Photographer reunites baby princesses on 1st birthday
Tiny Disney princesses growing up right before our eyes
Tiny Disney princesses growing up right before our eyes
Tiny Disney princesses growing up right before our eyes
It's been one year since a California photographer brought to life the littlest Disney princesses who captured our hearts swaddled in tiny blankets and flowery headbands.
Karen Marie, of , created this unique and adorably beautiful photo shoot featuring six little girls, each dressed up as a different Disney princess: Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Belle and Jasmine.
And now, the little princesses are celebrating their first birthdays with a reunion, complete with tiny dresses and new headbands.
"When we finished the shoot last year, exhausted from photographing six babies at once, my staff and I sat back and laughed and said, 'It will be so much easier next year when they are all 1!'" Marie said. "At that point, I knew I was going to do the shoot. It then became such an exciting time when the newborns went viral. Over 17 million views on Facebook and the story was ran by over 50 different news agencies."
Marie, who has two daughters and a son, started Belly Beautiful Portraits nearly 12 years ago, but has studied photography since high school. Disney has always been a part of her life.
"The Disney princesses have always been a source of inspiration to me," she said. "My mother and my grandmother would read their stories and watch the movies with me. These amazing tales of love and courage have always resonated with me."
However, Marie's love for taking care of babies stems from her time working with mothers and newborns.
"I'm a former labor and delivery nurse. My entire career has been about babies," she said. "After I had my son, my mother-in-law said, 'Pictures are all we have.'"
but Marie said she had been wanting to do something like this for a while.
"I've had this idea in my head for so long," she said. "My staff and the lady who makes the gowns all sort of came together to create this six sets."
Valerie Best, who owns , created the gowns.
Marie and her team created the sets and put out a call on social media for six baby girls. Fifty parents applied.
"Originally, we had nine babies who were supposed to be there, so we had backups, but that day, we only had six. So even if the babies were crying, they had to be the princesses," she said.
Having finished her second major Disney princess photo shoot, Marie is set to travel to Brazil in a few weeks to teach about creative newborn photography.