Brittany chose to have Braden come along for her bridal session. That was a great idea. They opted to have a “first look” so that they could be surprised, making the moment they saw each other in all their wedding finery, really special.

These two are so much fun, that we spent A REALLY LONG TIME shooting this bridal session. Same thing happened on their engagement session in the 9th and 9th area of Salt Lake City.  They’re so easy going, and photos meant so much to them, that I got to spend time getting creative with some of the standard LDS Temple shots. By standard, I mean, the Temple steps, the reflecting pool, and “the pedestal”, as I like to call it. It was really hot, too, so we went inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for some dramatic images.

We were able to complete most of their shots around the Salt Lake Temple, so we didn’t have to be rushed to get those photographs on the wedding day between their sealing and luncheon. Boy, was that nice.

Oh, and check out Brittany’s shoes. Way to spice it up underneath your wedding dress, Brittany!

The Saga of the Big, Orange Balloon

Madison and Chris did their bridal session together before their modern, stylish wedding at the Salt Lake LDS Temple and reception at Pierpont Place in downtown Salt Lake City. Madison wanted a big, orange balloon in her bridal portraits.  Madison’s mom brought one big, orange balloon, and one big, white balloon along.  As Madison and I began shooting her bridal portraits at the historical white barn in Park City, Madison’s mom was getting something from the car.  We looked into the distance and we saw a lovely balloon floating away, against the bright blue sky.  Madison was crushed and so was her mom, but we still had the white balloon.

As we tromped through the grassy field for photos with the white balloon, and before we could get any photos, we heard a terrible sound–POP!  Balloon number two was a gone-er. The balloon had met its match in the tall, sharp grasses.  Now, Madison and her mom were really sad.  Madison was determined to have an orange balloon in her bridal portraits.  She called her sister, who traveled all the way from Salt Lake City to Park City with yet another orange balloon.  As the sun dropped behind the mountains, she arrived with that balloon.  Madison sat in the grass with the balloon for a few photos, and then, we were going to take a few with Chris, too.  You can guess what happened next.

I guess it wasn’t meant to be.  We had a great time, though, and got some really great photos.  Who needs a big balloon when there are random bathtubs just lying around?

Avery is such a cute, sparkly person.  No, she doesn’t have glitter all over her face.  She’s one of those people that shines from within and exudes warm, lively energy.  She’s also very stylish.  Avery works at Anthropologie, one of my favorite stores and she carried that aesthetic throughout all her wedding details.  I just love that Avery wore a short dress and fantastic shoes (which you’ll see more of when I post her wedding to Matt).

We shot Avery’s bridal portraits around Salt Lake City and found the most beautiful sunflower field in the evening light at, of all places, McDonald’s.  Yes, you can make beautiful portraits in a parking lot next to the golden arches.  Oh, and the cool geometric backdrop in the first shot, is the outside of my veterinarian’s office.  Ordinary places make for extraordinary photographs.

Long before Holly’s bridal session, I daydreamed about it a lot.  Holly and Eric hired me about a year before their wedding, so I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do for Holly’s bridal portraits.  I made pinhole photographs at this location about 10 years ago for a college photography project and I can’t believe I hadn’t come back here for a photo session since.  It didn’t dawn on me until I was thinking about where to go for Holly’s bridals.  This is a cemetery in Salt Lake City.  I think Holly and the cemetery just fit and I knew that Holly would get it.  I wasn’t trying to make photos of a bride standing in front of a headstone for a sensational juxtaposition. I was simply drawn to the beautiful trees, lawns, light, and ethereal mood.  Where else can you get rows of conically shaped juniper trees in Salt Lake City?

For me, a cemetery is a beautiful place, full of life.  It’s a place where all of the memories and experiences of all the people buried there, culminate.  It’s a powerful thing, much bigger than each of us.  Bridal portraits are a celebration of a woman who will soon experience a rite of passage that is one of the most meaningful, powerful memories of her life.  Funerals and death are one one of life’s rites of passages like births and weddings.  I feel like these important things are interconnected.  Some people might think it’s total blasphemy to do a photo session in a cemetery.  When done in a thoughtful and respectful way, I think it’s a celebration of life.

Oh, and by the way, the super-cool bouquet with the peacock feather in it?  Yeah, I grabbed those flowers from the grocery store, 15 minutes before Holly’s session and pulled them together with gray satin ribbon and the feather.  I’m kinda’ proud of it and Holly loved it.

If you wear glasses in real life, wear them for photos!  I love the extra style and personality of Holly’s glasses.

Amanda is one of my favorite brides.  She’s just laid back, smart, fun, and easy to talk to.

