Aurora.

There it sits, in the corner waiting to be brought to life for just this one day. Some might see the dress as just that, a dress.. a lifeless collection of beautiful fabrics, but I believe it to be more. I believe that the dress takes life even before she steps into it. As it sits there on the hanger, much like a muse of sorts, all of the energy that is building in this anticipation becomes a part of it. The tears of joy and the laughter amongst old friends as they share years of memories together, this energy becomes a part of everything around it. So that moment, when she steps in, is actually a transformation of energy or a magnetic reconnection, like an aurora. She literally becomes electric, and she can not help being beautiful. Not because of the fabric, or the makeup, or the hair, but because this is it. This is when it all becomes real. 

behind the bridal scenes.

This is the part of a wedding day that not everyone gets to see, or even experience. This is my favorite part. It is intimate, exciting, stressful, and fun. It is emotional. It is a bonding time between friends before the big moment. It is mom's last few moments with her daughter before she watches her walk down the aisle. It is the girl time. It is hair and makeup and nails and princess dresses and flowers and champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. It is the recount of embarrassing college memories that only these girls will ever know about. These are the last moments before the BIG moment. This part is important, and I am so grateful to have been able to share in so many of these moments with so many brides over the years. Jennifer Casserino-Misciagno and I had the honor of dressing all of the hair for this gorgeous wedding at the end of August in Hartford, CT. I brought my camera along to document the hair for our personal portfolios, and just couldn't help myself in-between styling girls.. I had to sneak a few shots of everyone. This group of ladies had such a positive energy about them, (not to mention that they were all adorable). And my multi-talented friend Meaghan Ryan picked up the camera for me at the very end to grab a few shots of me styling the bride, which was amazing!

These are the kinds of images I love the most; the ones that feel like there was never even a camera in the room. These are the images that tell the best, most truthful stories.

hair: Jennifer Marcuson: the artist and Jennifer Casserino-Misciagno of Strand Salon CT

makeup: Laura Clement of Naomi's Studio and Salon in West Hartford, CT

pour l'amour d'amour

I have worked in the wedding industry for ten years now. (That feels crazy to say). I still get excited at the thought of styling a bride for her big day. It is truly magical, and I am always so grateful to have been a tiny part of her lifelong memory. My big brother is getting married in 20 days. AHHHHHH. I am beyond thrilled for him and his beautiful finacée. It is just about all my three year old daughter Maxime is talking about these days(she is going to be a flower girl in the wedding). AND, I have the incredible honor of doing the bride's hair and makeup! I would go into detail about the look, but this is disclosed information.. my brother can not be finding anything out before the big day..

So, without going into too many specifics, I sat down on this brisk autumn afternoon while my two babies slept, and I got crafty with some pearls, rhinestones, silk flowers, needle, thread, and some bobby pins. I CAN'T WAIT.