Oh my gosh! Have I got something BEAUTIFUL on the blog for you today! I still can’t believe that these images came out of MY camera, whew!
Over the past six months I’ve had the opportunity to participate in a number of styled shoots designed by other photographers for photographers. While the details were all beautiful competing with 16-30 other photographers to get the shot wasn’t. When there are that many people crowding around one couple to get the shot, you’re likely not going to get the shot you want. So, when I attended Amy and Jordan’s workshop this past January Jordan gave us the permission to put together a styled shoot of our own and even though none of us needed that permission I think a lot of us took it and ran with it! And so, on the way home from Arizona, I began dreaming of putting together a styled shoot of my own, one that likely would never come to fruition.
There was such a long list of things to do! I had to find models, a venue, a florist, a dress—the list went on and on! What no one tells you is that designing a styled shoot is hard, even harder to do without a co-ordinator! I have no clue how brides decide on anything for their wedding, my ideas kept changing until I saw Beauty and the Beast! The flowers in the movie were stunning and I knew that if I could have even a little bit of what the movie showed I would be happy! This guided all of my decisions for the shoot and while you may not look at pictures and see any Beauty and the Beast, that was definitely my inspiration and I felt like I had stepped in to my own little fairytale once everything came together!
This shoot wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for all of the amazing vendors who participated in it! I feel incredibly lucky and fortunate to have been granted the opportunity to photograph in one of Thunder Bay’s newest and most gorgeous wedding venues—The Chanterelle! This space is definitely one to beat! It’s rustic meets modern meets art deco with a bit of old Hollywood Glam and the team behind are just as amazing as the space is! Mae from the Chanterelle helped with finding vendors for the shoots and attending fittings for our models when I wasn’t able to!
As beautiful as The Chanterelle is on it’s own, Brittany from Thuja Floral Design worked some serious magic with her flowers and made the space feel like it was fit for a princess! I seriously do not know how she comes up with her designs but they are just gorgeous! From the table runners to the garlands for the candelabras and the bouquet they were all just beyond beautiful!
All three dresses worn during the shoot were provided by Unveiled Bridal boutique who provided us with a selection that could not have worked any more perfectly with the shoot! JB Evans also provided a handsome suit for our groom to wear!
Carly from Wink and Courtney from The Cutting Room took our beautiful model Ashley and brought out all of her best features! Courtney also did a little touch up on Nelson as well and made him look quite dashing, he definitely rocked the GQ look during his individual portraits!
Jenna from Day Dreams Events helped to make our tables look beautiful with linens and mercury glass candle holders which went so perfectly with the flowers and the place settings were complimented perfectly by the gold flatware from Plate Occasions in Toronto. Jayme from Rustic Sugar Bakery made us a beautiful cake topped with fresh flowers that blended seamlessly in to the shoot! It smelled so good we all wanted to eat it!
Tess of Little Duck Calligraphy hand calligraphied (pretty sure that’s not a word but I’m gonna go with it) all of the menus and place cards as well as the invitations and silk ribbon for the bride and groom’s place settings! She did such an amazing job and I even got to taste some Australian sweets which she sent with the paper goods!
I just wanted to thank everyone for your participation in this shoot! You have all blown me away with your talent, generosity, and how helpful you all were! This was such an amazing experience for me and I hope that you all had an amazing time participating in the shoot and love the images as much as I do! Speaking of images… Here they are! <3
The Creative Team
Floral Design: Thuja Floral Design
Venue: The Chanterelle
Bride’s Attire: Unveiled Bridal Boutique | Groom’s Attire: J.B. Evans | Make Up: Wink Beauty | Hair: Courtney from The Cutting Room | Coordinating: Allison and Maelyn | Stationery and Calligraphy: Little Duck Calligraphy Cake: Rustic Sugar Bakery | Linens and Mercury Glass: Daydreams Event Design | Flatware: Plate Occasions |
