Toes In The Sand

Saturday was my first beach wedding of the 2013 season.  The bride and groom picked a great spot and made the best of a rainy day to celebrate the start to a whole new life.  I wanted a share a little summary of the day and some of my favorite moments with you all.

Congratulations again on your marriage!

 

 

Farmer's Markets Are Wonderful

This week is crowded with work.  Tuesday - Sunday I will be assisting my favorite florist with their busy Mother's Day ordering season, Saturday is my first beach wedding of 2013, and next week I will be meeting with fellow small business owners to discuss having some Weddings By Armando original designs on display at their boutique!

To get ready for all of that I spent Saturday back at the Farmer's Market in Portland.  My son and I enjoyed sampling and selecting our delicious local goodies and eating a healthy lunch in the park at the duck pond.  I apologize in advance that I will disappear for most of the week, but to get you all in the mood for some lovely summer weather I'll give you these beautiful images of fresh food and local goods.  Support your local farmers and visit the market yourself (or check out one near you).

A Slight Change Of Course

Over the last few months I have been busy working on designs for gowns and thinking about styles.  I keep looking at these dresses thinking back to when I first started planning a wedding almost four years ago.  My introduction to the world of wedding gown shopping was horrible, and I feel that the cause was the despicable way that some "professionals" felt they could treat a person in my situation. 

I was that most dreaded of taboo women in the world of weddings... an obviously pregnant bride.  We had started planning a wedding in October, before we even knew I was expecting, but as my due date approached I became more worried about the need for us to get married so his paternal rights would not be in question. The expectation of a WEDDING was stressful enough, but then I decided to go dress shopping...

Images from my maternity shoot shown here.
Photos by the wonderful Suzanne Lee Photography

My mother and I searched online for ideas about what might look right on my very round belly. I had always kept a single “dream dress” in mind since seeing it once while looking at prom gowns years before. The style was popular and our local big-box wedding store happened to have that gown. I called to make an appointment and that was when the first sign of trouble came.

I was informed over the phone that their selection for “plus size” was limited and they do not carry a selection for pregnant brides; and yet I accepted that hazard because I knew nothing about selecting a dress. I received the not unexpected looks of disapproval as I stuffed my already uncomfortable body into gowns I disliked, because those were the only things I was given to try on. I endured the admonition that “only an empire waist will work” or that fitted gowns just make you look worse”.  To add insult to injury, I was told the dress that had brought me in was not available in a size I could try on and that ordering one to fit my belly would almost double our budget.

After almost an hour of allowing my belly, bust, and self-esteem to be crushed by dresses while listening to other shoppers whisper “what a shame” and “she shouldn't be in white”, I had enough. In an attempt to make me feel better, my mother took me to another store in the area that happened to have a number of gowns as prom season was just about to start. Their selection was made for tiny teen bodies, but at least there were no other brides giving dirty looks. This theme continued through several more bridal boutiques, box-stores, and finally an hopeless online search for gowns. I ended our trip thinking I would just have to get married in maternity jeans and that the world hated me for being pregnant... that was devastating.

Here I am in my wedding gown at thirty-three weeks.
Photos by the wonderful Suzanne Lee Photography

My search ended with me being forced to settle on a linen sun dress that showed off my belly and fit well enough for us to have our friend officiate in our living room with no guests or party. It was hardly the wedding I wanted, and still lingers in my mind as I try to make every couple understand that they have the right to enjoy their wedding. For my brides, I make sure to offer all the support and honesty I can as they face any number of body image issues.

I share all of this because it is time for Weddings By Armando to make a slight shift in direction. No longer just plus size, but all types of flattering gowns for the pregnant body will be my new focus. I want to help the brides with a baby bump (or full baby boulder) to feel as special as the size four in her virginal white veil.

Be proud of your body. That belly is the sign that you are building a whole new human. Weddings By Armando does not believe in charging extra for those added inches, and we offer styles both fitted and flowing to complement your figure.  Pregnancy is stressful enough, and weddings are their own special world of intense deadlines and demands; so take the shame out of it and consider that YOU DESERVE TO LOOK LOVELY TOO!

