Bridal Portraits: All Your Own

For a good long while, bridal portraits weren't something that came up often in conversation with my clients and if they did or I suggested them, they were usually casually brushed off or simply overlooked with non-interest. There was some sort of stigma attached that purposed them as a dated cliche of the past, old photographs hanging on old walls in old houses, something only your grandma wants.

And then female portraiture made a resurgence, with artists like Somer Anne with her Modern Femme series, and with renewed classic and elegant boudoir making a comeback, we found ourselves appreciating the opportunity to celebrate our own beauty as females and approach bridal sessions from a more personal, romantic angle instead of from a lackluster stock image perspective. And so I found myself with a lot more opportunities to photograph brides in this especially creative way. And I love it.



A bridal portrait session serves a couple of purposes for me. In its simplest form, it provides me a body of work that relieves some pressure from the wedding day portraits, but most importantly, it provides me with some quality one-on-one time with my brides (and in this case, her bestie and her mama - yay for helpers willing to lug props, hold reflectors and be all around awesome in their assistance!). We get to know each other a bit more, laugh and joke, amp up their confidence with some good, ole' fashioned practice on how to be photographed and get comfortable in front of the camera. It's really just a lot of fun. No rush of a wedding timeline to fluster or shortchange our creative efforts, lots of sun, chit chat and general good times just relaxing and celebrating beauty.





The only bad thing? I get to be totally inspired at these sessions, walking away creatively juiced up and lovin' my clients even more than I did before...and then I get to sit on the photos and not share a single one until after the wedding day. It's pure torture.



Christina was no exception. She's beautiful in that easy, breezy kind of way that just makes me smile, because she has no idea how insanely gorgeous she is and those are my very favorite kind of people. She loves to laugh, she's fiercely loyal and she's got some feisty running thick in that spirit of hers.









As I write this, I get to think of how amazing her wedding day will be. But as you read this, she is now officially a Mrs. and I know she's entering into the very best years of her life. Congratulations, pretty girl. I love you!


Makeup: Kristine Marie Makeup Artistry
Hair: Kristen Snider
Dress: Jim Hjelm Blush from Pure English