Rachel Leigh - Vintage Bridal [Part Two] {mt. vernon tx, bridal portrait photographer}

She's baaaack. :) So, let's pick up where we left off:

For 5 glorious seconds the Sun came completely out and it really felt like genuine golden hour...it was lovely. :)

OH! I am so in love with this collage because of the cute story behind it. Rachel was creating "bridal-dialog" for herself as inspiration to make these faces. Starting from the bottom left hand corner and working clockwise:

"Is that him? Is he coming? {Looks to her mom} It is him.{Joyfully} Aww, he loves me! He said I'm beautiful. He looks great. He makes me so happy."

:D

I adore this picture...

I really liked her hair being all the way down...she has such gorgeous long hair...it was needing to be showed off a bit. ;)

And that's it, my friends! It was hard choosing which ones to post because they are all (all 315 of them) so dear to me...really. I told Rachel, (as a joke of course...I'm not this idolizing.)

"It has been difficult to pick favorites because these pictures have become like my children and a mother should never put one child over another."

Not really...but STILL, I do love all these pictures. And I think it's because I love the girl so much...she is a truly amazing friend and I thank God SO often for her...she is rather wonderful. I know you will all miss seeing her pretty face on here...parting is such sweet sorrow. ;) 

But do not despair, we are close friends ya know...it's not like I'm never gonna take pictures of her again. You will see her....I promise. :)

~Through Christ's Love ♥

Rachel Leigh - Vintage Bridal {mt. vernon tx, bridal portrait photographer}

Hey all you people. :)

 Let me guess...you're here to see more of the amazingly gorgemous, Rachel Leigh??

 Well, there's good news and there's gooder news.

The good news is: I can deliver...BOY, can I deliver!!

The gooder news is: Even though she's not getting married right away, she played the part of a darling vintage bride and wore her grandmother's lovely wedding dress!!

It was spectacular.

Note: Because I am SOOOO in love with nearly all of the pictures I took of her, this post is FULL of collages. I was trying to sqeeeeze in all of the beautifulness as tightly as possible. And even so...this still is not the last blog post about Rachel! :D :D

"Let's start from the very beginning...a very good place to start. :)"

We began the vintage bridal shots at the breath-taking home of a friend of Rachel's mom, who lives in Pittsburg.

And theeeeennn....

Yes sirs and ma'ams....we went to the side of the road.

Arguably, one of THE best places to take pictures...period, exclamation point.

We captured the clouds' good side, cherished the Sun's shy rays, stepped over tall grasses, obviously got stung by a bee and didn't even notice it because I was so enthralled {this applies to me ;)}, watched lady bugs, praised God for Texas wildflowers, and pretty much enjoyed every leetle second of it. :)

Breathe in...breathe out...breathe in...AHHH! :D :D

Those shoes are the shoes her Mamie wore in 1961....let me repeat nineteen-sixty-one...they were not the most comfortable things for Rachel to actually put on her feet but they sure were adorable to hold! :D

And the belt....beautiful. The leather has gotten kinda stiff but...hey if it works, roll with it. :) P.S. Thank you Lord for coloring the Greene's hydrangeas the exact same color as this belt...it was such a kind thing to do. :) :)

Sooo...I know this is kinda a hop towards 70s, but that is exactly what it made me think of when I first looked at it! Something about her facial expression, the road, the clouds...something...I just had to edit it and see how it turned out...I personally am kinda in love with it. :D

One of my dearest favs :) :) :)

 Queen Anne's Lace is so fantastic!!

