Ellie
Let’s Dance with Princess Ellie!
Our most recent Ray of Hope Portraits session was a full-on dance party for this beautiful princess, Ellie.
Five-year-old Ellie has a rare brain disorder caused by a gene mutation, but this little fighter was an absolute delight to photograph, along with her incredibly loving and supportive family.
As Ellie walked into the studio, she was immediately drawn to the pink runway carpet under her feet. We eventually convinced her that spending time with Tarah and Chelsea during her Glam Time would be just as exciting. ;)
Tarah and Chelsea worked their Glam Magic with lots of curls and glitter, and after changing into her royal ballgown and tiara, Ellie was escorted to her princess castle set.
Princess Ellie played with her princess bubble wand, posed with her precious family, smiled as butterfly confetti fell over her, and showed off the sweetest princess wave as her brother escorted her down the aisle.
We finished the princess portion in front of the Inspirational Words Banner, and then we sent Princess Ellie off to change into our Dancing Queen Ellie.
After changing into her fancy dancing dress and getting more Glam Squad time, Ellie was ready to hit the dance floor. But what’s a good dance party without a DJ? Lucky for us, the amazingly talented Audio by Claudio provided the perfect dance party playlist for Ellie, her family, and all of the volunteers to dance to!
The whole room took turns dancing with beautiful Ellie while also being mesmerized by her sweet disposition and the incredible love between her family that was clearly on display.
A highlight of the session was watching Ellie’s big brother, Beau, be so sweet and attentive to her. You could see the love between them. He hugged her and smiled at her with such affection, and she lit up every time he went to her. They brought out the best in each other and it was so beautiful to see.
Even though Ellie is nonverbal, her enthusiasm and joy were clearly communicated to all of us. It was such a powerful morning for us as we watched someone who has worked so hard to learn how to walk move with such joy, boldness, freedom, and determination.
Special thanks to…
We could not do these sessions without our amazing volunteers! This team of kind, caring, and talented people helped construct the sets and keep everything flowing smoothly behind the scenes: Tarah Cahalan, Marybeth Davis, Jacey Felzien, Jamie Gallagher, Kristina Gershom, Claudio Grandjean, Shelley Grandjean, Kathi Hammer, Chelsea Hungate, and Carol Thompson.
Tarah Cahalan and Chelsea Hungate worked their Glam-magic on Ellie’s hair and makeup.
DJ Claudio kept us dancing all session long.
Many small businesses and individuals donated their talents and amazing products for the photo shoot and with gifts to take home.
Jessica Healow of Hood and Pine Boutique created and gifted Ellie’s personalized t-shirt.
So many of YOU donated props from our Amazon list that we used for the photo shoot and gifted to Ellie and her family.
Mapel Boutique and Mad Sass Soap Co. collaborated to create and donate incredible gift boxes filled with luxurious bath and body products for the moms of ROHP sessions to enjoy for days and weeks to come.
Pretty Good Printing created and donated the inspirational words backdrop we get to use in all our sessions.
And a special thank you to Kari Timmerman, for designing graphics and the personalized invitations we send to all ROHP kids before their sessions.
