Hello, Wed-O-Sphere!
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Brae Howard's artwork. It's bright, light-filled, and absolutely gorgeous. It was much to my delight that she jumped on board with a project that, at best, probably sounded like lunacy when I first pitched it to her.
Lucky for us, she signed up!
Together with Stella from SoLi Events, we put together four different concepts. To start, we wanted to create something that reflected the trends for next year (hello, dusty blue and ethereal vibes)! I ended up running point for this one, so of course, I started thrifting!
Hand blown Italian glasses, too. They make a bell-like sound when you touch them.
$5 at Marshalls.
The little champagne glasses on the table? $1 a pop. Now, you may not want to buy one for all of your guests, but if you're going full DIY, it might be a nice touch to get a pair for yourself and your other half.
The biggest expense on this entire table was the linen, which, I won't lie, looked pretty awful before Brae's camera magic was worked on it. I'd recommend renting for all linens. No one needs 10 off-white tablecloths in their house, unless you're a Kennedy. Chances are that you also don't need 100-200 blue/pink/burgundy/ rainbow linen napkins. Rent, or go paper.
Can we just pause and marvel at how gorgeous these two are?!
Denzel and Kay were the bride and groom for this segment, and as much as I love Denzel (he's fantastic, if you're an agent, book him yesterday), Kay is the epitome of #blackgirlmagic . She gets in front of the camera and transforms into living artwork. Her talent in front of the camera is some of the best I've seen. This should be a cover of a magazine (hint, hint, The Knot. Take a break from the blonde girls and post this).
I asked for this particular photo, because for obvious reasons, we won't get them of a real couple. I just love it. Most couples are exhausted and stressed after a whole day of running around, so remember to laugh and enjoy the little moments you get together- even if they can't get every button of your dress off right!
Models, from left to right: Josh, Salma, Kay, Denzel, Fatma, Ahmad, and Camilla.
Models, from left to right: Salma, Kay, Fatma, Camilla.
These multi-way dresses were a great way to (inexpensively) do the ombre look, and give everyone a style that suited them. $29.00 per dress (and rather than needing to get a ton of alterations- which is how bargain brand bridal shops make their money back on cheap bridesmaids' dresses- you'd only need a hem if you're not going to wear heels, and you're under 5'5").
The shoot's dresses came from Philadelphia Bridal Company. I'll be honest, this is one part of the shoot that likely costed several thousand dollars. They go for anywhere from $900.00 - $1,500.00 on Poshmark. They retail from an average of $2,700 up to $6,900.00.
I did the florals and styling, with assistance from Nikki Cohen of Mayfaire Moon and Colleen O'Brien Doerr.
The florals for both of my sets, I'm happy to say, costed just under $30. For the Philadelphia, that's almost unheard of. Produce Junction is great for this amount of florals, although you never know what exactly you're going to get. You do always know that they will always have every single color in the rainbow, and greenery.
This bouquet was made with one-and-a-half bags of greenery, dyed blue florals, cheap burlap ribbon from a craft store, and three corsage pins. It took a grand total of ten minutes to do, which even for a wedding party of eight, means that you could have them done in an hour and a half. I'm not a big advocate of doing florals yourself before a wedding (you're not going to have much free time), but if you have a non-bridal-party friend that can manage these, it's a reasonably easy project.
Invitation by Melissa from Cupcake Graphics.
Hand-painted cake from Cake Life Bake Shop.
Industrial spaces make for a great venue that can fit almost any kind of style.
Loving the teal hair!
If you're interested in purchasing/donating money to a good cause to get these bridesmaids' dresses, they fit anywhere from a size 0 to 10. E-mail me for more details.
Overall, this shoot was a rousing success. Everyone, from the vendors, to the models, gave it 100%. Stella, Brae, and I are incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful group of people! I hope you enjoyed this set- I have three more coming!
Until next week, Wed-O-Sphere!
- Merida