I love this time of year. The temperature is cooling off, scenery is changing, I get to drink my fair share of pumpkin spice lattes and place my knit sweaters front and focal in my closet. I’m nostaligic in the Fall. As my birthday nears, I’m able to reflect on all of the milestones and memories made the year prior. One of my biggest achievements to date with my Event Planning Business was organizing and executing my first styled shoot this past August. From desigining an inspiration board and contacting vendors, to managing the day-of execution, creating this styled shoot was nothing short of exciting and challenging.
About a year ago one of my favorite blogs – Style Me Pretty – introduced me to the idea of styled shoots. Styled shoots are essentially mock events (think weddings, birthday parties, showers…) that are organized by an individual or group of vendors to showcase their collective talents. They are a way for vendors to express creativity and showcase unique ideas to their respective clients and other creative in the industry. Some styled shoots push creative boundries while others are beautifully curated to resemble realistic events. Either way, styled shoots are perfect for vendor collaborations, building your portfolio, and expressing creativity.
The inspiration for my shoot stemmed from my love of color. I had a desire to show brides that colorful blooms, mixed metallics, and softer hues are equally as gorgeous for Fall weddings as they are Spring and Summer. Many brides are afraid to use color in the Fall, especially during a season when the weather is cooling off and wardrobes tend to convert to black, navy, and hunter greens. Using sunset imagery for color inspiration, I chose dusty blue as my primary color, complimented by soft pinks, oranges, burgundys and golds. You can find my inspiration board that I shared with my vendors here: Organic Sunset Inspiration Board
Once my inspiration board was created, I was on a mission to find some of the most talented vendors in Columbus, Ohio to collaborate with. My main goal for this styled shoot was to build my full-service portfolio and showcase my talents through a mock wedding that I designed and managed from beginning to end. I knew that if I didn’t have an amazing team of vendors by my side, this shoot wouldn’t come close to my vision and expectations.
I am especially grateful for my fabulous friend and amazing photographer, Molly Leonard of What Molly Made for trusting my vision and jumping head first into the world of wedding photography specifically for this shoot. Friends, Molly is super talented as you will see by the below images. She has an eye for styling which stems for her love of food photography & photo editing, but it wasn’t until recently that she decided to add portrait and wedding photography to her portfolio. P.S. – Molly is currently booking 2018 portrait sessions + weddings. You can contact her HERE to secure your date.
I am so excited to be sharing these images with you today. THANK YOU to my amazing team of vendors for making this shoot possible and sharing your creativity with all of us + Lauren, Ryan, Kristi, and Bethani for taking time out of their day to model for us. It was a pleasure working alongside you all.
VENDOR TEAM:
Wedding Planner: Alyssa Thomas Event Planning & Design
Photographer: Molly Leonard
Venue: Brookshire
Florist: Bear Roots Floral
Stationary: Cheerup Press
Ribbon + Runner: The Lesser Bear
Table Linens: Main Event Rentals
Dresses (Bride + Bridesmaid): BHLDN
Cake: Short North Piece of Cake
Hair: The Bride Bar
Makeup: Halli with Columbus Bridal Makeup
Friends! You know I love feedback. Comment below on your thoughts + if I were to design a second styled shoot – what theme would you like to see?
Enjoy!
Alyssa Thomas is a Wedding and Event Planner based in Pittsburgh, PA and serving clients in Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Worldwide Destinations. Her work spans from weddings and corporate events, to meetups and intimate gatherings. Contact her today for your consultation and stop by her instagram to see some beautiful events, design work, and a peek into her personal life + traveling adventures. @alyssathomasevents
Pittsburgh Wedding Planner | Columbus Wedding Planner
You can view and purchase the BHLDN Gowns below:
Annabelle Dress: BHLDN Leigh Gown: BHLDN
