Ashley Firth is a fabulous fashionista, a talented wedding/professional photographer, a reality star (she was on TLC's I Found the Gown), and a bridal inspiration (she was just featured by Brides Magazine). Ashley is one of those women who makes looking like a million bucks effortless. The former Miss Petite America says she is a savvy sale and consignment-minded shopper. That makes me love her style even more! Her personal style suits her outgoing, fun personality perfectly. The shades of bright pink, orange and purple in her wedding bouquet and accessories are a perfect example. She is someone who isn't afraid to show the world who she is and I love that about her!
Ashley's stunning wedding was at the Boston Museum of Science in June 2013. I hope you enjoy reading about her wedding style and fashion philosophy as much as I did. You can see her work behind the camera as owner of Ashley Lynn Photography here. Her gorgeous wedding photos are by the talented Todd Ward of Todd Ward Studios.
Describe your personal style in a few words. Champagne taste on a savvy consignment budget!
What/who inspires you when it comes to fashion? Color, joy, shape, and my work all inspire me. As a professional photographer I see so many people and I always tell them to dress in whatever makes them feel great, and they always come to me with the cutest outfits. I like simple looks, and I don't layer very often, so I guess I really like staple pieces. Skinny jeans/pants, ankle length anything (they fit me best haha!), and I'm not afraid of a great animal print!
You always look so chic. Do you have a philosophy for putting an outfit together? I wish I did! I base my outfits on emotion. On a gray dreary day, I dress bright and happy to influence my mood. On a wonderful day, I do the same! For photographing weddings I wear all black, by choice, to blend in to the background, so it's nice to have fun color pieces in daily life.
You are in my opinion, the ultimate bride. Brides Magazine just featured your wedding and you were on TLC's I Found the Gown! Describe your bridal style. THANK YOU! After shooting weddings for 10 years, and competing in hundreds of really ornate and beautiful pageant gowns, I wanted my bridal style to really feel different for me than anything I had worn. For a girl who loves sparkle I asked for none of it. I wanted a structured classic and sleek look with fabric detailing. I wanted to stand out in more of a matte way. My amazing husband is Japanese and for our wedding we were folding 1,000 paper cranes in tradition. When I tried on my dress at Vows for I Found the Gown, the consultant compared the folds of my bodice to origami. It was fate. I am by no means understated, however, and I knew I wanted my accessories to stand out. I had hot pink and orange (our wedding colors) rhinestoned platform heels, a huge pink and gold necklace, and my grandmother's original head-piece from her wedding 45 years prior. I also asked for a cathedral-length veil because I love to photograph them!
How did you get the event as well as your gown/bridal style to coordinate so perfectly? Everything was impeccable! (And I absolutely love the necklace!) We based everything on our relationship for the wedding. It was a wedding for a minute, but a marriage for life. My favorite color is pink, and my husbands' is orange. So that was it, there were our theme and detail colors. I made sure that everything had a modern flare to it and that we had straight clean lines-- rosette table runners with sleek square centerpieces, fun and classic. The bridal look was no exception, the clean lines of the rouched dress paired with the absolutely amazing ruffled skirt made me feel like a rockstar. I also kept the same feel of fabrics throughout. I had my best friend-bridesmaids in taffeta to match the formality of the event, but in fun short dresses that they picked out themselves. Everything had a subtle shine
As a savvy bride and also a photographer what mistakes do you think many brides make (with style, make up, the ceremony/after party)? Makeup for me was my biggest thing for photos. I hired a wonderful friend and I went totally glam with big long lashes. I wish that brides would really focus on their makeup and stress that I still want them to look like themselves, and it may seem weird to have more makeup on than they normally wear, but in photos it's how your features stand out! Also, factor in sitting and dancing when picking out and fitting your dress, make sure that you can enjoy the happiest day of your life!
I have to ask, what was it like being on I Found the Gown? It was surreal, and such a wonderful documented piece of our relationship and journey to the aisle! One of the reasons they cast me is because I am a savvy sale and consignment-minded shopper, and that is the whole premise to the show. Great gowns at discounted sample pricing. I wanted a dress that didn't necessarily top every pageant dress I have ever worn in sparkle, but in the feeling that it gave me. I wanted to feel like the most beautiful bride, and I wasn't held back by my budget because of the show and the store it brought me to. I so completely recommend Vows because I never would have been able to have that dress without them!
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