The Rosson House Styled Shoot

Any Downton Abbey fans out there?! I am definitely a fan of the hit T.V. show, and I highly recommend it to anyone that loves period dramas like Mad Men, The Tudors, Game of Thrones, etc.

So, when Whitney from Gold Soul Photographs approached me about doing a styled bridal shoot at the Rosson House in downtown Phoenix I was excited because she wanted it to be a modern take on the styles of the early 1900's. The Rosson House is one of the few historic places in downtown Phoenix that was built during that time considering Arizona didn't become a state until 1912 - exactly 100 years ago. As you can see in the photo above, it's pretty spectacular, and I would say it's the closest to Phoenix's Downton Abbey.

With the house setting the tone, I selected a simple lace gown with an empire waist from Wedding Belles Bridal Boutique. Since it is strapless, it is obviously WAY more modern than what would be acceptable back then, but with just a piece of tulle I created two different looks to add more coverage to the dress. You can see what I mean in the photos above and below.

I found this AMAZING pearl collar necklace at a vintage shop called Antique Sugar. Collar necklaces are very popular right now, so I'm really happy I purchased it. It was from the 1950's, but I thought the intricacy of the necklace and the fact it was made of pearls was very complementary. Plus, the strapless dress was just begging for something to fill in the space.

The hair and makeup really brought the whole look home. It is more reminiscent of the 1920's, but I wouldn't have gone any other way.

For the groom we kept things simple. A black suit with a vest, cufflinks, white shirt and a pocket square. You can't really go wrong when you stay classic.

I would LOVE, LOVE to have a Downton Abbey wedding, but since I'm already married this was the next best thing! Check out Whitney's website for a little video of the shoot.

Hair- Melanie from Curls Gone Wild Salon in Gilbert, AZ. Makeup- Azure from Artistry by Azure Stylist- Alex Evjen from AVE Styles (pearl choker provided by Antique Sugar in Phoenix) Venue- The Rosson House Museum Gown- Natalie from Wedding Belles Bridal Boutique in Gilbert, AZ. Photography- Whitney from Gold Soul Photographs Table styled by- Paula and Brittany Anderson (chairs and dishes provided by Merchant Square Antique Mall in Gilbert) Florals- Tamara from AZ Petal Pushers Paper Goods- Stephanie from Paper INKlinations Models- Rachel Kress and Chris Procopio

Howard & Heather Styled

Howard and Heather are a couple that I got to style for their engagement photos with Melissa Jill. They remind me of me and Ryan in that Howard is willing to wear clothes that Heather picks out, but HATES shopping. Heather is a complete fashionista. She even went to fashion school, so you know the girl definitely cares about her clothes. That's me and my husband in a nutshell too.

It was a blast working with them! They chose to have their photos taken in Flagstaff, and took advantage of the beautiful trees as well as the old brick buildings in downtown Flag. I made sure they had the outfits for both.

For the more urban setting we chose to dress them up, and selected a bright fun silk dress for Heather. It is completely indicative of her bubbly personality, and it stood out against the simple backdrops of the town. With a lavender shirt, a sport coat and some great jeans, Howard complemented Heather perfectly.

For the outdoors outfits, we stuck to something that was cozy and fashionable at the same time. What is more "in" than a chambray shirt, some leggings and a pair of great boots, no? AND we got Howard to sport a shawl cardi! Isn't he so cute in it?!

It was a blast working with them. To see more photos, visit Melissa's blog.

Goodwill Bride

Hello, hello! Though my posts may be a bit sporadic I sure do have some fun things to share with you. One of them being a little anniversary shoot that my dear friends Jessica and Jason Williams of Session Nine Photography did with Mike Olbinski.

I wasn't on site to be a part of the whole thing, but I definitely would have been if I could. At least I got to go wedding dress shopping with Jess, and the BEST part is that we found a gorgeous dress for under $100.00 at Goodwill.

YEP! You can buy gently used wedding dresses at Goodwill. They actually have a whole bridal boutique within certain stores. How awesome is that?! Makes you a bit bummed when you think about how much you spend on your wedding dress, right?

Jess had fun making the dress look a bit more rock 'n roll by cutting up the bottom. =)

Check out more photos from the awesome anniversary shoot on Mike's blog!

Jessica & Travis Virtually Styled

I LOVE styling engagement shoots. Two people in love are the perfect clients, no? I was thrilled to get to style Jessica and Travis, clients of Jeffrey Shipley's, for their engagement shoot in California. Seeing the photos makes me WISH I could have been there, but it also makes me so happy that I was able to style them perfectly from afar.

Jessica and Travis both appreciate fashion and trends, and wanted to look picture perfect for their photo session with Jeff. After collaborating on a Pinterest board, they went out shopping and came back with clothes that fit them well, are timeless and colorful. All qualities you want to see in an outfit for photos that you are going to look back on for a lifetime.

Jeff did a tremendous job capturing their love and good looks. I can't wait to style more beautiful clients of his. =) To see more photos from this engagement session, please visit Jeff's blog.

Motherhood & Elle

Well, hello there! Long time no talk. I wonder why...Maybe because of this little munchkin...

Miss Elle has kept me VERY busy. It may be an understatement, but I can sum up my first month of being a mom in two words - LIFE. CHANGING.

Taking a shower where I actually shave my legs, eating more than a handful of cereal for lunch, wearing something more than concealer, going outside for more than the mail...Those are all rarities right now. I know it's to be expected for the first month, but it's still hard to adjust to such a HUGE change in 30 days.

We're starting to get the hang of things though, and soon enough I'll be back out there with a little sidekick. To see some pictures by Session Nine Photography of our first week home with Elle, click here. To see pictures of her nursery and newborn shoot by Mike Olbinski, click here.

More life updates to come!

*All photos by Mike Olbinski