The moment Kaitlyn walked into our studio with her prom dress, I was like “YESSS! We have to plan a shoot around that!” This gorgeous pink champagne gown, bought from Formalities, glittered as it caught the light, and the even more beautiful embroidered bodice silhouetted Kaitlyn’s waist perfectly. It was like this dress was MADE for her! Instantly, a vision of Kaitlyn, embodying royalty in this gown and sauntering through the forest, flashed in my mind. The question was…was she willing take her prom dress into the woods? Were we crazy?

Well, to our delight and surprise, Kaitlyn and her mom, Kelly, were all for it. Among many events and opportunities, the coronavirus ruined Bellefonte’s school prom night. I guess the decision was easier since this photoshoot gave Kaitlyn an opportunity and unique way of showing off her gown. However, knowing that it was delicate, we didn’t want to risk ruining the dress either, so we had to be especially careful and take the appropriate measures to preserve it.

The challenges were that moving from place to place had to be slow and precise. A blanket was used under the gown for poses that involved sitting. And sometimes both Joel and Kelly had to guide Kaitlyn in tricky locations (in particularly the rocks) to prevent her from falling and/or tearing the dress. As clumsy as I am, the best support I could do during these moments was to pray, “Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall!”

However, all of our hard work was greatly rewarded! She will have something so unique; a collection of breathtaking photos to hold as physical mementos to cherish her always! Kaitlyn was radiant as the sun and became that princess in the forest whom I had originally envisioned! Most importantly, had Kaitlyn not been as cool and collected, this shoot would have been very difficult. This really speaks to her character because I truly think she was destined for this photoshoot! View all of her glorious splendor below and see for yourselves!

But before you scroll, a special thanks to our stylists and team for making this happen!

Model: Kaitlyn Berkey – She could very easily be a pageant queen with her smile alone, but is also a refreshingly down-to-earth and go-with-the-flow kind of girl. 🙂

Support Crew: Kaitlyn’s mom, Kelly, was an immense help with fluffing the gown, carrying all our props, and getting Kaitlyn to and fro all the impossible places we chose!

Makeup: Lexi Rickard@northeastbeautyco

Hair: Alayni Caprio @hair.by.alayni

Location: Boalsburg Military Museum and Shingletown Gap

Wardrobe: Kaitlyn’s gorgeous prom gown was from Formalities, the crown was an Amazon find, and the gloves were also from Amazon, but altered (cut and tea stained).
Formalities – Instagram @formalities

Photographer: Andrea Knepper

Lighting & Post Production: Joel Knepper