Today I get to show off Britnie & Brandon’s absolutely GORGEOUS wedding day! The couple got married and had their reception all at the stunning Oak Terrace resort in Pana. This is a gem of a venue with perfect accommodations for everything you need right on site. A whole spa for the ladies to get ready in, pool house for the guys, beautiful wooded grounds with fields, forests and the lake/dock. I could seriously go on and on but let’s get to the real reason you’re here… Britnie & Brandon!
A big thanks to the vendors helped make this wedding everything Britnie & Brandon wished it to be:
Guys, I get to share with you a simply GORGEOUS wedding today! I hadn’t photographed at the beautiful Holy Family Church since Marie’s cousins wedding so it was a treat to be back. Every wedding I’ve done there has been so elegant.
Though Marie & Ernie selected a mostly digital collection, I decided the style of their wedding was perfect to showcase a brand new album style we’ve created that is a throwback to more classic albums. Fully customizable, of course, with beautiful cover materials these albums combine 2-3 images per page to tell the story of the most important moments of your wedding day.
For this sample album we selected a combo of a wood grain as a nod to the floral and natural vibe but in contrasting light/dark tones on the album/box to pull in the modern and elegant edge.
I’ve gotten to work with some really amazing teachers at Warrensburg-Latham high school through my work with them on yearbook, dance and graduation images and this little guy’s momma is one of those very teachers! She is so sweet and I was absolutely thrilled when she called me to get Oliver’s newborn portraits scheduled. He was the tiniest baby I’ve had in awhile and boy have I missed those itty bitty snuggles (our little lady will be ONE in just a month so my days of 5lb palm of my hand kiddos are over in this house).
I’m in love with the album we’ve designed for him and it’s so cool to be creating first portraits and albums for this tiny guy at the same time I’m designing the final portrait albums for all these seniors in the class of 2019 as they step out into adulthood. I’ve been doing this job for 15 years now and have gotten to follow some families through so many milestones! How crazy would it be if in 18 years we’re designing his senior album (AHHHH no ok don’t think about that #momtears).
And I just have to add a disclaimer to this image ^^^ he was crying in the cubs bib ya’ll NOT laughing. He knows the best team, I promise! #gocards #sorrynotsorry
Hey seniors! Your senior session is, of course, all about YOU (your style, your interests, your talents, etc) and we talk about highlighting all that a LOT. So today, I wanted to take a second to talk about some other folks that we think are super important parts of your senior (and high school) years… your FRIENDS!
I’m lucky enough to still be BFFs with a first grade friend and to be married to my high school sweetheart so while these friendships can and do last, sometimes life and distance can take you far away from those that are most important to you right now. But that doesn’t make them any less a part of your story and that’s why a few years ago I started BFF sessions (free for all our senior models, and a super inexpensive add on for any senior EVEN if we didn’t create your senior portraits!!!).
One of the most asked questions I get for these sessions though is ‘what do we wear or bring?!?!’ … and I totally get it. Choosing outfits for your own session is easy. You just wear what you love most (and we have more tips for that too!). But when you’re dressing a GROUP of people there are a lot of things to think about so here are my top tips for your BFF session wardrobe.
THEME it… ok this is not as cheesy as it sounds. But it can be much easier to coordinate your look if you think in terms of a theme or style instead of trying to ‘match.’ Examples of some themes are: Little Black Dress (give everyone a chance to style their dress their own way), Boho (natural textures and colors with lots of layers), Champagne and Glitter (think new years eve, glitz and sparkle with soft blushes and creams), Summer Fun (get BRIGHT and BOLD with the colors and throw in some fun with balloons or cotton candy), etc.
Coordinate DON’T match… You guys don’t all walk around wearing the exact same thing so while that can be a really easy solution to a BFF wardrobe it’s not as authentic to who you each are and can end up making one or more of you not quite as comfortable/confident in rocking the wardrobe that might not be their style. Even in themes like ‘Little Black Dress’ where the idea is for everyone to rock the black cocktail dress, giving everyone the freedom to choose their own dress lets them choose a cut and style that they feel great in AND they might even choose a romper, jumpsuit or pants that still works great with the overall look.
