Fun fact: When I was in High School, I won a Prom Contest thru Teen Magazine sponsored by Tyra Banks and Cover Girl.
How did THAT happen? Well, I was grounded! haha! If any one else was ever grounded every.other.day. as a teen, you will understand that you get bored. This was pre internet, pre social media…you know, back in the stone ages! haha!
I can’t remember why I was even grounded THAT TIME, but I do remember I had cleaned my room 5 times, organized my closet, rearranged some furniture because I.was.so.bored. Luckily for me, I had a (probably illegal) subscription to Columbia House (if you know you know) and a 12 months subscription to Teen Magazine! After trying to keep myself occupied by cleaning, I busted out the Cheryl Crow CD and my magazine and tried to pass the time. That’s when I came across the contest. You had to fill out the entry form, include a photo and a short essay about why you thought you should be one of the winners. I can’t even remember what I wrote, but I cut that sucker out, used my best hand writing and then snail mailed it into their headquarters…..then totally forgot about it.
Until one day, a young woman, with a super bubbly personality, called me on the phone. Her name was Megan, the promotions director at the magazine and I remember it so vividly because I was technically grounded off the phone but that day I had gotten home before my Mom so I was on the other line with my BFF. Back before we had caller ID, you just took a change on answering because you had no idea who would be on the other line. I was afraid to even answer it because I thought maybe it was my Mom calling to see if I would answer or not. I clicked over and this woman was so happy and friendly and I almost hung up because I thought it was a telemarketer. Turns out, I had won the contest and she was calling to tell me! She explained how my parents would need to fill out some tax forms and all the other information I would need to do to claim my prize. And I thought…SHIT, how am I going to tell my Mom. I’m grounded and not allowed to even be on the phone so she was going to know for sure! haha!Here’s the spoiler…I was too excited to even care about the consequences so I ended up calling my Mom at work to tell her the news. At first she thought I was being scammed so we waited for the letter to arrive in the mail -along with the tax information to solidify that I was actually a winner! I guess being grounded paid off that time. I got my Prom paid for in full, including my dates tux, flowers, shoes, makeup, dress…everything was covered. The local newspaper came out and took photos before hand and I felt like a local celebrity for the day. It’s the only way I could have even gone that year. Money was tight for us, my Mom didn’t have the discretionary income to help me pay for a dress, let along hair and make up and everything else that came along with it. If it wasn’t for that contest and the money they provided, I could have never gone.
It’s a core memory for me and one that makes me smile. There’s something about being a girl and having the opportunity to dress up, feel amazing and have gorgeous images taken of yourself that takes your self esteem up a few notches. I know that prom dresses are expensive and the fact that they can only typically be worn one time for one day (actually just a few hours)……I wanted to offer mini sessions here in the studio for girls to bring their dresses in WAY before the prom so we can create some fun shots of a dress you paid lots of money for to wear for only a few hours. Let’s give it another reason to be photographed and let me help create a few core memories for YOU too!
$99 | 30 Minute Studio Session
You come to the studio, we spend 30 minutes creating some gorgeous images. You see the proofs and then order what you love! Discounts are available if you want to bring a friend(s). The only requirements are for you to have your dress in your possession.
I’m giving away one free 30 minute session and 2 complimentary digital files to one high school student. What do you have to do? Make sure you follow my Instagram and I’ll be posting all about it in the upcoming weeks!
Want to sponsor a teen? I had someone reach out to sponsor a teen for their session-what a fantastic idea. If you want to help make someone feel like a princess, reach out and I can get you over information to do so.
This is like a full circle moment for me! I can’t wait to see you in my studio!
