More Mocha, Please (Mocha Bride, That Is!)

So it was sometime around 7:30AM last Monday when I got a phone call from a number I didn’t recognize. Being the businesswoman I am, I decided to take the call. It turned out to be Sandra, one of the cool folks from Mocha Bride Magazine. As I struggled to remain awake (haha), she told me that a model cancelled on their shoot last minute and wanted to know if it was possible for me to fill in for her. When I asked what time I needed to be there, she replied, “As soon as you can get here.” Needless to say, I took the quickest shower of my life! But it was a welcome change to most Monday mornings.

I got ready, grabbed what I could (I was visiting my parents so I wasn’t at home with all my stuff), got directions and headed to Oakland for another bridal shoot. When I pulled up I couldn’t believe my eyes…the mansion was amazing. I don’t even want to call it a mansion—it was more like an estate or something! There was a huge gate and I let myself in through a side glass door that was propped open. I walked in and saw nothing but exquisite elegance and expensive taste. White, marble floors, three stories, white walls filled with gorgeous artwork, and a spiral staircase. And among the luxury was the Mocha Bride crew getting down to business. Models were scattered, some getting their hair or makeup done, while others were doing fittings and getting dressed. I found Sandra and ran into Pamela and Jasmine, the two fabulous ladies in charge of the magazine and after our brief reunion, I was ushered into a dress, which fit me to a tee. After the fitting, I had downtime while waiting to get into hair and makeup.

Some flicks I took of the palatial space we shot in (it was three stories although we were only working on the ground floor and the backyard):

This is the actual panoramic view the owners have of the Bay Area (it was so wide I had to take the picture in sections!):
















This shoot was different from the first one I did because this time there was both male and female models. There were 6 brides and 6 grooms. And I was the shorty in the group haha. This particular shoot was cast for female models that were 5’8” or taller but it wasn’t anything 4-inch heels couldn’t help with! It was great to see the familiar faces of the Mocha Bride crew again and it was great to know that they kept me in mind, especially in case of emergency cancellations.

The only concern was that they didn’t want me to be readily identifiable as the same model from the first shoot so the tactic was to make me look like a completely different model. And they succeeded! As opposed to the soft, more natural bridal look I received before, this time I was more edgy and fashionista with a heavy smoky eye and more lip color. My hair was put up but was decorated with a really cool feather hair clip. I was paired with my groom, a very attractive male model originally from New York, and we set out with our photographer (there were about 3 photographers to help expedite the process of the shoot). Our first scene was in front of a wall of cape ivy with a lot of close-ups. My partner and I got very close (probably too close for comfort for my boyfriend! Haha) but hey, it’s part of the job! Needless to say, we had great on-camera chemistry and I can’t wait to see how hot the pictures are. After that, I went solo and did a couple of shots in my dress (it was a shorter style with multiple layers—sorry, I’m not fashion-oriented so I may not have gotten that lingo right lol) posing on the stairway and I gotta say, the pose in question came out pretty good because it hurt like hell to hold it! Ah, the perks of modeling! If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right, I always say! The last shot was a cool concept, which had all of the brides in pairs, standing on top of these pillars (I guess that’s what you’d call them), striking fashion poses. And then it was a wrap!

I had a lot of fun and Jasmine, Pam, and Sandra (who got to be one of the brides) were amazing to work with as usual. They have one more photoshoot set up to round out the magazine and then the first issue will be out on June 1st! Woot! If you’re in the Bay Area, I definitely say to check Mocha Bride Magazine when it comes out (and not just because I’m in it!)…the website is also up and running and looks great so check that out, too!