By the end of your "Special Day," you will have your photos to look back at and share with family and friends for years to come. My first piece of advice for anyone planning a wedding is to find photographers who have a style you love but then to work with one that has a personality you know you will enjoy on wedding day. The only other advice I can share would be to have your Engagement and Bridal pictures/portraits done by the same photographer(s) - spend that extra money, you will have results beyond what you pay for.
Philip and I met Allie and Levi Monday through our church, NewSpring. They are an awesome couple and great photographers who work so well together on a photo shoot. When we choose The Mondays Photography for our Wedding we knew we wanted our Engagement and my Bridal photos from them as well.
Engagements are just fun! At least, that is what they should be! It is a great way to capture a couple at this special time in their life where they soak up the days of fiance' love, looking forward to the spouse title they will have within the months to come. However, on the technical side of things, Engagement photos allow you to fully absorb the time in front of a camera with your loved one and understand the style your Photographer will use when working with you and your wedding. We had an amazing time and results during our Engagement shoot and could play off of Allie and Levi the entire time!
Bridal portraits are whatever you want them to be. Traditional, classic, organic, glamorous, artistic and/or fun. It is a time to show off the bride, her gown and style for the wedding. However, on the technical side again, it is the perfect opportunity to figure out if the "look" you want/like for your wedding day is going to be exactly what you think on camera! I learned so much about myself in the gown from the portraits and what I did and did not want to change for the wedding day.
I had the opportunity to do portraits in two different ways. My first shoot at The Cliffs on Lake Keowee (Keowee Vineyards) was total Bridal with my hair in "wedding day style" and my dressed fully assembled as if it were June 4th. My second shoot was much more organic on a dock along Lake Hartwell with my hair down, no veil and with my dress in its most simple of form, all white, no accessories.
Allie and Levi Monday are absolutely wonderful to work with. It was such a blessing to have them capture all of our Wedding fun!
Enjoy The Mondays Photography bridal portraits
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| My Official Bridal Portrait for Wedding Day! |
My dress from Mary's Bridal in Annapolis was a Mary Couture - she made the dress for me based on another one of her personal designs. While the dress is all lace, there are lace appliques from the upper chest to the bottom of the skirt. We took those same appliques to line my veil for more of a Spanish mantilla look (embracing my Puertorican roots). The navy flower and ribbon was for a splash of modern fun with our coastal/country club wedding. It was attached by a simple hook. A comb was added to the back of the flower in case I wanted to add it to my hair during the reception.
My jewelry included my engagement ring, my Clemson class ring and a simple pair of earrings, tear-drop pearls from a gold stud.
Photographers: The Mondays Photography
Bouquet: by Carla, silk hydrangeas, roses and rope combination
Locations: The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards & Lake Hartwell
Dress & Veil: Mary’s Bridal, Annapolis
Shoes: RSVP
Hair: Rachel Fastenau, Studio 81 Anderson SC
Makeup: Covergirl