♥O how I love Him!♥

And, btw, as to the cute blue suitcase...Lillian (Rachel's Mamie) received that as a gift when she and Donald (Rachel's Papa) got married...its supposed to match the belt. :D

SO! On that happy note, I will wrap up this post...and once again, leave you hungry for more. :) But you won't have to wait until Monday...cross my heart and wish to cry. ;) They'll be here tomorrow morning for you to enjoy. :D

~Through Christ's Love ♥

{Happy Memorial Day!}

Rachel Leigh - Vintage {pittsburg tx, portrait photographer}

Now, I know I promised a vintage bridal shoot. But this is the preface. The true bridals are coming on Monday...you will survive the wait....maybe ;)

All of you that just gasped and said, "THAT'S RACHEL LEIGH!!! SHE'S GETTING MARRIED?!?!?!" Yes...hopefully...one day...but not anytime "relatively soon." But we did think it would be fun for me to do some pictures of her in a couple of her Mamie's old dresses. Her Mamie and Papa are having their 50th wedding anniversary this summer, so Mrs. Lillian Malone had fun seeing these precious outfits on someone again. :) This particular dress that we started the day with was the dress Lillian wore on her first date with Donald {i.e. Rachel's Papa.} I think Rachel pulled it off like a regular sweetheart. :)

"Waiting for the Date"

If you couldn't already tell (you might want to get your eyes checked if this be the case), this girl is adorable, beautiful, wonderful...inside and out! She's a DEAR DEAR friend and an EVEN DEARER sister in Christ. I would give you guys a hint that she's single but that may upset her imaginary date that she was waiting for...but, ahem...aside from Mr. Lonely (i.e. Rachel's imaginary date) , she's not taken. ;)

\

So, as I was thinking about how cute these pictures were turning out and how great the day was beginning, Rachel says, 

"Hey! I just realized this dress has pockets!" 

RAAACHUUUWL! That's BRILLIANT!!! Cock your shoulder back just slightly!!! AHH!!! {I'm melting, I'm MEEELLLTIIINNNG!} ;D

She had unknowingly found the key to make her look even more like a circa 1950s/60s model....BAM!

And let me just take the time to mention how awesome the dress is!!! It has a weather vane on it, people!! LOVE it!! (P.S. Mrs. Malone happily said, "Don loved it when I wore that dress. I bet he still loves that old thing.")

But this dress is just the beginning. There was still the wedding dress to try on! And we did...believe me, these awesome pictures...That's not all I got...so I hope this made you thirsty for more!! Monday isn't that far away...I promise. ;) 

~Through Christ's Love ♥

Sixteen...{northeast, tx portrait and lifestyle photographer} [personal]

I think I've discovered the secret of life - you just hang around until you get used to it.  |Charles Schulz|

16 years ago...Tuesday, May 23rd, 1995

I was born,

 (for the first time) 

{I'll explain, shortly}

In an instant our family grew by two feet, two blue eyes, one little auburn curl, and one dimple to the right. ;) Little eight year old Holly was a big sister, and Mama and Daddy were new parents all over again. Everything was new and exciting. The present was smiled at and the was future hoped for. :)

The first year flew by quickly...I learned to talk and walk and all that good stuff. By the time I turned one, the hair was blonde and long enough for dog ears. ;)

 

Year two was wild and exciting. I was developing my own silly little personality and wit. Curious and Mischievous were my middle names. ;)

Year three, I was officially a hoot and a half and I'm pretty sure I talked a few people's ears off. I'm told that I far too often employed my new questioning word, "Why?" 

 Year Four, my hair and I hit a growth spurt and I entered into the stage of life that is better to just be enjoyed. I didn't yearn everyday to be five. I was too busy finding out how fun age four was! It was a busy year for me...I suffered a severe head injury, I got my favorite toy -hands down and to this day- for Christmas, I became an older cousin to twins, and rode through a tornado in a little white car...last time I checked, I surprisingly survived that age...

