Maternity Photos

We always love working with Brittany and Joe of Blue Rose Photography. They are both super talented and truly two of the kindest people we know. We instantly “clicked” with them (no pun intended) when we met in 2017 while searching for our wedding photographers… and the rest is history! They’ve captured all of our special moments since: our engagement, wedding, pregnancy announcements, and now maternity! I guess we can refer to them as our family photographers now instead of just our wedding photographers. 🥰 Brittany and Joe are absolutely phenomenal; I honestly can’t sing their praises enough. Not only are they super skilled at their craft, but they both truly have the gift of making you feel at ease and generally comfortable in front of the camera (which does not come naturally for me at all)!

I think that Brittany and I have been discussing maternity photo ideas basically since she and Joe shot our engagement photos in 2017 🤣 and one of our favorite ideas was to get photos with a camellia tree / shrub! Because of this, we randomly ended up splitting my maternity shoot into two sessions. Brittany happened to spot a couple of camellia hedges near her house in full bloom, so she texted me to ask if I could come over the next day to shoot a couple of the rolls of film that she had originally allocated for my maternity session (we used 2 of the 6). Of course, I jumped at the opportunity and cleared my schedule!

This shoot was a lot more casual and just so fun for us to play around. I truly adore how the camellia photos turned out, but I am obsessed with the photos that Brittany took a couple of weeks later at the Botanic Gardens at Washington Park Arboretum. I’m so glad that we were able to do both shoots and that I got to spend not one, but two sessions with Brittany! 😊

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CAMELLIA SHOOT

This bump! I can’t believe that our little girl is almost here!

I love how giddy Brittany gets when she’s loving how a shot comes together — it’s hard not to smile, giggle and just feel comfortable around her, even with a camera pointed at you!

Exhibit A 🤣

We had so much fun and ended up shooting those two rolls of film pretty quickly. 😬 Brittany gives great direction for exactly where she wants you to stand to capture the light, get the scenery just right, and gives you ideas for poses (and will fix your hair if the wind or something makes it crazy — bless you, Brittany!). When she loves a pose you’re accidentally doing she’ll say “STAY RIGHT THERE!” or “DO THAT AGAIN!” The excitement in her voice is the cutest and always gets me giggling.

This last photo was originally supposed to be a double exposure, but it accidentally became a triple and we both LOVE how it turned out! ALL of the camellias!! Aren’t they so beautiful?! They’re definitely one of my Top 5 favorite flowers (after peonies and hydrangeas, naturally 😉).

Outfit Details:

This is the Ichika Dress from NothingFitsBut and it’s so comfy! It’s form-fitting, but also VERY forgiving due to the smocking and the sleeves can be worn on or off the shoulder! This is not a maternity-specific dress, but works perfectly for this baby bump (and afterward!).

I am also wearing the Large Wauwinet Hat by Peter Beaton and carrying an Isla Bahia tote by Pamela Munson.

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ARBORETUM SHOOT

A couple of weeks later we met up at the Washington Park Arboretum when the entire park was FULL of flowers, specifically azaleas and rhododendron! Just like the first maternity session, we shot the remaining rolls of film pretty quickly. 😂 It’s always such a fun time taking photos with Brittany and I have absolutely no idea how I am going to choose which photos to print / frame (I still haven’t decided which photos from our engagement shoot and our wedding that I want to print, what size, which frame, etc. 🤦🏼‍♀️).

I will admit that I had been feeling incredibly insecure about my pregnancy bod (which I will be sharing more about in my upcoming Third Trimester Bumpdate) so shopping for this shoot wasn’t exactly my favorite experience, but I still somehow managed to procure a dress that I found to be flattering and felt amazing in. Details are available at the bottom of this post.

How is it possible to love someone so much that you haven’t even met yet?! This little girl is already our whole world.

I can’t get over these photos — I felt like a goddess and I absolutely adore how Brittany captured me and my bump in our element (at 33 Weeks)!

The Arboretum was in full bloom and there were so many gorgeous flowers to admire / take photos with this time of year! As you can probably tell, Brittany and I especially loved this sea of pink azaleas. Two things that I love about the Pacific Northwest are (1) that there is always some beautiful variety of flower in season and (2) that we actually get all four seasons here so many plants have the opportunity to thrive (as opposed to my experience of growing up in Florida, where the only “seasons” are Hot & Humid, Tourist, Hurricane, and Lovebug 🤣 IYKYK).

This bow sash was the entire reason that I decided on this particular dress; no regrets! You already know that this girl loves a good bow.

Being pregnant during a pandemic has certainly had its challenges, but I am incredibly grateful that we were able to capture these photos before Baby Girl arrives! This pregnancy has been so special and I’ll cherish these images forever.

Dress Details:

I got this gown style from Sexy Mama Maternity in the color Taupe. Because they are made-to-order, the dresses take a little while to ship so take that into account when placing your order! Additionally, it’s worth noting that due to the custom nature of the dresses they can not be returned. You may be able to sell your dress secondhand after your shoot on a website like Poshmark to try to recoup the price you paid if needed, but just be aware of that company policy (the brand is very up-front about this policy, but I just wanted to reiterate it here to manage your expectations). I don’t anticipate that you will be disappointed, but it’s just something you would want to factor in when making a purchase.
The fabric is stretchy and light, but also somehow still substantial enough that it was both forgiving and supportive with my curves (the dress is also lined!). I loved that the sash was sewn in place in the back so (1) it can’t get separated / lost, and (2) it stays put once you tie it! I can’t recommend this style / brand enough — the brand has definitely become my new go-to for maternity event and photoshoot dresses for any future pregnancies.

I don’t currently own the proper bra to wear with this dress / neckline (in my current size) so I resorted to using my BrassyBra stickers and they worked great in a pinch! This type of bra is best used for plunging necklines or backless items, but I didn’t want to buy a bra just for this shoot so the stickers were a last-minute solution that I had on hand.

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If you live in the Seattle area and need a photographer for any milestone events, I can’t recommend this duo enough. Brittany and Joe travel too, so if you live outside of Seattle or your event is going to take place out of town they’re really flexible; just reach out to discuss with them! You can also follow them on Instagram here! They share snaps from all types of shoots (engagement, real weddings, styled wedding inspiration shoots, maternity, newborn, family, holiday photos, etc.) so you can get a really good feel for their photography style. They also sprinkle in snippets from their adventures with their two kids and their adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniel pups, which I always enjoy!

Thanks for following along with me on this pregnancy journey and for allowing me to share these special photos with you! Now I’m going to try to choose my favorites for printing / framing… 😬 wish me luck!

Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie