I had the privilege of working with the best wedding vendors in town last month at the annual styled shoot that The Wedding Party put together. The Wedding Party is an invite-only selection of only the most forward-thinking, inspired and current wedding professionals local to the Tri-state area. The main event is hosted at the beginning of the year (this coming January will mark year three) where the vendors put on a "wedding show" unlike any other. I use quotes when I say "wedding show" because it really is hard to tell you're even at one, as the event feels much more akin to a rad cocktail party. The idea behind The Wedding Party is to get the vendors out from behind the typical pipe and drape that you see at convention center bridal shows, and encourage true engagement between them and the brides. It's a gorgeously decorated and well-curated party, and serves to pamper brides as much as to inspire them.
I was invited by photographer and my friend, Alisha Sims, to be the Creative Director on the shoot. This meant setting a vision for all the vendors to take and make their own, from the landscape designer to the florist to the hair and makeup artists. I was absolutely blown away by how individually creative everyone was and how all the different parts came together to create one, very layered and rich, yet cohesive, final product.
I'm excited to take you behind the scenes from my perspective and share some of the fun from the day!
Let's start with these shoes. WHYYYY did I wear these shoes to the shoot?! They have absolutely no support, and you'll see, I ended up ditching them about 1/3 of the way through the day. I was actually limping around by the time the shoot wrapped at around 9pm. I hobbled into our apartment and fell on the floor where Ryan massaged my legs before I could literally crawl upstairs to bed. Goodness gracious... time to find some cute sneakers and cute ways to wear them. But enough about my feet. That dress I'm wearing was a gift from Ryan, who picked it out (right size and all) by himself, specifically for me to wear on this day, so that I would feel pretty and empowered. Y'all, he's beyond.
The first half of the day was spent styling flatlays for The Diamond Galleria, who sponsored the shoot. Here's Alisha working her magic to make the engagement rings stand up inside their little box after I had given up all hope. She is the most patient ring setter-upper I've ever met. Way to go the extra mile for the shot, girl!
Here is Lindsay of Petal and Pine and myself tag-teaming a flatlay. She has the best props and the best ideas. She's such a fun styling buddy. We started this set-up on one of the black dining tables that was sitting there, and had plans to move the whole thing to the concrete floor by the window. We tried shooting it with the black as the background just for something different and it actually ended up being just what we needed to make everything pop!
Mo, our local It Girl bartender, was there making signature drinks for the styled cocktail table. I know all the vendors (especially me) appreciated that she showed up early, started mixing drinks and passed them out well before her call time.
One thing I have learned from these shoots is that the boys will ALWAYS find the whiskey.
Our bride, Arianna, was such a trooper in her crazy high heels (which we made her run in). Even through that and clipping and re-clipping her dress a million times, she still managed to look absolutely flawless. I suspect it's because her real-life boyfriend, Ian, who played the groom, was there gazing into her eyes the entire time. Their chemistry is intoxicating. There were moments where she would kiss his forehead for a shot and it felt like the whole room went silent because you just knew everybody was swooning.
And finally, after a long day of shooting (and limping), we all got to sit at the table and indulge in all that wine and the gorgeous pastries that were sitting there, tormenting us. Sweet relief!
That's a wrap! I'm so thankful to have been included in this tremendous and talented group. Check back here for the finished images soon!
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