Amy's Bridal Portrait Session {and the benefits of having a bridal portrait session}

I know what you are thinking: "A bridal portrait!? How old school." It seems as though many brides think bridal portraits are a thing of the past or ultra traditional, but here are some advantages of having a portrait session before your wedding day:

*Practice makes perfect. Schedule your hair and make-up trial for the same day as the bridal portrait session. You will then get to see how your hair and make-up will look in photos on the day of the wedding and you can tweak if necessary. You will also get a sense of how your dress, veil and accessories will feel on your wedding day, so if you need to modify anything, you will have an opportunity to do so before you walk down the aisle.

*Get "the best of both worlds." Having a traditional/formal wedding? Think about taking your bridal portraits in a field or a much more casual setting so you get a variety of looks between your portrait and wedding day. Bring accessories that emphasize your personality. Cowboy boots might not be right for the day of your wedding, but if you love them, get a few pics at your bridal session.

*A bridal portrait session can save you time on the day of the wedding. With those photos out of the way, there will be more time for group bridal party and family photos which will hopefully get you to your reception faster!


And last, but not least, I think bridal portraits like Amy's look more like a magazine photo shoot than the uber posed, traditional portrait (those should be a thing of the past)! Thank you Tina Rowden for sharing these beautiful images with us and congratulations to Amy who was married last weekend.

It's Monday I'm in Love

Adore this photo from a gorgeous farm wedding on oncewed.... Happy Monday!

Happy PINK Friday!

Love this pretty pink pic from Elizabeth Messina.


A Real Ashley Baber Weddings PINK wedding to wrap up Breast Cancer Awareness Month on the blog tomorrow.

Eye Candy

I hope this weekend proves to be as sunny and delightful as this image from Abby Ross!

Congrats Jacqui and Lachlan!

So excited for our dear friends Jacqui and Lachlan who were married a few weeks ago at King Plow. This is one of my favorite images from their day. You have got to head over to the Our Labor of Love blog to check out the florals and decor Steve Bales team at Bold American pulled off for this wedding (not to mention the gorgeous pics!). WOW!

Engagement Session: Jenny & Andrew

Love these engagement shots of one of our sweet September couples, Jenny and Andrew. Can't wait for their big day!

Thank you to Our Labor of Love for these rad images!

A Kindergarten Wedding

As I posted about the Bold Seduction dinner, I came across these images on the 6 of Four blog and it was tooooooo cute not to share. Apparently, every year a local kindergarten class has a mock wedding as they work their way through the alphabet and come to the letter "M" for marriage. They learn the value and importance of the commitment of marriage and then draw names for the students that will be the bride and groom, the wedding party, the officiant, etc. On the day of the wedding, each child brings in a picture of their parents on their wedding day. Enjoy!

Up next: back to ABW real weddings with Sarah and Todd, but first Fabulous Frock Friday tomorrow!

New + Old

I love this image from a beautiful wedding on the Tim Will photography blog. It looks like it could be straight from an heirloom family album.

Happy Holidays!

We are signing off for rest of the week- taking a little break to enjoy family and friends and wonderful Holiday traditions. I did want to leave you with my favorite photo from an amazing winter wedding I found on Style Me Pretty from Colorado photographer James Christianson. Breathtaking. I also love this wedding because their reception took place at Timber Hearth Grille in Cordillera {just outside of Beaver Creek, Colorado}, where I coordinated my Uncle's wedding 2 years ago. Best Wishes for a joyous Holiday Season! We look forward to catching up on some more of our 2008 weddings next week!

Rainy Wedding Days...

I am so glad to see the weather has improved today! Yesterday was so dreary with the cold rain, but it had me thinking about outdoor weddings. I know- no one likes to think about the possibility of rain on their wedding day, but I do think there is an opportunity for some unique photos if there is inclement weather on your big day. Here are a few amazing photos from rainy wedding days courtesy of the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) and these talented photogs: (Top to Bottom) . Debra Simpson, Adrienne Maples, Darcie Siitari. And here is a shot from one of our weddings- Ann and Charlie's ceremony in 2007 taken by Tina Rowden: