Hidden Talents

My completely lovely friend Stephanie is getting married.  And I got to go dress shopping with her last week.  Awwww yeah!  The instant she told me about her plans, a fully rendered image popped right into my head:  I pictured her in a sleek, simple, beautiful cowl-neck silk satin, cut on the bias, beautifully made, super slinky with an absolutely perfect fit.

Steph had a few ideas about what she likes, but she wanted to keep an open mind and sample a variety of styles.  She’s gorgeous inside and out, and totally rocked every dress she tried.  Clearly, though, she did NOT love them all.  This one was a little too lacy, and sparkly:

This one was a little too 70’s glam (but I think our buddy Anna may wear it for her vow renewal):

This one had a bit of a Spanish flavor and it looked beautiful…

but Steph just wasn’t feeling it.

She wore her heart on her sleeve.  If she wasn’t comfortable in the dress, her body language announced it the moment she set foot outside the dressing room.

Finally, she came back to this little cowl-neck number, and decided it was the biggest contender of the lot. 

I patted myself on the back, since it was kinda similar to my original vision.  And Steph looked hot:

The next day my gals and I headed to a little salon party in Steph’s honor, and on the way I announced that after sleeping on it, I really wanted to see Steph in a dress with a cowl neck like the one she tried… but I wanted to see a low-cut cowl back as well, and I wanted it to be in a much finer fabric and exquisitely made.  THAT was my vision.

Steph had done more dress shopping at Amy Kuschel Bride before coming to the salon, and she was a little giddy about her favorite gown there:  “It had a cowl neck in the front, a low cowl in the back, and the fabric was so incredibly gorgeous and heavy that it draped sooo beautifully… and it just felt delicious to wear it.”

Can I just say… BOO-YAH!  Yep, I had to toot my horn just a bit, because yep, I totally nailed it, and it was more than a little satisfying.  Of course, it may have been a total fluke, but I guess it’s nice to think that maybe, just maybe during my 12+ years of photographing brides, I’ve learned a little something about judging a gorgeous gown for a particular bride - simply by osmosis.  And I had a blast - so if any of my brides need another opinion… I’m available!