March 11, 2025

Vintage Bridal and Boudoir Portraits at Le Chateau Broyhill in Lenoir North Carolina

I offer complimentary bridal sessions for my brides because not only are they gorgeous, but they also add so much value for the bride-to-be!

When you book a wedding day with me, you get the choice of having a separate bridal portrait session, and here are a few reasons why:

♡ Brides Get A Stress-Free Environment with less people to worry about: Without the time constraints of the wedding day, brides can relax and enjoy the photo session even more, resulting in more natural beautiful images!
♡ Hair & Makeup Trial: It serves as an excellent opportunity to do a trial run of the wedding day hairstyle & makeup. After seeing the photos, brides can make any necessary adjustments before the big day.
♡ Wardrobe & Accessory Check: Brides can make changes to avoid any wardrobe undergarment and shoe malfunctions or mismatches.
♡ Extra Time for Creative Shots: Without the pressure of the wedding day schedule, we get more time to experiment with different poses, locations, and lighting to capture unique and artistic shots!
♡ Venue Preview: If the session is held at the wedding venue, it provides a preview of how the location will photograph, allowing for better planning of photo spots on the actual day. Or, we can explore another venue for fun!
♡ Boosts Confidence: Seeing yourself looking stunning will boost confidence and dissolve any camera shyness if you have any…
♡ Backup Photos: In case of bad weather on the big day, you’ll already have a set of bridal photos!

So, just how do you prepare for a bridal session??

Here are a few easy •planning tips• to ensure we have the best session together:

1. Schedule the Ideal Time: Golden Hour Or Early Morning is fantastic if we are at an outdoor venue. Just after sunrise or before sunset, for soft, flattering light✨ We can extend our time together after sunset for 💙”blue hour” portraits too. We’ll keep a watch on the weather and have a backup plan for rain or extreme conditions.

2. Consider the Location: Let’s choose a venue together that complements your dress and style. If we’re not using your wedding venue, I’ll help us find places with beautiful scenery, architecture, or meaningful significance that you like.

3. Book your Hair & Makeup trial with your stylist in advance + bring your fav lip color for touch-ups.
& please GET A MANICURE, OBVI!

4. After your dress has been altered the way you like, make sure you bring accessories you love, your veil, fav shoes + the undergarments you plan to wear on your wedding day to ensure it all works correctly and comfortably – you’ll be so glad you did this!

5. Moisturize your skin! If you plan to use a self tanner, do it well in advance to avoid orange streaks.

6. Optional: Bring One supportive friend or favorite family member. They can help carry items or fluff your dress, give you water, hype you up with me, etc. 🙂

7. Stay Positive & Trust Your Photographer: focus on the joy and excitement of your upcoming wedding day, and enjoy the journey of the season you’re in. Rely on my expertise in making you feel comfortable and creating beautiful memories for you. Relax and have fun!

I absolutely loved this classy, special session at one of my fav venues, The Broyhill Chateau, in North Carolina! Just give me all the bridal sessions at French style chateaus! We made photos closer to the evening during 💙”blue hour”. This is the long moment of twilight just after sunset when the sky takes on a deep blueish hue. It can be a magical time for photos as the lighting is soft, and you get a unique contrast of cool blue tones of the sky and warm ambient artificial light for a dramatic effect.

I also offer elegant boudoir sessions as an option to add onto our bridal session together!

It’s convenient to pair this with your bridals as you’re already dolled up for our portraits together. You get to have an outfit change before or after you get into your dress, and we get to have a couple of hours making gorgeous photos together.

A boudoir photo shoot can make you feel super glam and boost your confidence while also providing a fun little gift to your hubs. As with any shoot with me, I make sure my brides are comfortable and relaxed.