A Summertime Styled Shoot

I LOVE styled shoots… a lot! Why do I love them so much? Well, because it is the perfect opportunity for many things. First, they give me a creative outlet. I can put together a design of my choosing and it can be as big or as small as I want. In a wedding, it should always be the bride (and groom’s) choices, vision… themes etc., I add input and give loads of advice too, but a styled shoot gives me free range to display all the many ideas that I have. I try to limit it to about 2… sometimes 3 a year. I love meeting new people. Styled shoots are also the perfect opportunity to meet different wedding professionals; networking and building connections is so very important in this industry. I love that I can refer my clients to people that I have worked with and vice versa. Styled shoots allow me to practice my craft. There is always room to grow and learning, so why not use styled shoots to do just that! It’s a great way to challenge myself and try something new. Lastly, styled shoots produce gorgeous images to add to my portfolio. I can display my work in the best way that’ll appeal to my client and use the photos on my website and social media platforms.

Prepping for a styled shoot takes a lot of time, which is prolonged because of work, family and life in general, but all-in-all, the work gets done. I put together a styled shoot that took place late July and it was SO GOOD. I worked with wedding professionals from all over; some old and some new… some traveled from afar and some didn’t. I had the pleasure again of working with Latasha owner and bridal gown designer of Lillie Couturier. Her gowns are exquisite, sexy and ooze beauty, class. She even debuted her new jumpsuit for this shoot! Wendy and her team at Chadmoore Tux always provide us with the sharpest tuxedos for all of our models. Love getting the opportunity to show off their pieces. I love working with Natasha, owner of Too Blessed To Be Stressed Catering and team. They always provide the BEST food and their presentation is always on point! When I need beautiful hair to be done, the first person I reach out to is Paula, owner of Transformed by Paula. I love her versatility and creativity with each model on set. Working with models Jessica, Tommy and Josh are always a treat; forever fun and professional. Sharissa is my go to when executing my design and her input always goes above and beyond. I also brought on some new wedding professionals.

Jewel, owner of Kotee Kreations was one of the first people to reach out to me, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. She is incredibly multitalented; photography is her latest talent; she’s brilliant behind the lens. She also makes jewelry and is a bomb makeup artist! Marlie did all the gorgeous stationery for each set. She created not only beautiful menu’s, but also 3 amazing invitation suites for each set. She took the themes and put her own spin on it! Perfection. Because of our schedule’s Jenae, owner of Makeup Slay by Jenaè Rosè and I never get the opportunity to work together on styled shoots, but FINALLY our schedules aligned! I love her drive and creativity. She created all the makeup looks for each set; a true talent. Every styled shoot needs a stylist! Refined Style and team (hi Angeles) not only dressed/styled all the models, but also made sure each model stayed looking their best throughout the entire shoot! Shelisa you rock!

I have never worked with a videographer on any of my past styled shoots, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Red Kite Video was amazing behind the scenes. It was really cool watching Brandon create magic with each set. The finished product is amazing! I am a lover of sweets and art. Sugar Fetish Cakery was the perfect choice for this shoot. Latisha creates the most beautiful cakes and I am a huge fan of her work. I said modern and she created something magnificent. I can’t wait for you all to see it! I got to bring on new models too! Lisa, Kofi and Diana were a perfect addition to the set. Each of them rocking it in front of the camera. Olivia and Tarra were fantastic behind the scenes and a huge help with each set! We were so happy to have them on board. Vision Furniture always provides the very BEST pieces for my styled shoots. Regardless of the theme, they always have exactly what I need. Lastly, I had the pleasure of working with Jane from The Baldwin in the beautiful Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. I was absolutely stunned by how gorgeous this venue is. This all girls school built in 1890, sitting on over 20 acres of stunning property, is something out of a magazine. It’s fantastic for any event and Jane was a delight to work with. Trust me, it’s the perfect backdrop for any photo.

With this shoot, I wanted to do something a bit different. Of course it would still be a wedding shoot, but usually, I have the bride(s) and groom(s) and bridesmaids. Instead, I chose to feature 3 couples and nixed the bridesmaids. I also wanted exclusivity on this shoot as well. Instead of bringing on 2 of some vendors, I chose to keep it to just one. Less models too. Also, I chose to do 3 different concepts: “Moody Modern”, using black, hunter green, and gold as the main colors. Eggplant was added as a nice pop. “Vintage Green”, our neutral palette set of ivory, beige and green and the “Beautiful Brights” set made up of tropical leaves pops of pink, yellow and orange; giving us all tropical vibes.

We started at 7:30 in the morning and ended at 4pm. It was one of the HOTTEST ( no, I’m not exaggerating) days so far this summer, so all pics were done indoors. The power went out in the room that was cool and prepped for hair, makeup and wardrobe, but Jane was on top of it. They all made due in the larger warmer room and the show went on. Every single person on this team was phenomenal to say the least, and the shoot continued like a well oiled machine. Too Blessed To Be Stressed provided us with lunch, Jane made pumpkin cake… YUM, and we finished up after that. Are styled shoots a lot of work? Yes, most definitely, but working with the right team makes it all worth I! I’m excited to see the finished product! Enjoy the behind the scene pics for now!