 
Five brought lots of firsts. I got my first haircut (which brought on bangs...hmmm :/) and I started Kindergarten at a little school in my hometown. It was close enough that Holly and I could've walked but we only did that once. ;) I taught myself to read (because I felt Kindergarten didn't get the job done fast enough---God still hasn't burned off that impatience dross yet) and was soon so in love with books that I read to my friends during Story Corner. :D

Year six I started 1st grade and realized that I had to learn other things besides how to finger-paint a pair of paper butterfly wings. I applied myself like a little intellectual and excelled in my new found subjects like Science, Math, and Social Studies. ;)

Ah, seven...The year that all my teeth fell out and my favorite food was mashed potatoes. ;) And I must say I LOVE the third picture here because it sums a lot of that year up...no teeth, new favorite shirt that my Gran-Nanny bought me and I wore at least twice a week, and the hairstyle that my mom discovered and simply had to do before school...every...single...day... :/ Let's just say I wasn't exactly in love with it ;D 

When I was eight, Holly turned 16. I realized my big Sissy was growing up... she had a job, a driver's license, a car...I joined UIL (academic competitions) and, along with several of my best friends, we stomped our fellow competitors, if I do say so myself. I also attended a handful of Maverick games - always with a painted face. ;)  I also got a HUGE haircut at the end of the year...it was the first time I had had short hair (excepting when I was tiny and my hair was growing of course.) And...yes...that sweater was my beloved item of clothing that I must've worn every other day because I have it on in nearly EVERY picture from this year.

When I was nine, I struggled alot trying to find my place in this weird phase between "Little Kid" and "Preteen." Fourth grade was tough...everyone was different and everybody was trying to act like "Cool Mature Children." Holly also graduated and went off to college and a summer job. I hardly ever saw her and...it was hard. She came back engaged and happily making wedding plans.

The year that I turned ten started with Holly getting married. I was her maid of honor. :) I became an only-child of sorts because she moved two hours away. I spent my year trying to act like an adult, preparing for Junior High. I was starry-eyed with anticipation: Make-up! Boyfriends! High-Level Math! My dreams were (thankfully) to be shattered. :)  

When I turned eleven things took a drastic 180 turn. My parents were told about the Doctrines of Grace and they started seeing things in Scripture that their eyes had never been opened to before. We started going to a different church and when I started 6th grade, I started it at home. My parents were also convicted about me being in public school so my mom started homeschooling me. (No...I'm not "unsocialized", I was not "traumatized" or "introverted.") I wasn't friends with the same people...but I made new friends. I adjusted faster than you might imagine. ;) Oh! And I also went to the Alamo for the first time with my family...bring on the educational homeschool field trips! :D

Year twelve, I got a new puppy. :) And our family went to Virginia for the Quardricentennial of the Founding of Jamestown (and, in turn, our country). It was there that we built relationships with people that are so dear to us now...I can hardly put it into words. :') 

Thirteen! Oh boy :D The beginning of the teenage years. :) This is what we call the "gangly  phase." lol...I got braces...which was much needed. ;) And I met/got close to even more amazing Godly friends. This is also the year that I was born again {told you I'd explain} and became a child of God! I had a new heart, new being, new desires, and such wonderful new joy! :) :) 

Fourteen was a trying year and a HUGE learning experience...my mother had two miscarriages, my dear Gran-Nanny died suddenly of cancer, and I dealt with such struggles with my flesh that I had not known formerly. I also got a drastic haircut...again...I just can't learn from my mistakes. {Note to self: YOU LOVE YOUR HAIR LONG!!! BELIEVE IT!!! DO NOT BE DECEIVED!!!}

And now, let us reflect on this past year. Fifteen was fun, and awesome, and monumental. I got my first DSLR and my love for photography hit a new height, I had NO braces, my family and friends seemed sweeter and dearer than ever before, God brought me through valleys and let me rest on hilltops. I was able to do a wonderful internship with a new friend, I got a perm, and oh the joys I could tell of this year could go on and on. :) :)



And now...onto sixteen. I'm sure it will be "an awfully big adventure." 
"This all my prayer shall be, More love, More love, O Christ, to thee!" -Elizabeth Payson Prentiss


P.S. I know I keep doing these posts with old pictures....getting tired of scanned photos, much?! ;D Just get ready...tomorrow, I'm starting a series of posts from a vintage bridal shoot I did last week...if it doesn't knock your socks off, you might need to check your pulse. ;)

~Through Christ's Love ♥