My Favorite Wedding Dresses

I'm going to share with you five of my favorite wedding dresses and why.  These are all dresses that I photographed.  If I went onto google and just looked for dresses I liked we'd be here all day!  It was hard enough picking some out from all my beautiful brides!  I hope the ones I chose inspire you while you are out looking for your own.

There is a lot to love about this dress!  One of the most important aspects of a dress is fit.  Make sure that you have several fittings to make sure the dress is perfect on your big day.  Morgan's dress fit her perfectly.  I also love the champagne colored ribbon that helps to define her waist, the sheer lace detail along the top and all along the dress.  The sheer sleeveless top gives it a different look than just going strapless.

Catherine's dress was elegant and timeless.  I just love the contrast of the satin skirt with the lace bust.  This was a November wedding so the three quarter length sleeves provided a little extra warmth (although lets face it not much!) as well as an opportunity for some more gorgeous detailing.

Terri's non traditional dress in red was so much fun!  I know Mother of the Bride's everywhere are cringing when they hear me say it, but non traditional is great.  If you are a Bride looking for a different wedding, go with a different dress!  There are so many beautiful options out there these days in a variety of colors and textures.  Just get on pinterest and pin to your hearts content.

Give me lace any day!  Jodi's lace dress was beautiful and (seemed to be) comfortable.  She had beautiful lace detailing in the back.  She even had lace flats to match!   I love that Jodi went with a full length veil that gave it all a little drama and was really fun to photograph.

Erika's gown was beautiful and simple.  However her custom veil from White Orchid Bridal took the whole look to another level.  The veil gave her bridal look an Old World feel which tied in perfectly with Erika and Travis' wedding theme.   If you are looking for a custom, handmade gown or veil I highly recommend talking to Colleen at White Orchid.

I hope these looks inspired you!  I am always available to recommend dress vendors and designers.  Have fun trying on tons of dresses and I hope you fall in love with a dress of your own.

What to Wear for Your Engagement Session

You've found a photographer and signed up for an engagement session!  Hooray!  Now what?  Where to go?  And most importantly...what do you wear?  Gone are the days of overly matchy outfits and in are subtle color palettes.  Here are a few tips on what to wear to get you inspired.

Many of these tips can be applied not only for engagement sessions but any type of portrait session.

1. Color Choice Go for colors in a similar palette with pops of different colors.  I love Blake and Jodi's colors from their fall engagement session.  They choose from colors from that time of year with browns, oranges, cream, and navy.  Later they had reds, cream, and more blue with Jodi wearing a plaid shirt dress.  Keep your colors seasonal!
2. Keep the Colors Subtle Gone are the days where everyone wore matching blue shirts and jeans for family or engagement portraits.  I love a variety of colors and textures that are pulled together by one theme.  See the example below from the Smith's family portraits (it's easier to see the subtlety in a bigger group).
3. Flowers Aren't Just For Your Wedding Day Your engagement session is a great opportunity to test run some of  your potential vendors including your florist!  I love a beautiful bouquet, a dreamy flower crown, or small flower hair piece to take a session to the next level.  This is also a great opportunity to try out your make up artist and hair stylist.
4. Don't be Afraid to Get Flirty or Formal One of the great aspects of an engagement session is you can have a couple different moods just by bringing a change in attire.  I love for my clients to have a casual and a formal look.  I think it adds a little romance for the girls to have a skirt or dress.  Make a date night out of it!  Have your last outfit be a beautiful dress and the Groom to Be in a casual suit.  Finish up your session and then go out on the town! Most of all communicate with your photographer!  I am here to help my clients dream up their perfect engagement sessions.  I love working on details with clients.  I often share pinterest boards, talk about locations that are special to them, and even pick out outfits over the phone.  I want you to look and feel your best on the first step to celebrating the two of you!