No doubt it’s fun to flip through magazines and gather inspo for your big day (we’re banking on it!). But sometimes it feels a little like sifting for outfits at a thrift store: The best parts take a little hunting. That’s where styled shoots come in.
What’s the purpose of a styled shoot? It’s three-fold: Yes, they’re meant to provide couples with plenty of inspiration during their own planning phase, but they can also serve as a way to see the possibilities.
“They provide your creative team a chance to design for themselves versus a client’s request,” says Just A Little Ditty planner Marilyn Speight, “so you can truly get a sense of the full scope and scale of talent that your planner/designer, florist, venue, etc. can offer.”
And, Speight says, they can help introduce you to an unfamiliar vendor. In the case of the styled shoot on these pages, Quirk Hotel, one of the area’s newer venues.
“The overall theme was modern, bold, and artistic,” Speight says of this winter shoot. “It was largely inspired by the whimsical setting of Quirk.” She and the rest of the team—which included Southern Blooms, Emerson James, and Commonwealth Cake Co.—aimed to take the idea of a winter wedding in a new direction, bringing in plenty of bright, vibrant colors, and playing up the increasingly popular idea of a microwedding (which, Speight says, “afford you the opportunity to get more creative with vignettes or up the luxe factor with your tablescapes since you have a lower overall quantity to factor in”).
In other words, use styled shoots to imagine the possibilities—from the big-picture vendor choices, to the fun touches you haven’t even thought about yet (read: luxe welcome boxes).
THE DETAILS
Photography:
Jen Fariello
Florals:
Southern Blooms
Accents:
Kiki Slaughter
Venue:
Quirk Charlottesville
Tabletop:
Emerson James
Linens:
Nuage Designs
Rentals:
Festive Fare
Stationery:
Rock Paper Scissors
Calligraphy:
Jodi Macfarlan
Cake:
Commonwealth Cake Co.
Attire:
The One Bridal Salon
Hair:
Top Knot Studio
Makeup:
Rouge 9
