Hello! Wow, been a while since I talked to y’all lately, hasn’t it? 😉 I know most of you have been itching in your seats waiting for me to post the photos from my Birthday Bash last month, which my lovely friend Joanna was so gracious to take. At last, here I am to do so! I can hardly wait to relate to you the dastardly tales of joy and turmoil that we experienced throughout the week of set-up and party time. But I want to take this time slow, and let each and every memory sink in and steep so that you can get a true feel for what this adventure (the last of its kind for our family!) was truly like.
I’m going to first start off in the middle of the sequence of events. Why the middle? Because the beginning and end have so very much to do with each other, and I can’t really pull those two apart as easily as I can the middle from the three. So the middle it is. In my eyes, the middle is the portraits, though in your eyes, they’re just the beginning of a labyrinth of pictures illustrated more fully by words from the memory chamber of my heart. And portraits because, well, they’re the most formal part of the whole shebang and provide a nice prelude to the other bits and pieces whose details I wish to expand upon and give you the nitty-gritty reality of the whole thing.
Can you tell I’m sentimental about this stuff, yet? 😉
The Portraits
Before we begin with the pictures, I need to give a bit of background. I had asked my bestest friend, Hannah, and her family to come a bit early that way we could have some pictures taken together. Well, they did, and that was just swell. We had it all laid out for Jo to come early and have a 15 minute window of time to get the portraits done before the rest of the guests arrived. I had grand schemes of traipsing about in overgrown grassy fields, or under great big shady trees for the backdrop of the shoot, but rain happened. I’ll elaborate more on that in another post, but for now, rain happened. GROAN. So, we resorted to taking them under our big party tent under which the dances would take place (more on that later, too), and it made for some pretty, diffused light (any photographer’s dream), and the backdrop wasn’t too shabby 🙂 BUT. There will ALWAYS be a BUT in a story, so here is mine: BUT, the guests decided that they wanted to arrive 15 minutes EARLY, and even though Jo was perfectly on time, well, let’s just say I had a bit of an audience watching and chatting while my portraits were being taken. Ugh. *awkward to the epitome* Thankfully my self-consciousness didn’t show up too much in any of the pictures, and Jo was just sweet and easy as pie taking them. So, a successful, however awkward, adventure 🙂 Ok, I’ve kept you long enough: onward!
I am beyond words to describe just how perfectly Jo captured me in these pictures. The emotions of joy, excitement, anticipation, relief, and everything else were somehow frozen into visual paintings to remind me of just how I felt and what I looked like. I am really so blessed to have such treasures as these!
I know you all are dying for more details on my dress, outfit, and everything else; but those will be covered in tomorrow’s post 🙂
Yay! Hannah and I snuck in some pictures! She was so sweet, and purchased a lovely 1950s style dress just for the party. I must say, she looked dashing in it!
Brigi B. and I were able to get pictures taken together! And we totally NAILED IT with the funny faces. I mean COME ON! 😉 But poor sweet Jess was a bit left out of portraits of just me and her being taken, and you’ll find out why in a minute…
Oh happy day! Yet another group shot of we three! (I’m telling you, we’ll have a museum of these by the time we’re dead :P)
But just wait…. wait for it… wait for it…
Cue snobbish British lithp: “Oh, we’re thSO funny”
“Wait, wait, um SOMETHING is wrong here…”
“GOSH DARN IT! A PIN-CURL WENT DOWN, SOMEBODY CALL THE AMBULANCE! I REPEAT, PIN-CURL IS DOWN!”
Can I take this moment to remind you that we have about 50 or so people watching us girls embarrass ourselves? Yeah, just thought I’d note that fact…
So here’s the story: Jessica decided it would look ever-so-nice to lean her head towards mine for our group shot. Well, that ever-so-nice pose quickly turned south when one of her perfectly perfect pin-curls got chummy with my tiara, and decided to stick along for a ride. Soo…. yeah, that was the disaster that kept Jess & I from getting portraits together. 😛
I was so happy that Jo remembered about getting pictures taken with my parents! We neglected that with Brigid’s party, so I was quite thankful that we snuck these in before the party really got going. Love you Mom and Dad!
