You guys! I did it! I put together my first styled shoot! It was so much fun but also a ton of work. It was one of my goals for 2017 and I am so thankful that I was able to do this shoot just before Christmas! I definitely learned a lot and am so much more excited to do another one in the future. You may be scratching your head wondering what a styled shoot is. A styled shoot is when wedding vendors get together and put on a ‘fake’ wedding to photograph. It can be as simple as just having a bride and groom or have a full ceremony area, reception table, and bridal party!
The Inspiration
The inspiration from this shoot started with an image of someone holding a black and white tarot card with a crescent moon on it. The woman holding the photograph had many rings on her hands of silver and crystals. It started to get me to think of the duality with all things witchy. Black and white. Good witch, bad witch. And the grey areas in between. Then I started thinking of free spirits and immediately though of the bohemian style. There it was. A black and white boho inspired styled shoot with hints of gold.
The Location
I have had a very interesting relationship with the desert my whole life. I was born and raise in the valley, so I never really appreciated the desert landscapes. As I have grown older, I have come to appreciate the beauty of our mountains that surround the city. And the green of the cacti. And the subtle changes that the Arizona desert goes through as the seasons change. I knew that I wanted to do this shoot in the desert.
And what better mountain range to have as the backdrop for a witchy boho inspired shoot than the Superstition mountains?! I mean the name alone we forget sometimes is superstition! The belief in the super natural. And all of the ghost stories that come from this mountain range are truly amazing. If you have not heard any, you should google it.
The Details
The stationary suite from Paige Poppe is absolutely amazing. The moody blue and black water colors. The saguaro cacti on the invitation. And the art work on the back of each piece of the invitations! I mean, how does it get much better than that?! An invitation and something for your guests to frame and hang in their home. The last image in this post is one of my favorite pieces of this set. A black and white print of some floral that simply say love and magic. The perfect theme for this shoot.
The dress is an amazing crocheted lace dress from Rue De Seine that was borrowed from the ever wonderful Lovely Bridal in Scottsdale. The dress features and amazing dropping neckline, a slit, and amazing draping sleeves perfect for the witchy bohemian lady getting married. To contrast the white of the bride’s dress I put together an outfit for the groom of dark grays and blacks. His work slacks, grey button up shirt, and black sport jacket created a casual look perfect to compliment a bohemian bride.
The cake was a small two tier cake fit for an intimate celebration in the desert. It was a gorgeous black cake with gold painting that complemented the watercolors of the invitation suite. Before the cake, the bride and groom enjoyed hors d’oeuvres of cheese and berries. That was paired with a very witchy looking black bottle of wine.
And sending everything over the top and bringing it all together was the amazing bouquet from Moelleux Events. How she got the colors of the bouquet to match the stationary, cake, outfits, and sunset colors of the mountains is beyond me. And to top it all off she put a crystal ball in the bouquet! She is the real magic.
Beautifully done! You have an amazing imagination, determination to achieve your goals, and a pallet of possibilities in your future.