Accessorize! Bring it all guys and help each other out. We can totally mix and match your accessories while on shoot so if you’ve got extra bling for a Champagne and Glitter style bring it for your friends. Plus, prop it up if you want. Want to all toast some ‘bubbly’ (sparkling grape juice ya’ll) bring it! How about balloons, glitter (we can add this in later too), bubbles, donuts (Morgan’s crew rocked the donuts last year!), fun hats, unique shoes, flower crowns ^^^
Don’t stress… I know it can feel like a lot to coordinate especially if you’re bringing together a large group of friends but the point here is FUN. So communicate a few guidelines to your friends and then let them have fun styling their look and don’t worry too much about perfection. Simple guidelines might sound like this: ‘We’re doing a natural boho style so anything you have that you love in colors like creams/naturals with earth tones and subtle color is perfect. Adding layers and natural materials like leather and woven accents are perfect. This is a pretty casual theme so sandals or even barefoot works great!”
** Bonus tip for you senior guys thinking this looks and sounds a bit girly… we know you are more DOers so we suggest doing something with your friends for your BFF shoot. Let’s toss the football/baseball, go mudding in your truck or four wheeler, take your dogs for a run, do a jam sesh in your garage….
And my last tip…. Pinterest it! No joke, this will help you and your friends visualize the look. A simple ‘bff photo shoot’ is a good place to start but things like ‘boho style’ or ‘boho bff session’ can get you even further. Play around with your searches until you fall in love with a look and forward that on to your friends (and your photographer) for some visual help in capturing the look you love.
What are you wearing? Have you asked it… been asked? The big celebration and culmination of your 12 YEARS of schooling, 18 years of your life is coming up and we know you’re all excited about how good you’re going to look in the big flowy zip up gown and that studly fat cap… but the real question is how do you make that thing look GOOD?! Well, just like everything else – from the inside-out, of course.
We’ve seen a LOT of graduations over 15 years in business and have some tips for you guys to rock the grad look.
HAIR… I just learned a new phrase from my fav podcaster Dax Shepard recently that applies (in a round about way) here “curls for the girls.” (He’s talking about biceps but I’m talking about hair). To balance out that big brim of a hat, I suggest opting for a curl look to add a little volume down below. And to get all the curls to lay perfectly once the hat is on, think about marking where the cap will lay when on with a bobby pin and focusing on curling BELOW that line (this will prevent any bulky curls right at the transition). Can’t curl (ME EITHER), call my fav hair stylist Katie at Mint Salon and she’ll hook you up with her magic curls (call soon, she’s in high demand).
Don’t worry, if curls really aren’t your style straight works too but you’ll want to avoid that after graduation cap line in a straight look and can do so by swooping back a few pieces from your temple into a couple bobbi pins at the back, or if you’re #advanced try a braid to pin pack in the same style.
Lastly for the cap, don’t forget the bobbi pins. Pinning the cap in place in your hair will not only make you feel more secure so you won’t be worried about it falling off at the worst time but it will also mean you don’t have to wear it quite as low to have a firm fit which will avoid the super awkward hat line imprint straight across your forehead when you take it off (that’s not a fun look for anyone and nothing will make that thing fade so you’ll just have to wait it out).
CLOTHES… so what about under the gown? Well, first of all going ‘Patch Adams’ (you’re too young to know that reference but google it) is not recommended so here are the things to think about when choosing your graduation look:
No lumps… ladies avoid dresses or shirts with puffy sleeves or large beaded accents around the neck/shoulders. When the gown is on this is just going to make it lumpy. Also avoid full skirts on your dress if you don’t want to rock the Cinderella step sister big booty look.
Neck & Hem line… keep in mind most graduation gowns will fall to well below your knees so most if not all of your dress hem line will be hidden and that’s ok. Long dresses with hems that fall below the gown can had a bit too much to the look and you’ll want to keep it simple. But your neck line might show! Be aware of that and decide if you’d like to choose a high neckline to really show off the dress or keep it lower and hidden and accent the look with a nice necklace.
Color… Most schools have at least 2 school colors and they’re usually pretty BOLD. If so, stick to neutrals in your dress (white/black/grey/cream/etc) this will let your school colors shine and avoid any color clash. BUT if your school has a muted or neutral color for the robes (black/navy) you can get away with going bold underneath to add a little flavor and style to the look.
GUYS, your shirt collar will almost always show so be sure to think carefully about the pattern/color of the shirt you choose and consider a tie to class it up even further.
Lastly, we suggest considering a formal cap & gown portrait. This really is a big milestone in your lives and we’d love to help you celebrate. In May we have $15 cap/gown sessions at the studio with prints starting under $30 and digitals under $50. These are quick 5 minute session with immediate viewing and selection but times are limited.
***Warrensburg-Latham grads don’t forget I’ll be at graduation to take your cap/gown portraits! Free sessions for you guys that day, and images starting at only $15.
