WOW, WOW, WOW. These bridal portraits are some of my absolute favorite bridal photos I’ve ever taken!!! Though it’s really hard not to create something beautiful when you put a stunning bride in Airlie Gardens.

You’ve seen Kristi on the blog before (she and Corey were married at The Carolina Barn last weekend!), and I had been anxiously waiting to share these bridal portraits for over a month prior.

Kristi is so incredibly sweet. She brought her sisters to her session to help with her dress + anything else she needed and I felt like I had known them for years. It was a HOT day, but thankfully she’d brought a little fan and we had Nicki driving us around the gardens so we didn’t have to walk (a MUST-HAVE if you’re doing bridal portraits in Airlie!).

Bridal portraits are always so fun for me…and they’re surprisingly really helpful too. First, we’re able to get a ton of portraits that we wouldn’t normally have time for on the wedding day. After having these, we’re able to spend more time with other important photos on the big day. Second, we get to just hang out, relax, and really just have fun as a photographer + bride.

Lastly and most importantly, it’s the first time you get to see yourself as a bride!!! The first time with hair and makeup done, the dress fully buttoned, and your veil flying in the wind –– in Kristi’s case, we tried out two different veils!!! It’s a trial run to make sure that you love everything about your look and also the realness of the wedding sets in. I absolutely recommend them to all of my brides!!!

Enjoy these stunning portraits of Kristi…she chose TWO for her reception and you can imagine how hard of a decision that was!!!

VENUE: Airlie Gardens
FLORALS: Expressions of Love Florist
HAIR + MAKEUP: Silverceiling Beauty Consulting
WEDDING DRESS: Carolina Bridal World
RINGS: Diamonds Direct