SUMMER DRESSES

Summer Dresses:

Happy Friday lovely readers.. A few of you asked about the outfits I wore for our maternity shoot a couple months back. I thought I'd try to link them for you here or try to find something similar. Here are a few options:

This dress is from Urban Outfitters, i couldnt find the exact dress but i found a couple like it and a TON of white lace dresses that im drooling over:

jcpenney Dresses · Blu Moon Day Dresses · Jens Pirate Booty Day Dresses

A few of them are on sale even!  They are perfect for the last couple months of summer/heat we have left.

Second look:

A ton of you asked about this lace top on instagram & the blog.. i found it at a boutique in Orange County months ago but I found a couple other options here that could work, the key is to show some skin underneath (some of these are on sale as well):

Alexis Shortsleeve Tops · Express Longsleeve Tops · BCBGMAXAZRIA Camisoles



I wanted to wear turquoise jewelry for this shoot for a nice pop of color so here are some ideas (just click on the piece if you want to purchase): Im loving all of Aldo's pieces and especially those fab prices!!

shopbop.com Necklaces · Dream Collective Necklaces · Lucky Brand Necklaces

This last look is from Macy's.  I found the following dresses that are similar:

Blu Moon Day Dresses · Jessica Simpson Day Dresses · Jessica Simpson Teen Girls' Dresses

Maternity Photoshoot: Celebrating Our First Baby

Maternity Photoshoot: Celebrating Our First Baby

My sister Kelsey is an amazing Orange County Photographer (link here). She shoots weddings, engagment photos, maternit, infant shoots, family photos, senior portraits, etc. She is an incredibly gifted woman and I am so thankful that she is not only talented, but she has such a giving heart and always offers to shoot us and capture such special treasured moments in our lives.

We wanted to take maternity photos to remember our very first pregnancy and capture this journey on footage! We are so pleased with how the photos turned out. There were so many to choose from but heres a couple just to share with you:

Get the look: 

A lot of you have emailed me or commented below for the details on where I purchased these looks. I have included the exact floral dress below, a couple similar cream dresses, the exact fringe crocheted top im wearing, and a couple maxi skirts that would look cute to complete the look. I also shared some similar inexpensive shoe options and a hat for the floral number. HOpe this helps!

XO

Dillard's Tops · Full Tilt Teen Girls' Tops · Charlotte Russe Tanks

Sneak Peak Maternity Shoot

Maternity Shoot Sneak Peak:

If you are following me on instagram: tessa_ray_armstrong, im sure you already saw this little sneak peak my sister (our photographer: www.kelseysteindler.blogspot.com) took from her IPHONE...   I cannot wait to see the actual pics she took w/ her camera! She is an amazing photographer, so gifted and skilled, with such a beautiful heart. She can make anyone smile and it so wonderfully her goofy sweet self that you instantly feel comfortable in front of the lens (great for people like my hubs who hate taking professional photos).  

Her instagram is "thesteinz" if you'd like to follow her work.  Im so grateful for her giving heart and that she is always open to do a shoot <3.  Since we are family she brought along her hubby and their sweet 6 month old baby boy, my darling nephew Canaan (pronounced cay- nan). Her husband took the baby and their dog for a stroll while we got down to business.  Heres a couple photos of me with my nephew after we were done shooting. He was out past his bed time for auntie so he was a bit crabby but I love to kiss and squeeze him anyhow!

Before we shot w/ my sis we were sitting around waiting so i stole a quick kiss at sunset.

We finished off the night at Savannah's Steakhouse. We love to get in as many date nights as we can these days knowing that pretty soon we'll have our little guy here and not be able to do as much with just the two of us.  My husbands schedule is INTENSE and BUSY to say the least right now. For the next 2 1/2 months hes working and going to school (finishing his hours) and on top of that doing work for the band. Hes a busy man and im so proud of him for all his hard work for our family. <3

Cant wait to post more maternity pics for you when my sis gets a chance to edit!