Over the last year, I’ve started to follow photographers on social media who inspire me, not just with their work but also their business approach and personality. There are SO many talented photographers out there; far too many to count! Last April, I had the pleasure of attending a Q&A workshop/styled shoot with Amanda Hedgepeth in Virginia Beach, VA and it was a game changer for me. Once I got to be a part of something like that, I wanted more! She is just a wonderful person and even though I only met her once, she is a photographer ‘on my list’ of who to aspire to be like in many ways. So- back to the styled shoot…a styled shoot is when you stage a mock wedding and have a bunch of vendors collaborate with you to create something beautiful! As the photographer, it’s then your responsibility to take pictures of the shoot and submit it to a wedding blog to be featured. The vendors get vendor credit and it’s a win-win for everyone…their work is shown off in a beautiful way, and you get to build vendor relationships which is so very important in this business. There are certain goals I have as a photographer, and to be honest, doing a styled shoot was not on the top of my list, but I pushed myself towards it and I am SO glad that I did! I loved getting to work with so many talented vendors, as well as stretch myself as a photographer! I loved it so much that I’m doing another one…in three weeks- ha! The bridal blog Wedding Chicks featured the styled shoot HERE!
I photographed the styled shoot at the Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens in Port Orange, FL. We created a garden themed wedding with peach, blush and gold tones. When I closed my eyes and imagined this shoot, I just kept hearing the words “warm” and “soft”. What is more romantic than a garden wedding with blush and peach tones gracing each image? We knew we desired a look to resonate with the elegant garden bride. As we further discussed the elements of the shoot; the porcelain jewelry, the cake, the venue, it developed into so much more! The shoot had a fresh, airy and bright feel to it! Strongly inspired by the dreamy blossoms of Florida spring, our inspiration for the shoot was feminine and soft.
VENDORS: Ashlee from Simply Roses Florist added an incredible amount of beauty to the shoot with gorgeous blooms! The soft and graceful look of the bride’s hair and make up was created by the very talented Noelle Petracca from Marjan Salon. The rare hand-crafted jewelry was made by the talented Tina Goolsby of Pieces Past. The rough textured cake with gold foil was made by Amy Wilson from Cakes by Amy. The soft pink water color menu card was made by Heather from Leveret Paperie. The spring watercolor floral invitation suite was handmade by Casey from Casey Snyder Designs. The unique wedding gown was made by Erin at RCD Fashion. The breathtaking diamond ring was borrowed from Village Goldsmith Jewelers. My sweet friend, Jamie modeled for us!
.jpg)
.jpg)
