I am proud to share with you a photo shoot that I hope would be truly inspiring to you and will touch your hearts. Inspired by my grandpa to do more good, I sought out to do something that holds a deeper meaning and will also inspire everyone to do more good. As a token of my appreciation for my grandpa and what he has done before he passed, I would like to dedicate this inspiration shoot to him. It has always been his goal in life to share his blessings with others who were less fortunate. During the Vietnam War, when numerous kids were abandoned and left to die in the slums of Vietnam, he took in as many children as he could and raised them as if they were his own. After coming to America, he continued to support his community and sponsored many Vietnamese people who seeked a better life in America. He opened his home, created living spaces for these families, and helped them get a head start. Throughout his life, he continued to give back to his community; building wheelchairs for disabled victims in Vietnam and going back to build roads for villages with limited access. Although poor, his efforts truly show that you don’t have to be wealthy to give. His goals were to always promote love and human kindness to everyone around him. I cannot say enough good things about this wonderful man, but I hope to continue his generosity by promoting human kindness to everyone.
For this shoot, I reached out to a bridal boutique in Portland, Oregon that had an aligned vision with us, i.e. to promote love and kindness. Brides for a Cause is a non-profit organization who uses their raised funds to support women with serious health issues, specifically pertaining to the top two women killers: cancer and heart disease. Their funds go even further to promote positive self-image and self-esteem for young women, support women in the military, provide relief for single mothers, abused and disabled women, and promote opportunities for women’s education and those in the workforce. Brides who purchase their dresses from the boutique can feel good about themselves knowing that their money will be used to help and elevate women that are less fortunate.
I believe that we can do more good for each other if we could just take a moment and take care of one another a little bit more. My goal as a business is to not only grow but to grow in a way that promotes and help the world become a better place through simple acts of kindness. We do this by donating a portion of our profits to any charitable organizations that our newlywed couples choose. This allows us to share with our couples the rewarding feeling of giving back.
We chose the awe-inspiring Cannon Beach in Oregon because we wanted to select a location that is serene and beautiful. The dress we selected from Willowby by Watters is soft and flowy to evoke an ethereal feeling. Our model, Sophia, truly have the biggest heart. Growing up, she assisted her mother with autistic children. I couldn’t have asked for a better model. Her boyfriend, Chad, who is currently on a mission to spread kindness and the word of God in the rural areas in Spain, can only write handwritten letters to her and use the internet once a week. I asked our calligrapher, Katlyn of Pens and Paths, to write a letter to Sophia as if it was coming from Chad, himself, to achieve genuine emotions when she actually reads this letter for the first time on this shoot. For the wedding invitation suite, she used distressed paper along with vintage stamps to give a feeling of timelessness. The flowers designed by Sarah of Selva Florals was organic and free flowing – a representation of nature’s beauty. This design coupled well with the soft hand-dyed silk ribbons from The Poetry of Silk. We chose a vintage ring from Trumpet and Horn to continue the timelessness feeling of a wedding and to represent a ‘something old’.
I hope you find this shoot inspiring and enjoyed these photos as much as we do. Please help us spread love and kindness by sharing this with your friends and family. If you like this, make sure you comment below, check that post notification for more postings like these, and lastly show all of the vendors below some love by following us on Instagram. Until then, have a wonderful day!
Vendors List
Photography: Le Vie Photography @Levie_Photography
Floral: Selva Floral Design @selvafloral
Dress: Brides for a Cause @brides_for_a_cause
Dress Designer: Willowby by Watters @willowbywatters
Stationery and Paper Goods: Pens and Paths @pensandpaths
Model: Sophia Willis @sophiaawillis
Ring: Trumpet & Horn @trumpetandhorn
Ribbons: The Poetry of Silk @thepoetryofsilk
Film Scan: Richard Photo Lab @richardphotolab
With Warmest Regards,
Viet Le
