October 31, 2017

A Haunted Louisiana Bridal Session

If you are new to our blog or new to us (welcome ladies), you might not be aware of how important we think it is to get to know our clients. Like, really get to know them. Like, stop calling them clients and call them friends. And then realize that when you type that out it might sound cheesy so you try to come up with a new word . . . frients . . . clends . . . I don’t know. I mean I feel like the pieces are there for something cool, I just gotta figure it out. Anyway, it’s very important to us. And it is actually really important to you too, even if you have never thought about it in that way.  At the end of the day, the better you and your photographer know one another, the better your pics are going to be and the happier you are going to be. This is important. Especially when it comes to something like a bridal session.  I mean, who knows what you like more: one of your friends or some rando off the internet with a camera? See what I mean? You can’t argue with science . . .

And our STUNNING bride Allison is a wonderful example of this!

We actually met Allison through work quite a while back. After knowing her on a friendly but ultimately surface level for a little bit, she let us know that she was interested in having us shoot her engagement and bridal sessions, as well as her wedding! So, we had lunch, hung out a little bit and set a date for her and Dylan’s engagement pics. You can check out the blog post we wrote about it here. During that session we started to get to know Dylan as well. More lunches followed. We got to know each other a little better, grew a little closer, discussed our various interests. Allison and Dylan mentioned that they were interested in various supernatural topics and that’s when we realized that there was only one location where we could shoot Allison’s bridals.:The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, LA. For you see, The Myrtles is haunted. Quite haunted indeed! MWAHAHAHAHA!

Haunted, you say?

Regardless of where you fall on the belief-in-the-paranormal-spectrum, The Myrtles has earned a reputation within certain circles as being very, very haunted. Various television series and documentaries have been filmed there and they have even played host to more than one “ghost hunt.” In the paranormal world, it’s kind of a big deal.  The most famous ghost – there are several, of course – is Chloe. Chloe was a slave that worked in the house and the kitchens at The Myrtles and one day she accidentally-on-purpose poisoned the owner’s children. And they died. When it was discovered that Chloe was to blame, she was given a quick “trial” by a mob and hung from the closest tree – which was in the front yard of the plantation home. Needless to say, Chloe’s spirit was a little upset about how things turned out for her in the world of the living, so she decided to stick around and do various ghost things for the next few centuries. She has been photographed – sadly, not by us – filmed, and seen by a multitude of witnesses over the years and it is all just really great and really spooky.

So it was PERFECT for Allison’s bridal session!!!

Of course, it also helps that the home itself is pretty stinking gorgeous. The current owners have done an excellent job of maintaining the original home and the surrounding gardens and duck pond only add to the atmosphere. Without telling Allison of our plans, we contacted The Myrtles and were told that we would need permission from the owners in order for us to shoot on the property.  I immediately fired off an e-mail filled with excitement at the prospect of surprising our client and We explained our plans . . . then I waited around for a day. But at last the reply came and the owners agreed; It would be the perfect place for our bride!

Cara and I actually decided to make a bit of trip out of it and booked a two night stay at The Myrtles – Did I mention it is a working bed and breakfast? I should have if I didn’t. – Because, you see, we are also interested in supernatural things. Well, maybe Cara isn’t as much as I am, but still.  As soon as we told Allison that we were going to The Myrtles she needed no explanation. She knew the plantation home’s reputation and was beyond excited for the opportunity to have her bridal session there.

Cara and I checked in the night before and visited with some of the other guests. The following morning we finished scouting out the grounds and planning out the shoot. Unfortunately the only scare we had during our stay was when the storm clouds rolled in about an hour before our shoot with Allison. *Spoiler Alert!!!* It didn’t rain. *End of Spoiler Alert!!!*  Allison looked absolutely beautiful in her wedding dresses. Yeah, that’s right, she had two of them; one white and one black! How perfect is that?! The shoot was a lot of fun, we got a lot of great shots, and Allison was a dream to work with. It was all just the bee’s knees. For reals yo.

But . . .

Absolutely none of this would have happened if Cara and I and Allison and Dylan had not taken the time to actually get to know one another. None of it. They never would have mentioned their interest and we never would have thought of taking her to The Myrtles. It just wouldn’t have happened. I mean, she would have gotten some good pictures anyway, pictures that she “loved,” and everything would have been fine. But this way, when she says that she “loves” the pics she got from her bridal session it is a little different; you can see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. It’s just that little extra something that we are always looking for and truly believe takes things up a notch. So . . . get to know your photographer. Be Cliends.

Thanks for checking out our blog, guys! We really, really, really appreciate all of our readers. If any of you are interested in visiting or staying at The Myrtles, you can check out there website here. Or you can give them a call at 1-800-809-0565. Cara and I enjoyed our stay with them and the staff was super friendly and very helpful. I would highly recommend The Myrtles to anyone that was interested in history or ghosts. Or both.

If you would like to find out more about Chloe the ghost just check out the tab on The Myrtles’ website or you can go to wikipedia or you can check out this site, too.

Who wore it better? Chloe or Allison.

(our Chloe reenactment photo)

(actual photo of Chloe’s ghost. Photo credit: from The Myrtles website)

 

Happy Halloween from the Buies!

 

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