We set our sights high for the Spring/Summer 2017 issue of Arkansas Bride. We knew we wanted soft pastels and an entire floral wall. And to top it all off, we had to have a puppy on the cover. 

So it goes without saying that a lot of talented individuals came together to make that dream a reality. We couldn't have pulled it off without our cute cover puppy Lucy Henry, the team at Shirley's Flower Studio, photog extraordinaire Jason Masters, beauty guru Angela Alexander and our models Mallory Jackson and Josh York. 

Even though we've been in the bridal world for 26 (!) years now, we always seem to learn something new on the set of our fashion shoots. Here's what we learned this time around. 

1. Puppy cuddles are the best thing. 

Hands-down, the best thing about this shoot was getting to bring little Lucy Henry on set with us. Lucy's parents, Hollis and Derrick, graciously let us borrow their sweet Golden Retriever pup for a few hours and the results were magical. We didn't mind getting to love on Lucy between gown changes, either. 

2. Building a flower wall is hard work — but so worth it. 

Our talented friends at Shirley's Flower Studio in Rogers and Bentonville dreamt up the most beautiful flower wall, floral chandelier, floral collar and bouquet for our dreamy Spring/Summer issue — and we have to say they killed it. Tricia Upshaw and her team drove down with the huge floral wall and set up shop in Block 2 Lofts in Little Rock to put on the finishing touches. 

3. Trying on the jewelry is a must. 

Fashion shoot days are the times we get to play pretend that our lives actually include that much bling. 

4. Our model, Mallory Jackson has a killer smize (you know the America's Next Top Model term, "smile with her eyes"). 

And killer brows. We're so happy we got to work with Mallory from Sculp Agency because as you can see, the results were amazing. 

5. Sometimes gowns surprise you. 

We picked out some of our favorites for Mallory to try on when she got to set. We weren't too sure about the boho "Stassia" gown by Watters, available at Low's Bridal & Formal, but once Mallory tried it on we fell in love. It goes to show, you can never judge a gown on a hanger! 

We can't wait to start working on Fall/Winter 2017, but in the meantime you can become inspired by our spring/summer fashion shoot here.