sitka on film

Eating at the Bayview Pub every day.  Coffee at the Backdoor.  Reading books.  Kayaking.  Looking at sea creatures. Wandering docks.  Watching local burlesque.  Breathing the best air.  Being with the best human.  More of this please.

WED // snow goddess alaskan bridal shoot

ou guys just saw some of my favorite shots from Emilee and Matt's Alaskan New Year's wedding, but I also put together a super fun styled shoot while I was up in Anchorage, so I could take full advantage of the gorgeous, snowy landscape.  Here are some of my favorites from that shoot!  I partnered with an amazing bridal shop in Anchorage, Fabulous Frocks, which happens to be owned by a gal I went to high school with!  I didn't know it when I emailed her and when I walked into the shop to meet up, I was like, "Whaaat?! Hey!!"  Going home to Anchorage always feels like I'm in such a small town, despite it being the largest city in Alaska.  Anyway,  Tara from Fabulous Frocks set us up with our amazing accessories.  Jewelry, veils, headbands, she blinged us out.  BHLDN provided two incredible gowns and I'm a little over the moon in love with their penelope gown.  I may or may not have tried it on and flounced around in the mirror, because holy gorgeous.  


My models are the amazing Corina and Molli.  I'm actually shooting Molli's real wedding in August and it was so much fun to do a "dry run" bridal shoot with her!  Another friend from high school, Tess Weaver, did makeup and I love the berry lip and eyeshadow she gave Molli.  Aren't Molli's eyes killer?  For Corina, we went with a brighter look with pink lids and fresh face.  Andrea Moss was our hair gal and she rocked it out with their loose updos!
Molli rocked a more vintage inspired old-hollywood glam bridal look, and I found a perfect vintage jacket in my mom's closet that happened to be my grandma's old coat!  I had never seen it before!  It actually turned out to be great because, like Matt and Emilee's shoot, temperatures were still hovering around 8ºF for this shoot.  Molli wore the Francine gown from BHLDN.
Corina's dress was definitely a bit more frothy and ethereal and I loved how the low sun filtered through the layers of soft tulle.  I think if I got married again I'd definitely have to consider the Penelope gown as an option because it's just so magical.  Floaty and effortlessly pretty!  Definitely a twirl-worthy gown.


 


 

I made both the girls' bouquets from flowers at Alaska Wholesale Flower Market, which was really fun.  I'm a little obsessed with big, lush, overflowing bouquets at the moment.  Lots of greenery and texture.  Sometimes I think people forget about using greenery and go for more flowers, but I think greenery is such a great way to add fullness without spending a ton of money on fancy flowers.  

We shot on the Hillside in Anchorage, and then drove out the road down to Beluga Point for some more expansive landscape shots and on our way back we had to pull over for the most incredible sunset.  I couldn't believe the pastel colors in the sky as the sun hovered right at the horizon.  There were tons of photographers and tourists snapping away at the same location and we actually got paparazzi'd by the local newspaper and were in the paper the next day!  So funny!

I've been loving doing styled shoots lately, they're so great for inspiration, exploring creativity, and expanding skills.  I'm doing a styled shoot this Saturday with a great local wedding + event planner which I think is going to be a blast!  It's so inspiring to team up with talented local folks and put together something really fun and exciting.