A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of shooting Jan and Beth’s wedding day. I was thrilled to meet this couple once I got to Texas, but only had conversations over the phone and emails until the week of the wedding. I knew a little about this happy couple and had seen a few images of the wedding venue and that was it. I have never explored the Dallas/Fort Worth area before, so this was really an adventure!! I was ready for new places and faces, but ran into a little snag when Beth and I talked a little more about the wedding plans. Jan and Beth wanted to wait to see each other until Beth came down the isle, that’s ok. Totally cool!! ..Except the wedding was at night. When I heard this, my heart sank. HOW was I going to get awesomely awesome images from this Destination Wedding if I only got to shoot the couple at night?  I wanted to get killer shots just as badly as my beautiful couple, so I insisted we schedule a Trash-the-Dress session the Day After. Beth and Jan were SO excited about this idea and jumped at the opportunity. I mean, HELLO!? It was the perfect fix. SO perfect, I’ve decided ALL of my Destination Weddings need to include a Bonus Shoot to take advantage of my time while at our destination!!

 I simply adore this couple. They have it all. Style. Humor. Love. The wedding day was perfect, with Damask and Turquoise accents {seriously, my favorite}, details galore and a crazy Photo Fun Booth. By the end of the night, I felt like part of the family and didn’t want the event to end! But I knew the next day we would get to have a blast running around town shooting our Trash-the-Dress shoot. We had a little photo-scavenger hunt, looking for fun places to pose and the laughter never ended! Beth and Jan were SO happy and excited to be married, it really made photographing the way they felt about each other a breeze. There were no restrictions. We got all the couple shots we couldn’t get on the wedding night, PLUS more! By the end of our photo-feild-trip, we headed back to the hotel that Beth and Jan were staying at and they decided to end the shoot with Trashing-the-Dress in the rooftop pool. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ bout! Perfection.

 I’d love to do a Day-After shoot or even a Trash-the-Dress session for all of my couples if I had the choice! The possibilities are just endless!! Together, we can get those images that seem impossible to do on a typical wedding day…we just gotta make it happen! To really make your bridal session over the top, I recommend having a your wedding planner or shoot stylist like Lindeman Weddings and Events be a part of the shoot and help to “stylize” the look of our shoot & really give it that bridal magazine “look”. Hair and make-up are also key to helping you look your best, so consider scheduling your personal stylist for the next day!! Beth just woke up with all that natural beauty and we just used the style of the city, we didn’t have a stylist for our Dallas wedding, but could you imagine if we had!!??

Every once in awhile, I get to do a shoot all about an idea that I have dreamed up…welcome to the photoshoot of my dreams . Amber is one of my new favorite models, who did some work with me for the Tulalip Resort. After our bridal shoot at the Tulalip we planned to trash an old wedding dress of hers, as she is going to be remarried in just a few short months {and who needs that big reminder of the past  in the closet!!? Right!?}. We had a few ideas of how to trash this dress with some locations in mind, but all I could dream up was COLOR.  I’ve photographed a few trash the dress sessions involving water and dirt, but thought paint {or fire!! maybe next time…} would be the most exciting. As we were heading to our location, I noticed a Carnival being set up, and just had to pull over. PERFECT. Once we got past the Carnies, we were good to go! {extra special shout out to Davis Amusement for allowing us to run wild with this!} What a crazy, colorful mess we created!! Amber did a fantabulous job being beautiful and brave, and I really have to thank her for being so FUN!!! What a  great way to liberate yourself from an old chapter in life {not to mention de-cluttering your closet, with some creative style, color and personality!! If you have a dress just taking up space, collecting dust, pull that baby out and lets get her trashed!! Take a look at some of Amber’s shots for inspiration…

This session was HONORED to be featured on www.TrashtheDress.com {now freetoflaunt.com}!!! I am thrilled to be recognized on this amazing site!!

Now, with a new team, a new studio, and a new blog design I am ready to get back into blogging action! I just have to blog this couple I shot last month in Snoqualmie Falls. They got married right under the falls and went straight into trashing the dress! Can you say RAD? Yes, this couple is awesome and has thier priorities straight {photos always comes first!  Right? Dress, shmess}. What a blast to capture this beautiful couple in such a beautiful environment. Congratulations, Jennifer and Gary!!!