Lucy + Stephen
When Lucy called me asking to see if I would be interested in doing a Bridal Session with she and Stephen I was so excited I literally jumped up and down! Dom and I had enjoyed Lucy and Stephen’s engagement session so much that the chance to spend more time with them and capture some stunning Bridal Portraits was just a dream come true.
Lucy and Stephen will be having their wedding in Utah, but their home is Oregon so for their Bridal Portraits they wanted a location that really felt like classic PNW. Dom and I had been scouting around for a new location for autumn sessions when we stumbled upon Dabney State Recreation Area which is just outside Troutdale and nestled along the Sandy River. Although we had originally envisioned it for fall, I knew it had everything Lucy was looking for to create a truly NW feel for her portraits.
Unbeknownst to Stephen the night before our session, Lucy contacted me about a devious plan she had cooked up to surprise Stephen in a big way during their first look. We adjusted the time of the shoot to accommodate this surprise and I brought along Dom to distract Stephen while we get everything set up.
Once everything was in place, Lucy’s dad drove her over to the first look location and she hopped out of the pickup and made her way over to her future husband. Breaking into a full-out run so that the noise from her outfit didn’t give anything away, she whirled Stephen around to show him the surprise!
Bursting into full-belly laughter, Stephen was practically breathless as he took in the sight of his bride-to-be. Dressed in a gigantic red “tube-man” costume, complete with fan to keep everything puffed up, Lucy’s gorgeous face peeked out of the tiny face hole, beaming and giggling as Stephen attempted to recover from his fits of laughter.
If there is one thing I’ve learned about Lucy and Stephen it’s that they LOVE to laugh and be silly! The way Lucy planned out this first look was no exception. Lucy confided in me that she had gone back and forth on whether to create this unique surprise, but in then end Stephen confirmed, it was a perfect for them and he was so glad she went through with it!
After a few “formal portraits” with Stephen and his “Wimbly” bride, Lucy went to change into her actual gown and we did a second and much more traditional first look.
We enjoyed a sunny afternoon walking all over the park-like setting of the recreation area and ventured down to the river for some epic veil shots. Lucy and Stephen were amazing and highly participatory in suggesting fun poses to try and Stephen was even sport enough to don Lucy’s veil for a minute while I snapped a few silly shots.
As we wrapped up our portraits and Lucy returned to her car ready to speed off to her bridal shower, she gave me a wedding invitation with an image from their engaegment session on it and was even sweet enough to invite Dom and I to their Oregon celebration later this summer.
You would be hard-pressed to find a sweeter, more enjoyable couple to spend such a silly and amazing Bridal Session with! Lucy and Stephen, I know your ceremony in Utah will be amazing and Dom and I can’t thank you enough for letting us be a part of your wedding journey!
