Wanderlust East Coast Road Trip - Day 2

Virginia Beach, Virginia

{lovingly referred to as "VA-Beach"}

Since Day 1 had gone so well for us, we woke up at our home stay excited to see what Day 2 had in store. We had 375 miles to tackle before our sunset scheduled shoot, so, we took a lunch break in Holly Springs, NC. A sweet friend, whom I hadn't seen in about 7 years, invited us to her home for a healthy lunch and to meet her adorable family. Her girls, Lily and Evie, were great hosts and were amazing little conversationalists, and baby Gabe was just the rolyest polyest ball of sunshine. We left refreshed and revived and had the beach in mind.

We pulled into our hotel on Virginia Beach just a few minutes before our photographer, Nicole, and lovely model, Kim, arrived and we went directly to the room to get ready. Kim arrived with hair and makeup already complete, compliments of Markia, and a bouquet and wonderfully whimsical flower crown, provided by The Happy Hour Hostess. During the last little part of our drive to Virginia Beach, my road trip buddy, Anna, worked her magic and did her makeup & hair as I drove over bridges and under crazy long and dark tunnels.

Nicole and I had talked for a couple weeks before we met up and had a thought that a touch of a color would be a fun addition to our traditional skirt. We chose a lavender accent and I was even able to make another dress that complimented it. We dressed Kim in the bridal gown and Anna in the Maid of Honor gown and headed down to the jetty. {I always forget you have to relearn to walk every time you step foot in sand again - but that ocean air works it's magic with a single inhale!}

I love to start every photo shoot with a chat and relay to all involved the story we have created and want to see captured on film. As I was sewing these gowns, I kept thinking how sweet it would be for a bride and her best friend, {who has just finished standing by her on her wedding day as her Maid of Honor,} to steal away during the reception while dancing and frivolity continued inside and take one last walk together. Nicole did a wonderful job capturing these images and, even just a few shots in, it was like Anna and Kim had been BFF's for years.

We went a little daring with Kim's dress. She is wearing a multi layer circle netted skirt with a double layer of lavender tulle tucked under the top layer of netting and a sheer. long sleeved bodysuit with strategically placed lace with no corset or lining underneath. She was so confident and wore it so well. Once we got the skirt on her, it was pretty hard to make her stop swishing back and forth and twirling - but isn't that the sign of a good skirt!

I mean aren't these BFF's you'd like to know? The fierceness is ridiculous!

Here are some examples of the twirls.

We got a little carried away viewing the shots we had just gotten when we heard a squeal from Kim. She had gotten a little too twirly and ended up on her bum...thank goodness for a BFF!

{Note to self: Never take your eyes off a twirling bride!} She recovered quickly and, after we all laughed harder than we probably should have, we shot until the sun went down and forced us to stop.

Anna and I had a great time working with Nicole and Kim and, just like every stop on this Wanderlust tour, we were able to walk down the main street, grab some dinner to go and get to our room just moments before the heavens opened up and the rains fell. I've always been a fan of clouds - they make some amazing backdrops. Hoping to head back to VA Beach very soon!

One of the best parts of living and working in the South is the ever changing weather patterns and the sweeping and sometimes sudden "tropical storm" antics. The dark and ominous rain clouds can put a rush of adrenaline into a photo shoot that has been planned and organized for weeks, but that stormy back drop can also be incredibly magical.

I recently returned from a 2,200 mile road trip from Atlanta, GA to Boston, MA and back over the course of 8 days. Earlier this year, I was invited to join an online Facebook group whose goal and purpose is to link together creatives in the wedding industry and create a place where Community trumps Competition. The Rising Tide Society has been an amazing, safe place to turn to for encouragement, helpful critiques and the occasional venting outlet for all of us entrepreneurs. It was in the online group that I was able to meet a whole slough of photographers who supported my ideas and career and wanted to collaborate our skills and talents. We were able to work out a whole road trip where I could meet up with several of these photographers and work on some beautiful collaborations on their home bases!

My first stop was York, SC where I met up with Amy Kolodziej of Sunshower Photography. She had our model, Cici, ready to go with flawless hair and makeup. My travel companion, Anna, and I grabbed a few pieces out of the traveling wardrobe and dressed Cici in our first look. With a constant and watchful eye on the storm clouds zeroing in, we ran out to Amy's luscious back yard and, with the sounds of a stream gurgling in the distance, we took our first few shots.

Our first look for Cici consisted of a spun gold fitted corset worn under a sheer long sleeved bodysuit with strategically placed lace details. Her skirt is double layered chiffon in a gathered A line style and was extra flowy in the pre storm breeze. We felt a couple drops start to fall and quickly relocated to the front porch to wait and regroup. While we were there, we took advantage of the angles and created these gorgeous magazine cover quality looks.

It was right about this time that the heavens really opened up and the rain really started coming down, so we ducked inside and changed into our second look. We removed the the sheer bodysuit and changed out the skirt for a multi layered circle netted skirt to create a whole new look.

{Who doesn't love a good twirl?} We had such a great time meeting Amy and Cici and made some amazing photos together. Eternally grateful for RTS and their amazing ability to connect creatives with similar heartbeats.