Something Borrowed, Something Blue

About a week or so ago, a friend of mine asked me to go on a little adventure and photograph one of her wedding events. She owns her own cake company (a cakery in fact - ooh la la) and makes some pretty fancy stuff. The event wasn't an actual wedding, it was a "bridal showcase". As someone who knows little to nothing about weddings (besides the fact that they're pretty and usually have good cake, mmm), I didn't quite know what that meant until I got there.

And then I found out!
Basically, a group of brides-to-be goes out and tours a bunch of different venues in the area to get an idea of where they want to hold their weddings. Each venue was decorated from head to toe like a real wedding complete with live music, caterers, and most importantly - professional (and delicious) wedding cakes.

Have I mentioned that I'm a fan of cake?

Our venue was held right along the river which made for some really beautiful photos. Nevermind that it was pouring rain the entire time (classic Oregon), it was a completely stunning event. I have to give these Oregonians some props. No offense to my fellow Californians, but if it had rained like this anywhere else, I have a hunch that most people would have just packed up and left. But not these ladies! They all showed up - sashes, tiaras, rain boots and all.

Being able to go behind the scenes at an event like this was a great experience. Maybe you already know this (you probably do), but there is a ridiculous amount of planning that goes into a wedding - even a pretend one! I couldn't believe how many people it took to pull off something like this, but it was pretty impressive to see.

It's been a long time (too long) since I've done any professional photography. This was such a good reminder that it really is something that I love to do. The event itself was great (I mean come on, who doesn't love spending the day with a bunch of cupcakes?), but showing my friend the photos at the end of the day and seeing her expression was the most rewarding part. It always is.