“Don’t get me wrong, we had an AWESOME wedding, but if I could do it all over again, I would have changed my dress and photographer…” she said as she stared down into her cup of coffee.
I love Jenn. Chelsea, my cousin, introduced us when Jenn was pregnant with her handsome little man Tyler, and we have grown to become friends since! Imagine my shock when I received an email from her asking if I still needed a new intern for the year… “YES YES YES, A MILLION TIMES YES.”
When you have a great team to work with, it helps you relax and enjoy everything that much more. Jenn has the best personality, keeps me on my toes, can take charge at a moment’s notice, and can help out whenever I need her. We had our teamwork really tested at the bridal show, and I walked away from it not thinking about how awesome the show was, because it was, but instead thinking about how awesome Jenn is. She would step up and reach out to total strangers with me, she would talk a couple through my pricing if I was speaking with another couple, and she just GOT it. At the same time, I was really upset inside… You see, Jenn and I got together about a month and a half or so ago. We talked about life, but just before I had to leave she sprung some news on me… “Casey? I need to tell you… There’s a 99% chance that I will be moving in March or April.” My heart hit the floor as my mind flooded with questions about what to do next. I really didn’t want to lose this amazing girl! And now after experiencing how perfect we work together and having our weekly girl date nights, I really don’t want to lose her! But this is life. Things happen that are out of our control, and we have to just roll on with the punches.
I wanted to really surprise her with something to thank her for all she’s done for me, but also to give back to her – something I knew she would love and thoroughly enjoy. It wasn’t until I went to DC that Chelsea and I began planning what to do for her. Instantly, we knew what we had to do. The Tuesday after I got back from DC, I rushed to get up with Jenn to see which weekends she was free because I know her time is packed with travels and packing and fixing up the house and her family. The only time that really worked was THAT weekend… giving me only 4 days to pull it all together! I pulled the last one off in 3 days, so I knew it was possible. I contacted one of my past brides that’s working on coordinating weddings now, Faith Coble, and asked if she’d be up to the challenge! She gladly said yes, and we got to work! By the end of the first day, we had a dress, a location, flowers, and a cake. That was also the same night that I asked Jenn to meet me for dinner because I had to tell her everything so we could go get her dress on Wednesday.
“Jenn… I have to tell you something. What you said to me really made an impact, and I wanted to thank you for everything. So… I’ve planned a styled session just for you. Faith is helping to design it. Icing On The Edge has a cake waiting for you, The Bride’s Choice has a dress waiting for you, and Dennis Vineyards is opening their vineyard up to you. On Saturday, you will come there, get your hair and makeup done, get into your dress, and we will go throughout the vineyard while I photograph you. My sister will be there to take care of Tyler, and after that I will have you change and have a session right at sunset with your husband.”
Jenn was completely shocked. She stared at me, jaw dropped, for at least a minute.
“You… You can’t be serious. This isn’t real…” she whispered.
“Oh, but it is! Are you up to it?”
I watched as Jenn burst with excitement and laughter – knowing she would be getting that chance to go dress shopping for the first time, knowing she would be having some professional photos done after getting all dolled up, and knowing that the focus of this entire evening would be about her and celebrating her life with her family.
On Wednesday, I took Jenn to The Bride’s Choice to find her dress. Kim, the owner, immediately knew which one would be “the one”, but had Jenn pick out a couple options. I heard giggles and the sound of ribbon and fabric being fluffed, and as I turned the corner I saw Jenn standing there grinning with her hands propped on her hips. The dress chosen was exactly the one Kim said it would be (she’s such a pro!). Friday, we both met up with Sharon of Icing On The Edge to pick out a cake. I had already picked one out in my mind, and to my surprise, Jenn picked out the same one (see Jenn, YOU CAN’T MOVE AWAY). That night, I ran out to Trader Joe’s to grab several bunches of flowers. I know that detail and color really make a photo, but also know Jenn loves wildflowers… sooooo I tried to find flowers that matched this that would also pop in a vineyard. Saturday came, and we all began arriving at Dennis Vineyards. While Faith and I were outside setting everything up, Jenn and Alexa were inside getting ready. I heard Jenn call out that she was ready, and WOW – she looked so stunning and amazing!!
I began working on photographing the details first, making sure that I covered everything I needed to. After that I moved Jenn in for some, but had to take her into the vineyard while the sun was being softened by some clouds. We worked throughout there, but then Jenn’s husband arrived… so I had this idea of doing a first look with them 🙂 I believe these photos will speak for themselves!
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We headed back out into the vineyard, but something caught my eye….
Um. Yea. I realized it wasn’t heading in the other direction as I originally thought- oh no. It was headed straight towards US. Immediately, the French guy in the ‘End of the world’ video came to mind. We kicked it off into overdrive as I began barking orders with posing while Alexa took off to grab the necklace and earrings Kim gave us as a second look option.
“Jenn, put your hand here. Tilt your head this way. Look down. Look at me. Place your other hand here.”
I looked back and saw this huge white mist covering just down the road and knew we had to move quickly back to the shelter… But then Jenn moved a certain way so I yelled “BAHHH STOP!” and snapped one last photo 😉 We raced back out of the vines and just as Jenn made it safely inside, chaos struck. Rain began pounding down a few feet from our setup, and we grabbed my second camera, the cake, and the majority of the props we had out, and began rushing them inside before the rain made its way to us. Wind was blowing, debris was flying in the air (I’m not even lying – it was kinda scary), and we were all huddled up inside. I was not about to let the rain bring us down…. I grabbed the beautifully crafted ottoman sitting in the bridal room, and had Jenn begin workin’ it. After some time, the rain finally stopped… I really wanted to take Jenn back out to grab just a couple more poses, but she laughed a little at the thought of us marching through the now soaked vineyard in a wedding dress. BUT IT HAPPENED. And I love the results 🙂
Although we didn’t get a chance to do the session with Jenn and Chris together due to the sudden monsoon that took us down, it will be happening, so be on the lookout!
OH! And also, I have finally uploaded my first PASS gallery!! Check it out 🙂 This is the future here. Just sayin.
http://caseyhphotos.pass.us/springstyledsession
Special thanks to these fine folks for making this happen:
Dress and jewelry: The Bride’s Choice
Cake: Icing On The Edge
Location: Dennis Vineyards
Coordinator: Faith Coble
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