The Girl in the White Dress

Evan & Anne | Savannah Georgia Wedding | Featured at Style Me Pretty

Kelly — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:45:39 +0000

“‘We could be a holiday, we could be a celebration, we could be a whole parade.’” She quoted Sandol Stoddard Warburg’s children’s book in her vows. “I am so ready to be all of those things together.”

I could see Anne at five years of age, at eight, at twelve, a little girl imagining her wedding day, making a holiday out of it. On one perfect spring day in Savannah, she was living everything she’d envisioned, from the pink to the lace to the sweet love between her and the man of her dreams.

All of her life bubbled up and over as she invited everyone into her beautiful, and as I watched them, I knew why Evan and Anne fit together. She made him laugh; he made her fall in love – it’s exactly the way a love story should be written, and exactly the way it played out for this couple whose wedding was only the beginning of the most lovely tomorrows.

Anne, Evan, thank you for inviting me to witness your “whole parade” – it was worth every second, and I’m not just saying that. Your wedding will be one I keep in my heart for a long time.

I’m beyond excited that this gorgeous wedding got to be featured at Style Me Pretty | Georgia today – If you want to see more of Anne’s beautiful details, just visit SMP! We got a gallery!

Floral Designer: Bride
Reception Venue: The Olde Pink House
Invitation Designer: Kay Wolfersperger
Dress Designer: Anjolique
Cake Designer: Publix Bakery
Bride’s Shoes: Badgely Mischka
Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Hugo Boss

Preview | The Girl in the Old Red Car

Kelly — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:55:06 +0000

She carries herself with a quiet grace, and one of the sweetest smiles in the world. She’s on her way to her future, all in the moment, ready for tomorrow. It’s time for her to spread her wings. Wait and see – she is going to fly.

Engagement Preview | “The Most Beautiful Girl He’d Ever Seen”

Kelly — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:15:15 +0000

Allie | A [Little] Girl in the White Dress

Kelly — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:45:38 +0000

She is four years old, and one of the sweetest little girls I’ve ever met. Her Lincoln, Virginia session made me homesick for my own little girl in the white dress – even though I was only two days away from home. Notwithstanding the homesickness, Allie’s session was special for me, because I had photographed her parents’ wedding in April, 2007. Believe it or not, I wore a white dress to the wedding, being five months pregnant with Piper. Sarah graciously allowed me to break with all tradition and wear what fit. Allie’s dress for this session looked an awful lot like the one I wore that day.

If there is one thing that all of my brides have in common, it is their childlike approach to life. They are not afraid to smile, or to embrace the world around them with the same innocence they held as little girls. Allie inherited her mom’s sweet spirit, and I felt like I was just playing along with her as she explored.

Editorial: Her First Love – A Photo Story

Kelly — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:53:18 +0000

From the time I was a little girl, I dreamed about falling in love. I wondered what it would be like to be “the girl in the white dress,” wished for a boy to give me roses and hold my hand. My smallest crush daydreamed its way to the altar, every time.

But when I did really fall in love, my heart got quite broken, and it’s been a long, exquisite recovery. I’m only beginning to find again the sweetness of my girlhood romantic dreams as I’ve come back to life. This shoot was a deeply personal journey for me, right down to Paris, Catherine’s red hair, and Daniel’s roses behind his back.

There are few things in the world more beautiful than a boy and a girl in love for the first time, the wonder of a man’s way with a maid. This February shoot restored some of my own wonder, right down to the sweet awkwardness of my models (actors, actually!) who were just good friends and not really in love at all. I can’t thank these two enough for helping me tell my story.

Editorial: The White Dress from Ireland

Kelly — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:23:44 +0000

I think it’s important for photographers to show the same care for themselves in their own photos that they would show for their clients. Even though I’m already married, I still have a bit of The Girl in me, planning a re-wedding, dying over white dresses – looking for beautiful. So for my first post-Ireland work project, I took some of the inspiration I gained in Ireland, the dress my husband bought for me – er, him, and that inner Girl, and I treated myself to a real Kelly Sauer shoot.

It’s hard to define the value in having pictures that tell who you are, and how really beautiful you are. I’m not just a photographer. I’m a person who sees, looking for the soul of every bride, finding the essence of the love between my couples, discovering the same beauty there I hope others might see in me.

My Friend Claire | Portraits from Ireland

Kelly — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:16:40 +0000

Her shoot wasn’t a shoot for The Girl in the White Dress, but Claire was SO her – feminine with just enough vulnerability to make the most beautiful images…

This South African girl who lives in Ireland is a Wedding Dates investor and marketer, and she’s stirring the pot for wedding industry vendors, challenging everyone she knows to new heights – she’s even trying to talk me into becoming an international destination photographer! (Watch out, I think she’s succeeding… If I can just talk her into shooting second for me there, I’ll take her up on it!)

Want to see more of her cloudy day mini-session, shot with my new Canon 5D Mk III? She’s at the Kelly Sauer Ltd. Co. blog, and there is more to love on this favorite shoot from Ireland!

LOVE: Jeff & Megan – Isle of Palms, S.C.

Kelly — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 23:21:49 +0000

It was 6:30 on a morning that promised clouds instead of sunrise, but Jeff and Megan braved the gray with me at Isle of Palms for one of the sweetest love sessions I’ve ever shot. Married for five years and just off a cruise in the tropics, this Maine couple had planned their route through Charleston just for this special anniversary shoot.

Jeff and Megan have an easy relationship, comfortable – as if they’ve known one another all their lives – but boy does he still know how to make her blush, and she loves being made to blush. I was so honored to witness their love as the sun rose red and slitted through the cloud-cover that filtered bright light pure.

Published: Bruce & Rachel

Kelly — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:24:02 +0000

A few months ago, I designed and shot my first editorial session with Bruce and Rachel, friends from NOVA who had moved down to Charleston. We had so much fun, and I was determined to see them published somewhere – because they were just too cool not to share! Our session is finally live at A Lowcountry Wedding, and I couldn’t be more pleased!

Senior: Dianne Marie

Kelly — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:30:34 +0000

I love shooting seniors. They are so alive, at the doorway to tomorrow, full of hope, and unjaded by cynicism. Their world is open, full of possibility, and it’s flat-out contagious!

18-year-old Dianne called herself a tom-girl – we decided that meant that she wasn’t a total priss, but she can still appreciate pretty, and this sweet session revealed just how much pretty she carries around in that “tom-girl” self of hers.

Dianne was easy to love – she has the best smile in the world, and her good-natured personality had her laughing at me trying to talk my uncooperative camera into doing my bidding. In the end, her ready laugh and my stubbornness scored a serious win in light I’ve not had for shooting in ages.