Earth Day & Spring Blooms

The flowers starting to bloom in front of my door.

My "day job" has eaten up a ton of time this month.  I agreed to take on extra hours when a co-worker left unexpectedly and we needed to fill the gaps in the week.  The income certainly has not hurt, but it makes time to shoot harder to find.  With the grass growing and the snow all gone, flowers have started to appear on the little patch of green between my front door and parking space and this makes me want to shoot even more.  Spring has such wonderful light for catching the natural world. 

Taken to show the new dye and make-up purchased 
from my "other job" at LUSH: Handmade Cosmetics.

To go with the change of seasons, I changed my hair color again.  This time going darker and working with the shorter trim I have now.  My skin has the wonderful pink glow that means my fragile balance between too much sun (I'm a lovely Victorian alabaster most of the time) and not being able to resist going out into the garden has shifted to the sunny side.  I think over the next few days while I am home it will get worse.  I plan on spending much of my time outside starting the long task of preparing my garden and playing with the tiny monster boy.

All this and planning out a photo shoot for the little man's birthday.  I avoided Easter photos with him but I cannot escape that his second birthday is coming and as a photographer mommy I will have to think about what to do for this year.  Two years is a hard age to shoot as he wants to run, giggle, fidget, and generally be a crazy little boy.  His favorite object at the moment is his blue kickball, and I suspect that will appear in this year's photos as well as the "guitar" he so enjoys (my husband's old PS2 controller) and his favorite shoes ever (my gardening boots).

Check back soon for wedding shots and some great wildlife items from a trip to the rescue and rehab center for injured animals!  Tonight I leave you with a look at one o my favorite parts of spring... baby things!  These kittens are from our neighbor's most recent litter of fluffy toe nibblers.

Spring Portfolio Cleaning

OneWed.com : Spring Green Wedding Shoes

It's spring, time to make my new list of photos I want to get for my portfolio while covering weddings this season.  I always consider the gaps and try to find ways to fill them without missing a moment of a bride's big day and making sure to work with her ideas.  I encourage every bride to build a profile on Pinterest and send a link while we are planning her details so that I can see the thoughts in her planning process and important moments she wants captured. 

This year I am all about the colorful brides.  The weddings I have booked are nontraditional in their color choices and I love that about these brides.  I look forward to picking up an image or two like this with color and class mixed into a different way to salute the wedding rings.  I'm a fan of shoes anyway, so it also feeding into my obsession with those things that cover a girl's toes.  

My other recent obsession is looking up wedding gowns through wholesale brokers online.  I spend a huge amount of time looking at dress designs on wholesale ordering sites to keep an eye on trends in bridal fashion.  I get to figure out if I am looking at a year full of lace or one with beading and bling.  I adore the fun of looking at lace and long flowing lines but short and flirty can be a welcome change as I book with modern brides.

I love the color and spark in this dress from MLtailor.com.  The flower detail on the waist is not my personal style, but is one of the better executions on a fabric flower that I have seen in the last few weeks.  Normally, I am also not a huge fan of peachy-pinks, but the blush tone on this is really pretty over the tulle layers in that mermaid gown, a works so well with the backdrop they selected for this shoot.  It all reminds me of spring!

Finally, I really want to play with perspective again this year.  I have a few ideas of what will work for poses, and now I just need to book enough weddings to keep up with them.  As of now, July is almost all open for bookings and one June weekend is un-filled.  I am looking to take elopements as well as large events to keep giving my all to couples on a budget for their day.  Remember to check out the new portfolio at www.AkelisStudios.com as well!

Beautiful Bride

Five years ago I was a bridesmaid at my best friend's wedding.  I remember helping her into her dress and braiding everybody's hair when the stylist canceled at the last minute and only called about two hours before the ceremony was supposed to start.  It no longer fits, but the dress I wore is still in my closet and reminds me of that day.

After five years of marriage, my college roommate finally made the choice to do some lovely boudoir as a gift for her hubby.  Taking advantage of the fact that five years and two children later she still fits her gown, she brought it along and we told a wonderful story.

Thank you so much for being an amazing friend!