Tessa’s beautiful bridal portraits are just a click away… you know what to do…

Most of my brides find me via Google.  Some of them find me on Facebook or through word of mouth, if I photographed one of their friends’ weddings.  Tessa found me in a most unusual and special way: she fell in love with my first cousin, Arthur.

Our family is big and loud and very close, and we love Tessa.  She has beautiful blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and she always has a smile on her face.  Most notably, she is amazingly patient with Arthur, who has always been hilarious and a little wild.  Every minute with Arthur is an adventure, and I’m so glad Tessa will be adventuring with him from now on.

Tessa and Arthur got married last month.  I haven’t blogged their wedding yet because I have something kind of special planned for it, if I can get it working right.  I also did some bridal pictures for Tessa back in May, and I’m so happy I can show them off now!  After doing three separate bridal portrait sessions in May, I can firmly say that I believe every bride should do a bridal portrait. I know that to some it seems old-fashioned, and I know you might not picture having a huge canvas of yourself in your home.  BUT bridal portraits are a Southern tradition.  Mothers love them, and they are so much fun! I mean, really – after spending all that time and money finding the perfect dress and veil, don’t you want to wear it more than once?

Additionally, we don’t always have a lot of time for bridal pictures during the wedding.  Well, no… let me restate that.  There is hardly ever any time for bridal portraits during the wedding. When I am lucky, I can get two of three shots of you alone.  Your bridal portrait session is a chance to test out your look and enjoy being pretty in your dream dress for an extra day.  They aren’t that risky, because we take our time (they can go 3 hours rather than my usual 1-2) and are extra careful to keep your dress clean.  If you are really worried about getting your gown dirty, schedule a bridal session post-wedding.

If I had a genie, I would wish that my house had air conditioning, that my dog would never ever die, and that every bride would do a separate bridal portrait.  Really.  I’m sold on them.  I think they’re well worth the time and energy to do.  (Plus, you know your mom will love the pics!)

End rant.  Begin Tessa!

I usually post in chronological order.  I’m going a little out of sequence for these photos because I want to save my favorites for the end.  Scroll all the way down.  I promise the last one is worth it!

These next ones are my favorites.  This one struck me immediately when I started processing.  I love the way her dress looks from the back, and while I sometimes get tired of sun flare, I think it is so romantic and fantastical in this shot.

Arthur’s grandmother Lu made Tessa’s veil (she also did all the wedding flower arrangements and decorated the fellowship hall, but you’ll see that later).  Tessa was just adjusting the headpiece in this shot – it wasn’t supposed to be a photo – but when the sun came in through the veil, I just thought it looked magical.

And I’m ordering a big canvas of this one.  It’s one of my very favorites from 2010 so far:

Tessa, welcome to our family, and happy adventuring.