This post is for event professionals and clients alike. You may have noticed that your favorite Instagram photogrpaher, event planner, florist, calligrapher, etc, is posting lots of beautiful images from something that they call a "styled shoot." You might be wondering, what that is or what its purpose might be.
So, today on the blog, I'm going to tell you a little about a styled shoot that I did last month with some phenomenal vendors and why a shoot like this helps you as a consumer make wise choices on who you hire for your wedding or event.
First, I'll give you a little backstory on how the shoot came to be. Back on a very rainy day in February, I had the pleasure of visiting Maypop Fields. Even in a flood, I loved this gorgeous venue in New Tazewell. TN. It's a modern barn venue with a light, airy white interior and exterior (amazing for photos), a bridal lovely suite and handsome grooms' quarters, a small onsite kitchen, covered patio, big, beautiful oak overlooking a pond, and ... heat (!!), Basically, this ain't your typical barn and I love it!
I also had a chance to meet the wonderful team at Maypop Fields, Tina and Anjelica, who manage this lovely place and happen to be a mother-daughter duo. They were open to a styled shoot in the spring and I was pumped! This is where my work began. On the drive home I knew glorious spring color would be just what I wanted to get me out of my rainy winter slump and I figured it might be a boost for others too. So, I got home and started reaching out to local photographers, florists, a HMUA, calligraphers, hand lettering pros, bridal shops, tux shops, models, and digging through my (sizable) collection of styling items as well as borrowing things from my mom and my friends!
A wonderful group of vendors offered of their time and talents to creating a beautiful shoot and putting all of their great work on display. I've listed all of these spectacular people at the bottom of this blog post and I would encourage ANYONE getting married to call these folks and book them. They were all professional, over-the-top talented, so, so kind, and just a joy to spend time with. Seriously - everyone was awesome. The end result of the shoot were these incredible photos that you'll see on this post and many others, because I'm just in love with them. It was exactly what I had visualized for the day and even the weather cooperated in spectacular fashion!
Now enjoy some photos from the day and below I'll tell you why a styled shoot helps you choose your vendors wisely.
I've also included photos of our 3 photographers who came out and spent the evening with us. They were each so lovely, brought so much to the day, and created such beautiful images!
Left to write: The cutest couple around: Quinn and Jesse of Winx Photo, the incredibly generous Brittany of Brittany Conner Photography, and the remarkly kind Leah of Leah Nicole Photo
These three really were fantastic.
Look at Katie Carnegie doing her thing with our beautiful bride-to-be Maleia!
All photos courtesy of Leah Nicole Photo, Winx Photo, and Brittany Conner Photography
Now, to the good stuff!
Here are 5 reasons why styled shoots help you choose the best vendors:
1. It's a chance to see a planner execute a cohesive vision -This gives you, as a client, the opportunity to evaluate a planner's ability to create an overall feeling for an event. You can ask yourself, whatever style the you see in a shoot, is it executed well? Does the styling work with the venue? This gives you a sneak peak of someone's work and the chance to evaluate it objectively.
2. Styled shoots let you see a photographers style when all pressure is off. A shoot like this is an opportunity for the photographers to play, try new things, and do it all with no "wedding day timeline" to manage. They have all the time in the world to work and this gives you a look into their individual style and some shots that you might want on your own big day.
3. Hair and makeup inspiration made easy. Katie did such a spectacular job creating this look for Maleia and did it so fast! A styled shoot is a great way to see the work of a talented hair and makeup artist up close and find a look at could work for you.
4. Floral extravaganza! Echelon created our stunning florals for the shoot. They made our tablescape so elegant and delicate, I couldn't have loved them more! Even if the florals we chose for our shoot aren't what you have in mind for your own wedding, they're an excellent way to see the level of design that you can expect from a florist (in our case exceptional).
5. A event vendor's modern yellow pages. If you love the look of a styled shoot and you want all those gorgeous details, like our elegant calligraphy from The TriStar Scribe or hand lettering (and more) from Rachel Write Fancy, for your own wedding or event - guess what? You can have them! You've seen them create the look once, and they can do it again. All you have to do is get in touch with the pros involved and book 'em. The leg work is done, my friend.
And on that note - here are all of the vendors involved with this incredible styled shoot. A big thank you to each of them!
Venue: Maypop Fields - @maypopfields
Photography: Winx Photo - @winxphoto, Brittany Conner - @britconr, and Leah Nicole Photo @leahnicolepix
HMUA: Katie Carnegie - @knoxville.hair.by.katie
Floral - Echelon Florist - @echelonflorist
Bridal - Lillian Ruth Bridal - @lillian.ruth.bride
Tuxedo -Regal Tuxedo - @regaltuxedoknox
Hand-lettered sign - Rachel MacDonald - @rachelwritesfancy
Invitation suite - Brittany Ivey - The TriStar Scribe - @thetristarscribe
Models: Maleia - @maleiamargaret and Gabe @gabezmartinez
Planner - Me! @egweddingsandevents
I hope that this helps you to see the value in those styled shoot images that you might see. As always, I'd love to help guide you towards vendors who will make your wedding or event just as pretty and personalized as any photoshoot in a magazine.
Happy planning,