And yes, for those of you wondering, my Dad is wearing a kilt 😀
Well, that’s all for today’s edition of my Birthday Bash post series! Be sure to check out Joanna’s blog and Facebook page, as she was the artist behind all the gorgeous photos you will see in these posts. Thanks, Jo!
Which photo(s) is/are your favorite?
xo,
-Charlotte, the youngest sister & singer
You look like a happy 1950’s princess Charlotte! What sweet photos of you and your family and best friend.
The pin curl episode does sound awkward, as does the entire photo shoot in front of an audience! It makes for fun memories though, I’m sure. 🙂
I’m trying to think how you could make these pictures a little more precious.
Nope! Not possible!
They are all delightful, but my favorite has to be the one in which Jessica realizes what has occurred betwixt her pin and your tiara. Oh my.
And lastly I have to ask: are y’all Scottish, or does your father just enjoy kilts in general? 🙂
First, new blog logo theme is smashing! Second….yes, I have been dying like all your other readers to know the details of your party Charlotte:):):)!!!!! So Hurray!!!! Oh my these pictures are simply fabulous. So full of laughter, joy and love. What can I say, I adored every snapshot in this post and couldn’t stop smiling at the wonderful pictures captured. Oh so lovely. Can’t wait to here and see more of the details tomorrow.
Hugs:)
-Madison
http://www.1minniemuse.blogspot.com
AW! THESE ARE AWESOME! I love them all, Charlotte! I hope you had a wonderful birthday bash. From these fun photos and the vlog you posted on YT, I’d assume you had the time of your life! Yay for birthdays, totally candid, giggling pics and getting to wear a crown!
Beautiful photos that I’m sure capture wonderful times. You all look stunning x
Aaah, what an absolutely lovely post!! It was so fun to read. 😀 Your dress is so pretty; love the dots on the skirt! I don’t have a favorite picture (they are all so beautiful), but your caption on the one of Jessica rescuing her pin curl was hilarious. (oh, and that’s so cool that your dad is wearing a kilt)
Good job on posing with an audience, by the way. 🙂 No one could ever have known you were feeling at all self-conscious by the pictures themselves.
These portraits are so sweet Charlotte! They will be so special to look back through when you are older. 🙂 Especially the pin-curl “episode,” even though it seemed awkward at the time, I think it is so neat that your photography went right on taking pictures, even after the problem was realized! You’ll be glad she took and kept them for you some day, such fun memories!
Can’t wait to see the rest of your pics and hear the rest of your stories!
~Abby ♥
Looks like so much fun!! Congrats on turning sixteen! Alex
http://tobebeautifulingodseyes.blogspot.com
These pictures are beautiful! And the stories so hilariously funny. [I’m sure funnier after-the-fact though, right? ;)] One time some friends & I were doing a photoshoot for a spring issue of a magazine – it had to be photographed earlier, so it was fuh-reezing outside. And so we skip outside in our pastel-colored skirts and flats to take pictures, twirling around as we go, and doing a push-up contest (don’t ask). When all of the sudden we look over….and our neighbor is just staring at us with his dog. I think now they are pretty used to sights like that, haha. 🙂 Can hardly wait to hear more about your lovely bash!!
Awww, you are sooo pretty, Charlotte! I absolutely adore your dress and those pictures are perfect. You look like you had SUCH a fun party! I can’t wait for more! 🙂
Happy Birthday Charlotte! You look stunning. What a lovely family tradition to have together. I love all your dresses.
Such fabulously fun photos! What an honour to get to see your folks. I love that your dad was rocking a kilt for your big day. That’s really cool!
♥ Jessica
I totally understand having to be photographed in front of a bunch of people (hello traveling to touristy locations!) but YOU ROCKED IT! I seriously love ALL these images but the 2nd is my favorite. Can’t wait to see the rest of the photos!
Wonderful pictures! You look lovely!!! Um, yeah, the picture of you and Jess’s heads stuck together, with Brigid’s “oh this is so hilarious – let me help you with that” look is probably my favorite. 😉 But really, the one of you with your skirts all gathered up, walking on the rainy pavement with such a joyous face – I love that one! They’re all great pictures! Can’t wait to see more of this momentous party!