Epic Styled Shoot Part 2 - Anna Be Bridal, Evolution Salon, & Metalmark Fine Jewelry - Denver, Colorado
In the previous post there were more words than photos. It is not that I have run out of words (just ask my wife, I never shut up) but I figure you would rather see these beautiful photos than listen to me ramble on and on about the dresses.
I mean they say that a photo is worth a thousand words soooooo........
Dress - Monique Lhuillier - Dulce
Dress - Ines Di Santo - Spicy
www.inesdisanto.com
Dress - Berta - 16-103
Vendors
Anna Be www.anna-be.com - www.instagram.com/annabebridal
Evolution Salon http://www.evolutionsalondenver.com/ - www.instagram.com/evolutionsalondenver - www.instagram.com/maggiejeanhair
Metalmark Fine Jewelry - https://metalmarkfinejewelry.com/ - www.instagram.com/metalmarkfinejewelry
Epic Styled Shoot Part 1 - Anna Be Bridal, Evolution Salon, & Metalmark Fine Jewelry - Denver, Colorado
This shoot was LIT. I think that is how you use that, right? Isn't that what the kids are saying these days? Anyway, ignore my efforts to try and use cool words.
I first found Anna Be Bridal while I was driving for Lyft. (I pick up a lot of passengers in this particular area of Denver. Also if you need some ride discounts use this code MATT067500). You can tell from the outside of the building that the inside is going to be amazing, and it does not disappoint.
I knew that I wanted to try and shoot a styled session with Anna Be; so I walked in and introduced myself to the shop manager, Joy. A few weeks later I emailed asking if they would like to do a styled shoot, and to my amazement and utter happiness, they said yes!
So, the search was on for the rest of the elements for the shoot. I already had a model in mind as I had worked with Kaysie for a brief bit and we had talked about her modeling. Believe it or not, she is not a professional, but she should be. So I asked her if she was available and she said yes!
Berta Dress
I also drive by Evolution Salon in Denver due to them being next door the the Starbucks near my wife's work. So I messaged them on Instagram and asked if they might want to do HMUA for the shoot, and yet again, I received another YES!
Shucks, everything was coming together. So we finalized our date and made the plans.
I was hoping for a cloudy Colorado sky, but the Sun decided to grace us with its presence almost the entire time. We had a few clouds, but this was a challenge to execute the vision I had in mind with direct sunlight.
So we arrived at Anna Be around noon to get the Hair and Makeup done. Maggie, a stylist at Evolution Salon, Kicked A$$ with the Hair and Makeup. You can follower her on Instagram @maggiejeanhair or follow the Salon @evolutionsalondenver.
After the hair and makeup was finished, Kaysie had the opportunity to try on some rad dresses, even a dress from Berta, her favorite designer. Joy got in contact with Mary the owner over at Metal Mark Fine Jewelry and she came over and provided us with some gorgeous pieces for the shoot. Seriously, check them out.
As a guy this was my first experience in the world of bridal dress fitting. It is such an intense choice. I never really thought it could be as hard as brides make it out to be. But, as I watched Kaysie try on the dresses each one looked better than the last.
Anna Be's store manager, Joy, is amazing when it comes to knowing what dresses will look fit well on what body types. She had a few dresses in mind when we arrived and they were all perfect.
(As a side note, while we were talking, Joy told me that they have an amazing retention rate for stylists. They all love what they do and from what I can tell they are all amazing at it. The parent company - a&bé - has bridal shops in Denver, Dallas, Miami, Minneapolis, and Portland. But Anna Be on Denver is a separate collection from the rest.)
After the fittings we headed out to Boulder to for the super sunny locations. If you are a photographer reading this, you know the fear of shooting in direct sun. The harsh shadows, the blown out highlights, and the super saturated colors. But, we scheduled this and I knew that chances are we would have a beautiful sunny day. So I was ready to face the challenge.
I will write a future post for all you photographers about shooting in direct sun and making the most of it.
But without further rambling of words, I will show you the images which you came here to view. Also below is a video that I shot during the experience for fun.
Dress - Made With Love - Hayley
So this was just the first dress/location. Check out Blog number 2 that is filled with all sorts of photo goodness from the other 3 dresses. You can see that here!
Vendors
Anna Be www.anna-be.com - www.instagram.com/annabebridal
Evolution Salon http://www.evolutionsalondenver.com/ - www.instagram.com/evolutionsalondenver - www.instagram.com/maggiejeanhair
Metalmark Fine Jewelry - https://metalmarkfinejewelry.com/ - www.instagram.com/metalmarkfinejewelry
Wedding Flowers
So prior to becoming a wedding photographer I never noticed the flowers at the wedding. I might speak for most guys in that this may be one of the last things on our minds when it comes to weddings. The first is probably food. Even if you are the groom, the food and drink may come before any other details. Now I know there are exceptions. I had a wedding this year where the groom was a musician and cared about the reception and the music more than anything. But the ladies love flowers. So I wanted to let some of these long wilted lovelies live on.
But now, flowers are one of the details that I am most excited to see. Every wedding is different and every bride has a different vision.
I had two wedding this year that had arrangements that stood out. Elizabeth had one of the most unique bouquets. Her husband Grant is the head coach of Brown University's baseball team so there were many elements that included a baseball theme. My favorite part was that the boutonniere for Grant was made out of a baseball leather, and Liz's flowers had a baseball flower in them as well. You can see their wedding here. Flowers provided by Blooming Blossoms.
But one of the best flower arrangements was from Caitlin and Drew's wedding. Caitlin is a horticulturalist with the parks in New York. Growing up she worked for Weedweavers of Wakefield, and Elaine created some masterpieces for the wedding. You can see the full wedding here. There are so many from this wedding I had to share all of them.
Below are a few more of my favorites!
