Mary Ashley was such a beautiful bride! She’s a natural beauty, and I absolutely loved meeting her and her family. When she first reached out to me, we saw that we both shared a love for ‘baby Yoda’ or ‘Grogu’ — the most adorable little green alien character from a popular tv series(if you know, you know!!). We bonded over that, and I enjoyed seeing her love for vintage cars. Because of Ashley’s passion for vintage cars, she has a dedicated social media page specific to her hobby, and we even included her old beloved Chevy in her photos.

We started at her grandparent’s house, and her sweet grandpa tagged along to assist in fluffing her dress and even holding up extra lighting once the sun set. I mean it when I say that her family was the sweetest to work with. Ashley has a close relationship with her grands, and by the end of our session, we had her grandpa hold up a cell flashlight for a couple of night portraits in a wheat field. I really enjoyed our session at Anne Springs by the Dairy Barn during the soft evening golden hour. Even the horses came out to say hi!

There really are several great benefits to doing bridal sessions. The bride gets a chance before the big day to try out hair and makeup and adjust anything she may want to change. Brides also get a chance to have more pictures made alone in their dress and see if any extra alterations need to happen. Then, we get a chance to explore a location, possibly even outside of the wedding venue. I’ll continue to share benefits from doing bridal sessions as they’re some of my favorite photo sessions to do. Here are some of my favorites from this one:

Dress: New York Bride and Groom in Charlotte

H&MU: Maria from H2studio