The tradition of “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” adds a delightful touch to weddings, symbolizing well-wishes for the bride on her special day. For Kelsey Anderson, the “something old” in her wedding ensemble happens to be her dress. It’s a charming 1970s-style cotton gown, gracefully ankle-length, adorned with delicate dotted swiss and lace accents. This dress holds a significant sentimental value as it was her mother’s wedding gown, meticulously preserved in its original state with just a few subtle alterations.
I had the pleasure of meeting Kelsey during a networking event, and as we conversed, I discovered that she was on the brink of getting married, planning to don her mother’s cherished vintage wedding attire. Being a photographer who revels in capturing the emotions and sentiments that accompany life’s celebrations, I couldn’t resist the urge to propose something special to her. I asked Kelsey if she would be interested in a pre-wedding photoshoot, where she would be photographed wearing her mother’s timeless dress. The idea was to gift her mother a beautiful photograph as a heartfelt wedding present. To my delight, Kelsey readily agreed to this heartfelt endeavor!
I wanted the location of the photo session to be similar to the setting of her outdoor wedding that was to be held at her husband-to-be’s family farm in North Carolina. Just talking with Kelsey you can tell that she enjoys being close to nature.
It didn’t take long to figure out that I would need to come out of my comfortable studio to photograph this bride-to-be in her mom’s dress. Kelsey and I both had heard of and had seen photos of the Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne, Texas. After a little research and a scouting visit, we decided that this place would provide us the PERFECT setting for this special photo session! (learn more about the Cibolo Nature Center at http://www.cibolo.org)
The Cibolo Nature Center, with it’s many paths and river bed area framed with beautiful cypress trees, provided us with ample whimsical and picturesque locations. My one main consideration was the vintage wedding dress. Photographing her mother’s dress in the river water would not be a good idea! The last thing I would want would be to get the dress wet and likely damage it just days before the wedding. A second dress would be needed! It just so happened that I had a perfect dress in my studio wardrobe that would work!
The morning of the photo session we met early at the nature center. I did her hair in a boho style pull-through crown braid that I had learned the night before, she did her make up, and we both put together her wildflower bouquet with flowers she had picked from her local community garden.
The overcast sky provided ideal soft light for our photo session. Kelsey was so easy-going and open to all of my posing ideas. And, although we trekked what seemed miles through the nature center, I think she enjoyed the adventure. The photo session was a wonderful memory for this sweet bride-to-be…and for me too!
Did I mention how easy-going this bride was? So open to my ideas that she agreed, even after the lengthy photo shoot, to go to studio so I could capture just a few more images there. Bonus!
With an almost impossible job of culling through the photos I enlisted Kelsey to help pick the five images I would focus on. It was then up to me to get them edited and printed before she left town. The day before she departed the photos arrived! This is a highlight to the my photo sessions. Showing my clients their printed work and seeing their reactions. Their reactions are the best part of the whole process. I would loved to have seen her mom’s face when she opened such a thoughtful and sentimental gift!
Good luck, Kelsey, on your wedding day and thank you for celebrating this wonderful memory with me! It was an honor to photograph you in your wedding dress!
