I am so excited to be sharing the *FOURTH* Annual Back-to-School Portrait Day on the blog!! I still have those pinch-me moments that this event has become such an on-going tradition for so many families!!
The Fourth Annual Back-to-School Portrait Day in Gilbert, Arizona
It really has been so special to photograph and watch your kiddos grow over the past four years. There are a handful of kiddos who I took their back-to-school photos since Pre-K and now they are going into 2nd grade!! Wow! Not only that, but with getting to take their family photos and see them at my mini session days throughout the year … it feels like seeing old friends when they arrive! And it’s so fun to celebrate the start of another school year with them!
You can check out the Past Years Back-to-School Portrait Day Event Blogs here:
- The Back-to-School Portrait Day 2023 at Argitopia Farm
- The Back-to-School Portrait Day 2024 at the Barn House
- The Back-to-School Portrait Day 2025 at Morrison Ranch
And we had SO many new families join us this year too! Even a few families who drove almost an hour to come and enjoy the event!! If you get my Friday emails, then you know I might have accidentally released the booking link for the Back-to-School Portrait Day toward the end of May (long story short: I’m as type A as my mom & as tech-savvy as my Grandma) and next thing I knew I looked at my calendar and OVER 50 TICKETS were sold before June!! So, the “Hey! It’s live!” announcement turned into “Hurry and grab the last few tickets while you still can!” announcement! And ohhh boy, did they go fast!
The afternoon was full of new backpacks, fresh sneakers, little nervous smiles, mom’s adjusting bows one last time, siblings cheering each other on, and lots of cold apple juice. It was the perfect way to kick off a brand new school year.
And if you want to get a little peek into what the BGP Back-to-School Portrait Day looked like this year, Caitee put together a film of the event! You can watch it here:
Behind the Scenes of The Back-to-School Portrait Day
Like every year, I seriously could not have pulled this event off on my own and I’m so beyond grateful for my family who, in addition to helping me get everything together all week, didn’t even bat an eye about spending two hours in a heat wave to help make this event happen!
Everything from running the check-in table, resetting the games, making sure everyone had cold apple juices, and setting up fans while families were waiting in line.
One of my favorite BG Families came up and gave me a great, big hug and said “You have to be so warm… are you doing okay?” and before they even finished their sentence, Daniel had an ice cold water waiting for me! I’m doing way better than okay… I couldn’t have been more grateful to get to serve the sweetest families alongside my own family! That truly is the bedrock of BGP and I’m so grateful for it!
Even little Everly, my niece, shared her coloring table for the event! (err… more like Aubrey, my sister-in-law, texting “The coast is clear. She’s down for her nap, if you want to sneak it out now.”) And the “Art Class” station was such a hit! Caitee was telling me that even after taking their photos, a bunch of families stayed to play and color a little longer! So fun!
Everly’s First *unofficial* Back-to-School Photos:
This year was an extra special one for the Grondin Family… because Everly got to join in the fun and take her first picture at the Back-to-School Portrait Day!! While she is still not quite 2 years old or even going into school yet, she brought one of her favorite board books and I love it! Monday, she starts school with a busy day of flap books and practicing farm animal sounds!
The #1 Thing that Stood Out to Me During the Event:
I know I say it every year… but you guys seriously have the sweetest kids!! I just about melted taking photos of each one … and not just from the heat! Beyond their handmade bracelets, necklaces, fresh haircuts, and new outfits… what stood out to me most was just how amazing these kids are!
I left talking about how crazy it is to have almost 100 kiddos come through and they were all so kind, well behaved, gentle, silly, happy, and caring. You can tell the apples don’t fall far from the trees! You guys are wonderful parents, and such good families! Most of the kiddos said they were a mix of excited and nervous to go back to school… but they are going to do amazing this year!!
Join Me for Next Year’s Back-to-School Portrait Day
I can’t believe next year will be 5 years of The Back-to-School Portrait Day! If you would like to come again or don’t want to miss hearing about when that or any other BGP Events and dates open up, be sure to join the email list:
I am grateful for everyone who attended!! I hope you all had as much fun as I did! Here’s to the start of another amazing school year!!
