Bridal Session with Alexandra Celia Mason

I was so fortunate to be able to do an exclusive bridal session with my dear friend Alexandra Celia Mason who is a local Seattle photographer prior to our marriage celebration.

Along with having a total blast catching up and goofing around, I'm so glad we did this session because it allowed the opportunity for a different tone of bridal portraits and a trial run for the big day! I was able to step outside of my comfort zone and relax from the pressure and time constraints of a jam packed schedule.

    

 

As a bride, I would highly recommend considering an opportunity like this because you will be able to experience your "whole look" including hair, dress, makeup, accessories, shoes, veil, etc. This session with Alex session gave me the peace of mind to know that I would be fully comfortable with a dress that fit properly and coordinated with all my other pieces. Also, as all of you brides know and can appreciate...I was able to make sure I could walk and move gracefully without looking like a total train wreck! 

 

   

 

 

We traveled around a few of Alexandra's favorite locations in the U-District. I have to admit that it was so much fun playing off of random spectators comments. So many of them would say "Congrats, you look so beautiful!" The best comments were the people that said "You look gorgeous, congratulations...but where's your groom!?" I had to take the opportunity to joke around with them so I said anything from "He stood me up but I'm still taking my photos" to "I just wanted to get dressed up and pay someone to take pictures of me!" 

We had way to much fun laughing and reading the blank and confused stares from local Seattleites. You gotta have fun while you can and I had SO MUCH fun goofing around and rockin' my dress.

Speaking of my dress, it is from the 2016 Pronovias Barcelona line from Spain: https://www.pronovias.com/rs/wedding-dresses/praci

This specific dress is called "Praci" and I purchased the matching veil to compliment the lace pattern. I love that out of all the bridal boutiques I went to...I finally said "yes to the dress" at Valentina Novias in Aguascalientes, Mexico...very fitting for my hubby and his family.

 

I have to give a shout out to Fragile Fit in Lynnwood for the impeccable alterations. When I brought my dress in Darcy (owner) said "Girl you have great taste. That's a Pronovias dress and I'm so excited to work with you!" We didn't have to do much to the frame but Darcy fitted the delicate fabric around my shoulder and made sure the length of the dress matched the height of my shoes perfectly. 

I bought a bedazzled application piece to add to the front of my dress but Darcy recommended that we put in on the lower back where the sheer fabric meets the lace. She said "You don't want to mess with anything on the front here it's just stunning and nothing needs to be added." I love her eye and was so happy with the final product! 

Altering your wedding dress can be scary and she was confident in her skills which I respected. Darcy also helped custom my little sisters dress and take in my mother's about three sizes down. She can do just about anything you throw her way and she is very detailed about making sure she personally does every fitting. She was such a pleasure to work with that I also went through her for my dress cleaning and preservation. 

You can Darcy from Fragile Fit her here: http://fragilefit.com

Shoes. Oh My Gosh. Shoes. I searched everywhere for these wedding shoes! I ended up finding these gems at the Neiman Marcus while I was in Vegas with my lovely mother-in-law. I specifically wanted a heel I could wear the whole day and be comfortable in. There's no point in buying an expensive pair of shoes if you have to change to dance and move around right!? I knew I wanted something gold to match our color theme and I have always loved the look of ankle straps. Luckily, these shoes had the added bonus of being able to take them off and on! 

 

My bracelet and earrings were all Nadri from Nordstrom and of course the two rings I wore were both from my husband. One as a gift for the first birthday I shared with him and the other from our marriage. 

My hair artist was Chi Truong (you can find her at the Seattle Gene Juarez).

My makeup artist was the incredible Carol Le who I was somehow was able to convince to be part of my big day. Fun fact, she is the mother of three, previously worked in the cosmetic industry and is now owner of Jax Barber (http://www.jaxbarber.com) in Seattle. She has been a long time friend of the Silva family and known Jaime for a "very long time" as she always says with a laugh. She has been so supportive of the two of us and I love love loved my makeup. 

 

I think I managed to make it through all the shout outs to the people I give ALL the credit to for making me feel so beautiful for this bridal session and the big day (more to come on that!) 

I'm so grateful to have these photos and they also served as a fun little surprise for the hubby. Alexandra is so talented and her work speaks for itself! It's nice to be able to sit back and let someone take the reins so you can relax and allow your end product to look natural.

Here's the link to her website for your viewing pleasure: http://alexandracelia.com

P.S. I'm a big fan of the cover photo.... ;)