Amanda was married in 2008.  Wait, you say, it’s 2010 and you’re just now posting these?  Amanda thought she didn’t want bridals in 2008, but her mom was so sad she didn’t do them.  Amanda told me that her mom mentioned it every time they talked.  So, Amanda pulled out her wedding dress this last fall, in order to give her mom a Christmas surprise.  We did several large prints and a beautiful bridal album in a pretty brocade silk.

When Amanda’s mom opened it on Christmas day, she cried.

If you haven’t heard of the concept of Trash the Dress, you probably will begin to hear about it more and more now. Trash the Dress, which was begun by photographer, John Michael Cooper, has made it to the Today Show.

Trash the Dress isn’t about trashing the dress as much as it is about creating artistic, fashion-inspired images of a bride in her gown. I also like the term Rock the Dress, which can be a little more tame. These awesome photo sessions are ususally done after the wedding day, but even if you’re aren’t totally up for trashing your dress, you should definitely rock your dress. You can rock your dress during your bridal session before the wedding. Rocking the dress means having a fashion inspired concept, venturing into places where you might not normally feel comfortable taking your dress, but still keeping it pretty clean and completely undamaged. Besides, you can get the thing cleaned!

Rocking or trashing the dress can also include the groom. Sexy post-wedding shoots are perfect for this.

So, who’s game? Let’s do it!

Asha and Daniel wanted formal wedding portraits of the two of them together before the wedding day so they could enjoy their reception immediately following their wedding ceremony at Alta Ski Resort.  So, Daniel came along for Asha’s bridals.  I loved doing this because it allowed much more time to be creative without the stress and time constraints of the wedding day.  We went to Memory Grove, but we didn’t want the usually Memory Grove look, so we walked up to the trail there.   All it takes to get something different, is to do a little exploring and break out of the norm.  There must have been at least 5 other brides there that evening, but we didn’t really notice them around us because we ventured off into other places.   Then, we headed to City Creek Canyon, one of Asha and Daniel’s favorite places and did some beautiful photographs there.  I just loved working with Asha and Daniel on these and really enjoyed the opportunity to photograph Asha in her Sari.

Like what you see? Want bridal photography of your own? Check out the details at www.melissakelseyphotography.com!

I’ve been dying to post Lydia’s bridals because they are…WHOA. Lydia and Jesse were just married on Sunday in a gorgeous ceremony and had a crazy-fun reception at Wolf Creek Resort in Eden, Utah. So, now I get to show off the bridals. Lydia looked amazing in her gown from Angell’s Originals in Salt Lake City. My friend and sometimes assistant, Soozee (whose darling twin girls you may have seen here recently), came along. She helped guide Lydia into beautiful poses. With her artist’s eye, Soozee has a total knack for artistic, dramatic posing. After a little while, Lydia just totally worked it on her own without any help. I was totally delighted with Lydia’s photos during the daylight, but then, we busted out the lighting equipment when it got dark and I was just elated with the results. The last photo shows what my feet and pants looked like after the session. I’ll do anything, climb anything, and lie down in anything for a great shot.

Chelsey is a gorgeous bride. She had a specific location in mind, so off we went to the Provo Castle. Chelsey looked amazing as always, with a figure flattering, vintage-inspired gown and makeup and hair styled by Joell of Enizio Salon. Professional hair and makeup can take you from pretty to “holy cow!” for your bridal session and wedding day. Joell also happens to be Chelsey’s best bud and we had an awesome time, along with Melanie, Chelsey’s super-cute, super-fun mom who makes me feel like part of the family.

I’ve been dying to post Chelsey’s bridals because I just love them so much. Her wedding to the oh-so-handsome Mitch was yesterday, so now I get to post them! Wait until you see the wedding day photos from the Salt Lake LDS Temple and The Bungalow in Pleasant Grove, Utah. WOW! Until then, click on the slideshow below to see how amazing Chelsey looked. I’m thinkin’ my photography skills weren’t too shabby either. What do you think?

Christine got married January 31st at The Point, so now I get to show off her bridals! We had a lovely session at the Utah State Capitol. I just love Christine’s creamy skin and beautiful red hair and the skirt on her dress…like a chiffon cupcake dream.

When we decided to do her bridals at the Capitol, Christine told me to remind me her to tell me a story about her and the Capitol. When she was little, on a school field trip, she got her head stuck between two of the marble balusters on one of the railings and the fire department had to come get her unstuck. Upon hearing this funny story, I insisted we recreate the moment. Her head is a little bigger now, so she didn’t get it stuck, but it was fun to pretend.  Watch the slideshow to see our recreation.