It’s that time of the week again! Another Wednesday is upon us and that means another installment of my Wednesday Wedding Do series. Earlier this week I came across this article and it really resonated with me. Now, I will … Continue reading
Cover contest for Chic Critique Magazine!
The worst they can say is “no”, right?
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Messy hair fans…REJOICE!
I love messy hair (If you’ve been reading my blog and my BAM posts for a while, this is probably not shocking news), but the one thing that I have always struggled with is how to get my hair to look messy without looking like a HOT mess. My hair is extremely thin and straight so getting it to look a little more VA VA VOOM takes precision and a decent amount of awesome products (See my hair cocktail here). The only problem with all those amazing products is even though they work and my hair gets the lift and body I want, they often are very drying and can leave your hair matte and sometimes frizzy.
ENTER.
semiSUMO.
I have long loved sumotech on my roots with its awesome hold and lifting power and now I have this little baby in my arsenal to add some high power shine and definition before I leave the house each day. Seriously, this product is amazing. It’s a do all and it belongs in everyone’s hair cocktail.<3
BAM! Check out that shine and definition! [;
Last week I traveled BACK to creativeLIVE for another workshop with the fabulous Jasmine Star. This time however, it was not to be a student. It was to be….dun dun dun….A MODEL. Yeah, I know.
Putting on a wedding dress itself was already a little strange and new to me (Especially one that was too big in the bust….with stuffing internet! Yes…stuffing!), let alone modeling in that dress in front of thousands of people on the internet and for one of the top wedding photographers in the world. *I may have had a slight nervous breakdown behind the stage*
But you know what, I’m glad I did it! Obviously it was awesome to be back at creativeLIVE and OBVIOUSLY awesome to be photographed by Jstar, but mainly it gave me an inside into what my clients go through when they’re being photographed on their wedding day. You’re in a big dress that sometimes is hard to move in, you have tons of people with their every eye on you, your self-conscious because you’re not use to having your photo taken, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HANDS! oh man…the hands. and really, it’s just plain nerve-wracking.
I took away a lot from this experience and how I will interact, pose, instruct, and build confidence in my couples. With a new-found first hand experience on being on the other side of the equation, I’m ready to balance it out! [;
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH to the amazing Portland wedding vendors who helped me make this shoot possible. Such awesome ladies who do amazing things and I’m blessed enough to call my peers and friends [=
Elizabeth Perry and the lovely ladies from AniA Collections all rock my socks. If you’re looking for a dress and/or jewelry, look no further<3
Photography: Jasmine Star
Production:Â creativeLIVE
Bouquet:Â McKenzie Powell
Dress:Â Ania Collection
Jewelry:Â Elizabeth Perry Collections
Hair + Makeup:Â Heather Tietjen
Backdrop:Â Oliphant Studio
Here’s a little something sweet for your Valentines Day!
Ben and Brianne were married this past weekend at the absolutely GORGEOUS Brasada Ranch in Powell Butte (about 20 minutes out of Bend)
Honestly, I was a little nervous for this wedding. It was my first wedding after the “winter break” of wedding season and I had never even been to Bend or any of the surrounding areas, let alone photographed a wedding there! However, when I arrived to the venue and took a look around all those fears completely melted away. I’ve become quite the city girl these past couple years and don’t often venture out into solitude or isolation, but there was just something about being in the middle of no where with sweeping views of that beautiful landscape for miles and feeling the warm sun on my face shinning through the slightly hazy sky and emitting a soft orange glow that took my breath away. I knew this day was going to be perfect.
Ben and Brianne met in school (Ben is a Dentist, Brianne is a Dental Hygienist) and Ben said from the moment he saw Brianne he knew he had to somehow muster the courage to ask her out. He and his best friend stayed up all night crafting the perfect text message to send her (without sounding too creepy or desperate and just the right amount of cool). Obviously it worked and I’m glad that Brianne took the bait!
They are such a lovely couple who are completely comfortable around and with each other. Their personalities mesh perfectly, Ben is silly and goofy and Brianne is poised and elegant, and they spent their wedding day surrounded by those they love the most. The whole group whether friends or relatives felt like a family and I was honored to tag along for the ride.<3
This week for my Wednesday Wedding Do I would LOVE for you to tune into creativeLIVE at 1:00pm and see if you get any bridal inspiration [;
Veil’s can be quite lovely and they come in all different shapes and sizes, but honestly…I don’t think there is anything more chic or fun than skipping the veil option and instead rocking a hair piece, headband, or fascinator.
If you’ve been considering opting out of the traditional veil for your wedding here are two of my past brides that completely ROCKED chic hair pieces:
1. Rachel kept it timeless with her tulle and feather white flower. It completely complimented her chic and modern wedding dress.
2. Jessica actually had a close friend make her bridal hairpiece so not only was she looking ‘fly till she die’, it had special meaning as well.
Here are some of my favorite veil alternatives I cam across while browsing working on pinterest:
Photography Credit:
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Gifting clients is fun and sharing is caring.
…that being said, Let’s do another Brittany’s Awesome Mixer!
I’ve changed up my client gifts since last year when I was giving out a bottle of champagne and a bottle of beer with cookies. First, shipping that is NOT cheap. Second, having to constantly order cookies each time you book a bride is not the most convenient thing in the world. So, I decided to re-evaluate my gifts and of course turned to the internet for inspiration. Honestly, I was surprised to find a whole lot of nothing. A lot of people mentioned that they gift prints or canvasses which is all well and fine, but I want to give something that has a little thought to it and shows that I took a little time and actually care, because I do!
I know a lot of photographers give gifts, so I was surprised that my search results were pretty lack luster. Maybe they’re just afraid to post the details of their gifts in the fear that someone else will take the ideas or GASP! Their clients might actually read it and see!
Whatev’s…I ain’t scared.
Here’s what I’m gifting my clients as of lately. I’m still perfecting it and trying to tailor it slowly more to my brand, but maybe it’ll spark some inspiration for you or maybe it will at the very least give you some ideas of what you absolutely DON’T want. Either way…I’m here to help [=
Brittany Lauren Photography 