I’ve never been engaged, so I’ve never had a real reason to wear a wedding dress. I’ve always wondered what it’s like for the brides I work with — are the dresses heavy? Do you sweat? How do you pee?
That changed last month when my friend Kimberly from KMitiska Photography asked me to model for a styled shoot in Evergreen. I jumped at the chance to see what it’s like on the other side of the camera.
We headed to Brilliant Bridal to try on gowns. I didn’t know what to expect — I’ve only seen dress shopping on Say Yes to the Dress, and as an only child, I’ve never gone with a sister or anyone else.
Thoughts while trying on the dresses:
These things can be heeaaaavvvvvyyyyy. I tried on a few dresses with intricate beading across the entire bodice, and they were a lot to carry. I’m a sweaty person by nature, so the thought of wearing one of those on a hot summer day — let’s just say I’d melt like the Wicked Witch of the West.
We went with two lighter dresses, which was the right call. The heavier, beaded options were also hard to move around in.
Strapless dresses aren’t so bad. My neck is my least favorite part of my body — we all have that one area, right? So I’ve always gravitated toward things that cover it up: scarves, boatneck shirts, collars. The idea of going strapless was a little scary.
After trying on nothing but strapless gowns though, I realized my neck isn’t so terrible after all — and that I actually looked good and felt confident in them.
Booty booty booty booty rockin’ everywhere! Once you’re in the dressing room, you’re down to your skivvies — with the help of the bridal shop assistant. That might feel uncomfortable depending on your modesty level. I was fine with it since I’d live in underwear if I could, but it really hit me how intimate — and intimidating — dress shopping can be.
Two weeks later, it was time for the shoot! The getting ready process was just as fun as the shoot itself. My roommate Hallie of Starling Salon and Hallie Adrian Hair worked her magic on my hair that morning.
After that, makeup artist Cassandra Garza gave me the bronziest, smokiest eye I’ve ever had — and it didn’t budge throughout the two-hour shoot or well into the evening.
Kim wanted two distinct looks. One for the traditional, glam bride and one for something a little more outdoorsy. We built each look around our two strapless gowns and differentiated them through accessories.
For the first, we added a stunning crystal headpiece from Veil Trends and kept everything else minimal.
For the second look, we brought in a plaid flannel top from Charlotte Russe and a dramatic black lace veil, also from Veil Trends. Our florist Sarah from Something Styled Events + Floral Design made a jaw-dropping moody bouquet and floral crown.
Everything came together perfectly.
Now, for the fun part: the shoot!
Photo shoot thoughts:
My self-consciousness kicked in the second the camera came out. I consider myself a fairly confident person — I think most business owners have to be — but being photographed in a gown was a different story.
Eventually the nerves faded as I found my groove with Kim behind the lens. It really drove home how important it is to book a wedding photographer you actually click with. Kim made me feel gorgeous, and her encouragement brought me out of my shell.
Two words: HAIR SPRAY. Your stylist will send you out the door with your hair ready to face the elements — but Mother Nature does what she wants. Thanks to Hallie, my curls and volume held up throughout the entire shoot.
That said, it was super windy at both locations, and there were moments of hair whipping everywhere, stray strands across my forehead, and some serious static.
The fix was simple: hair spray. I brought a can just in case, and I’m so glad I did. Add it to your wedding day checklist!
Yes, it really is as hard to walk in these things as it looks. Damn. This caught me off guard more than anything else. Sure, I’ve worn my share of heels out at the bars in college — but combining a long wedding gown, four-inch heels I hadn’t touched in forever, and uneven, muddy terrain? That’s a challenge reserved for superheroes.
It took me ages to get anywhere in that gown, and I immediately felt for every bride I’ve ever worked with.
Pro tip to grooms, brides, and bridal party members: help the bride carry her gown, her bouquet, her whatever on the wedding day. It is not a feat for mere mortals.
Having an extra person there made a huge difference. Sarah Johns — the florist and event planner we worked with for the shoot — stayed with us at every location. She tweaked the floral crown as needed, smoothed out the dress when it got bunchy, carried things while I focused on not spraining my ankles, and kept an eye on anything else that needed attention.
Having that extra set of eyes kept the shoot running smoothly and let Kim focus on doing what she does best. While a stylist isn’t always realistic for every wedding, a wedding planner or day-of coordinator is.
I can’t recommend it enough, regardless of how big or small your wedding is. Once that dress is on, the last thing you want to be doing is managing the fine print details of your day.
Hand those off to someone else — a coordinator or event designer is a great option for exactly that.
Veils have a mind of their own. For the first glam look, the headpieces were low-maintenance and easy to adjust on the fly.
The second look with the red flannel was a different story — we added that statement black lace veil from Veil Trends. I’ve helped plenty of brides with their veils throughout the day, but I’d never actually worn one myself.
And let me tell you. Veils are one of the most timeless accessories a bride can wear, but they’re also one of the most high-maintenance. Every time Kim adjusted the veil to get it photo-ready, it felt like my head was being pulled in every direction.
I knew she was being as gentle as possible — that’s just the nature of veils. They’re attached to your head, and wherever the veil goes, your head follows. If you’ve ever had your hair pulled even slightly, you know the feeling.
Brides, I feel for you — these things are no joke.
I wish bridal portraits would catch on more here in Colorado. I’ve done a few sessions for my brides and have always hoped the trend would take off — it’s huge in the south but hasn’t really landed here yet.
There have been so many wedding days where the timeline gets squeezed due to a late vendor, hair and makeup running long, or rain pushing everything back, and on those days it gets tough to get great solo portraits of each person. A bridal portrait session before the wedding is the perfect solution.
Why not schedule your hair, makeup, and bouquet trial on the same day and book the portrait session right after? You get more images in the wedding gear you’ve invested heavily in, and you get a full run-through of what to expect on the wedding day.
Everyone wins.
All that said, this was seriously a blast. As stressful as all those little pieces can be, I couldn’t help but feel incredible during the shoot. The annoying bits faded away the moment I realized how beautiful I felt in those gowns.
It was so much fun — and it made me even more excited for the brides I’ll be working with this year. I mean, if I had this much fun marrying myself, just imagine how good it feels to do all of this and marry the person of your dreams.
To all my delightful brideys out there reading this, I can’t wait for your wedding day to get you in that bangin’ dress and to get those rad, once-in-a-lifetime photos. Hopefully some of my wedding dress tips can help you get ready for your wedding day!
x Ashley
