Damion's timeless approach of combining beautiful photojournalism with portraiture & the ease with which he captures precious moments & exquisite details alike, has thrust Damion forward as one of the most sought after photographers in Northern California. He and his wife Julie's genuine honesty, integrity as well as raw skill behind the camera is what makes them one of the most celebrated teams in the Napa Valley.
Do Weddings Smarter.
Simple concept.
Thinking about what you want from your wedding and reaching those goals in a smarter, more efficient way.
Weddings are one of those things that are so infused with tradition that sometimes tradition overrides practicality. And to add to that, almost every client that we have is well, a first timer–a first time bride! So, much of our job description, as photographers and people who want to see each wedding day be the best it can be, ends up being education; educating our clients on ways and tips that will make their days better, easier, more productive and will help them meet the goals that they have for the day! For instance, for most couples, beautiful bride & groom portraits are a main goal of the day of course! But, how does one achieve that? What are the factors that go into reaching that goal from the preparation months ahead to the timeline of the day to the location chosen? There are so many factors that can influence you reaching that goal!
We want you to have the BEST wedding day possible, so here’s what we are going to do…we’re going to share with you some tips that, in our opinion, might give you some food for thought as to how to reach your ultimate goals for your wedding day and might cause you to stop and think about why we do what we do at weddings. Of course, these Do Weddings Smarter features are just that…only our opinion based on experiencing many a wedding. We know that there are thousands, heck maybe millions or billions, of them (opinions) out there, so our opinion in any given situation might not be the best choice for you, but the goal of these posts it to make you stop, think, and make an informed decision about what you would like to do and what goals you want to accomplish! Obviously we are not experts on wedding planning or fashion, etc, but we have learned a bit about what makes for a great day and wonderful photographs.
First topic up for discussion: BRIDESMAID DRESSES!
Think about this: Have you ever wondered why most bridesmaids traditionally wear the same dress? ORIGIN: It is thought that the tradition of wearing the same dress comes from the fact that long ago, the bridesmaids began wearing dresses that looked similar to each other, so as to confuse the “evil spirits.” Apparently, if the bride looked similar in appearance to the bridesmaids, the “evil spirits” would not know which one was the bride.
Yet, this currently remains one of the challenging parts about planning a wedding. You have beautiful friends and sisters and special women in your life who come in a variety of shapes and sizes and skin tones and you deeply want each one of them to look their best, but unfortunately one size, shape, or color doesn’t usually fit all! I think it’s wonderful and oh so smart to see the trends moving towards letting the bridesmaids choose a dress that is perfect for them in either fit or color or both! I’ve collected a Pinterest Bridesmaid Dresses Board here that shows some of the options that you might want to consider for your bridesmaids that still lend themselves to the design, color theme, and mood of your wedding and there are tons of them! You could select all dresses of the same color with different shapes (give each girl a swatch of the color or color scheme), all similar dresses in varied tones, or just have a mix-match of dresses that showcase personality but coordinate together! There are many options that have the potential to be super flattering to each of the special ladies in your life and contribute greatly to the feel and style of your wedding, but it might require thinking outside of the box! Go outside….it’s better than inside the box
I do have to share with you what I believe to be one of the most flattering dresses on every body shape of the nine bridesmaids involved in this particular wedding. Shannon’s bridesmaids wore this simple ruched dress by Bill Levkoff (Style 672) and it was exquisite on everyone in the bridal party from the tall and slender frame, to the petite curvy frame, and even to the little pregnant belly that didn’t know she was pregnant when she bought the dress. The ruching was brilliant…it softened curves and made beautiful shapes out of each person’s curves and the belt added the touch that was needed to define the waist. I’m not typically fond of strapless dresses (but that’s another post on why!) but these dresses were great and one of the bridesmaids actually added straps onto hers which turned out very tastefully! Obviously, pink might not be your color, but there are plenty of colors to choose from and most of all, I would definitely encourage you to find a dress that is gracious in terms of flattering many body types of course!
So if your goal is to find dresses for the special women in your life that are show them off in their best light AND contribute to the style of your wedding, don’t be confined to the idea that the dresses all have to be the same! Find freedom in the creativity of doing something different and your girls will love it too! If you love the look of the same bridesmaids dress, just be sure to pick a style that is flattering for everyone. You want your bridesmaids to love how they look! We would love to hear what you are doing to address this sometimes sensitive topic of bridesmaids dresses?? How are you catering to individuals needs and concerns within your group??
Here’s Shannon with the bridesmaids. Notice every bridesmaid looks great in this dress!
If there are any topics that you would like to hear more about, please let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to discuss it in a subsequent blog post!! Have an awesome weekend!
by julie
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