18th Century Gown Photos-- at last!

Just a brief PSA: your ideas are worth pursuing and you should always ask for help!

I made this gown over a year ago for an 18th century ball, and shortly after we attended it, these azalea bushes started blooming in my neighborhood. My husband and I take a walk every day after lunch and every time we passed by, I kept thinking, "wow, that would be a really good place to take pictures of my gown".

BUT, I'm easily overwhelmed. The idea of getting dressed up and hauling a tripod down the block stressed me out so much-- what if it gets hot out and I start to sweat? What if I can't lift my arms enough to adjust the camera? Does my shutter remote even work or is it a cheap POS? What if there are people around? What if I put in all this effort and the pictures are bad because I was uncomfortable and awkward in front of the camera? What if I just have a panic attack and want to go home?

So I just steadily watched the azaleas bloom bigger and bigger, and then gradually start to fade and die, and I completely missed my chance. "Next year," I kept saying.

And so this year, around Jan 1, I started looking out for those azaleas! When I finally started seeing some, I revealed my secret plan to my husband on one of our walks, and he said, "that's a really good idea, you should definitely do that when they fill out!"

So then a few weeks later, the bush was ready-- and I still wasn't. I still couldn't stomach the idea of putting on all the layers, doing hair and makeup, framing the shots etc, in the middle of the day with "so many unknowns".

I told my husband "I think I'm going to miss them again because for some reason, I just can't pull it together and do the thing...".

And he said, "I know you like to do things yourself, but I'm working from home tomorrow. Would it help if I took the photos for you?" And ding ding ding, there it was-- finally, I felt like this was something I could do! If all I had to do was concentrate on getting dressed and modeling, half the stress disappears. The thing is, I could have asked him to help me this entire time, but it's just not in my nature. I really am my own worst enemy in this regard.

Anyway! I got gussied up (and yes, I filmed my first ever GRWM video 😁) and spent a delightful 20 minutes snapping some very special photos with my kind, patient, gentle husband. I felt very relaxed (even though my dress was kind uncomfortable due to tight sleeves and weight gain!) and genuinely had a lot of fun.

Honestly as soon as I saw the first photo preview, I was like...this is exactly how it looked in my head. We were fighting the light because of the time of day but all things considered, I think the photos came out better than I could have hoped. I can't believe I have these after dreaming about them for a year and almost giving up 😌

So yeah-- if asking for help will push you over the edge to do things, don't be scared! Sometimes half the battle really is in your head.

I will be posting more about this dress soon-- let me know if you have any questions about it.