Tonari booth during their Chinatown DC engagement session — 04 · The little glances that happen when the camera is forgotten.

Close-up of Jasmine’s engagement ring as she and Aaron hold hands on the Tonari bar table in Chinatown, Washington, DC — 05 · A small detail becomes part of the larger engagement story.

Aaron holding Jasmine close at the Tonari bar as she sips a drink during their Chinatown DC engagement session — 06 · Warm wood, city energy, and the two of them at the center of it.

Runners pass a Chinatown mural fence hung with matching ‘We’re In It For The Long Run’ shirts in Washington, DC — 07 · A playful ‘long run’ detail out on the Chinatown streets.

Motion-blurred black-and-white detail of two runners mid-stride on a Chinatown, Washington, DC sidewalk — 08 · Motion and blur keep the energy of the day honest.

Jasmine and Aaron holding ‘Save the Date — May 17, 2025’ signs at the Tonari bar during their Chinatown DC engagement session — 09 · A save-the-date reveal caps the night at Tonari.