Say Yes to the Dress... Again! ~ Camas, WA Wedding Anniversary

What did you do with your dress after your wedding?

Mine is hanging up in my closet. I know that I probably should have gotten it preserved and cleaned…. but I just never got around to it. I’m not sure if it’ll ever be worn again, but maybe? Maybe my daughter will want it if/when she gets married… but who really knows.

I’ve had friends try on their dresses again years after their weddings to show their kids, or to surprise their spouses with, and always thought it sounded like a fun idea… so when this mama contacted me to PHOTOGRAPH her surprising her husband and kids in her wedding dress for their anniversary, I was so here for it!

We agreed that we would start the session like a typical family photo session. Get the standard photos, and then twenty minutes into the session she’d sneak away to change into her “second outfit” while I got some solo shots of the kids. Her bestie secretly met her in the parking lot to help her get laced into her corset back, and then she texted when she was on her way so that I could set up the scene. Here’s how it played out!

First, we start with the family photos… the reason that they all THINK they are there…

With the last couple of photos of this half of the session, I had Mom and Dad cuddle up a bit and talk about their wedding. This is something that I do a lot with family sessions, so it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for me… except that I knew what was coming!

I then casually mentioned to Mom, “You had another outfit that you wanted to change into, right? Why don’t you go do that now, and we’ll meet you down at the water?” That was Mom’s cue.

I took Dad and the kids down to the bank of Round Lake to get some individual photos of the kids, and some candid shots of them waiting and skipping rocks. There were a couple of close calls with the “Where’s Mom? Why’s it taking so long? I’m going to go check on her.” Thankfully, unbeknownst to me, Mom was changing in the parking lot, and not the bathroom like the kids thought!

I got the text… got the family in position, and told them that Mom had a surprise for them! Mom had the forethought to pack tissues, which were definitely needed.

Mom told me that the girls had never seen her in her dress before, but that her older son had been at their wedding… though was quite young at the time. She almost changed her mind about the dress surprise… but told me later that she was so happy that she decided to go through with it!

So much has changed over the years for these two, but that wedding dress seemed to hold some magic. It held memories of the days and life experiences past, but also served as a reminder to how far their lives have come together. The love started with two… and now there are five.