Morgan’s wedding day was this past weekend and I FINALLY have the chance to share with you the elegant beauty she is in her gown!!! We met at Greenwell State Park in Hollywood, Maryland just a month before her wedding day to capture her bridal portraits and I have been dying to share her images ever since. We were greeted with one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen all spring. It wrapped around her shoulders and her beautiful blonde hair, and it highlighted the uniqueness of her blush and gray toned wedding gown. The dogwood trees were in bloom that day and the horses at Greenwell were quite curious of her presence near the fence at the end of her portrait session. I don’t think we could have asked for a more perfect evening!!
We spent close to two hours walking under the trees and along the fence line. She twirled in her gown holding a handcrafted bouquet of ranunculus and peach spray roses, the silk ribbon occasionally picked up in the breeze. Her cathedral veil trailed behind her and billowed up behind her creating a beautiful frame for her princess gown. The whole session truly was a beautiful one, and I’m so, so honored to have been the one to photograph these images for her!
Congratulations, Morgan!! You made a stunning bride! And I can’t wait to show off your intimate wedding images!
Incredible Vendors
Bridal Gown || The Bridal Boutique, Allure Romance gown
Bridal Hairpiece || Today’s Bride, Lexington Park, Maryland
Venue || Greenwell State Park, Hollywood, Maryland
Florals || Amanda Adams Photography, LLC – florals purchased at Whole Foods
Foral Ribbon || Silk and Willow
Hair Styling || The Hair Company
Makeup Artist || True Colors by Davey
Up here in Maryland, bridal portrait sessions aren’t too common. I made it a point to offer these sessions in my packages last year and I started to notice that a lot of my brides either weren’t interested in this particular type of portrait session, or they really didn’t know what it was. Maryland is situated a bit further north than the “southern states” and traditions here are different than what you would see in North Carolina, for instance. I’ve been itching to capture a breathtaking bridal portrait session for my brides and thankfully, Morgan decided to take me up on the offer. Her own mother, being from Georgia, was familiar with the concept and we were all extremely excited for the opportunity to see Morgan all dolled up before her wedding day!
Bridal portrait sessions are a Southern tradition where the bride meets with her photographer for portraits in her full wedding day attire – hair, makeup, jewelry, veil, bouquet, and of course, the dress. Typically you would also find a large portrait from the session displayed at the reception near the wedding cake or gift table. I encourage my brides to schedule their bridal portraits on a day when they’ve booked their hair and makeup trials, and when they have their dress in their possession already mended and fitted. There are so many benefits to having your own bridal portrait session!
- You have the opportunity to learn how to walk, sit, dance, and twirl in your dress before the day of the wedding. Sometimes you’d be surprised at how complicated this can be, depending on the fit of the dress.
- Like Morgan, you can choose your jewelry for your portrait session and see how it acts with the movement of your body. During her session she learned her necklace didn’t quite sit as well as she had hoped and made a decision to choose a different one for her wedding day.
- You’re able to use this time to capture quiet, beautiful portraits of you in your dress without the hustle of the wedding day being a distraction. Let’s face it – wedding days are busy and they fly by so fast! Your bridal portraits will allow the chance to feel like a princess in your wedding gown without having to worry about what’s coming up next.
- These portrait sessions are FILLED with images you’ll hand down to your kids. And their kids. These are the images you have captured that will eventually fill in the printed legacy you’ll be leaving behind when you share your wedding story with the family you’re going to build together. I can only imagine the excitement they would feel looking at images of you in your gown when you were younger and just a month away from walking down the aisle toward the love of your life!
Personally, I know these types of portrait sessions aren’t common up here in Maryland but I would love the chance to see more them come to life! There’s nothing so beautiful as watching a beautiful bride twirl around in her dress as a bridesmaid or her mom is there to help and watch. Memories are made and captured during these sweet moments and the bride’s elegance always shines!
