When it comes to first planning your wedding there are so many decisions to make it all gets overwhelming very quickly. One of the biggest decisions involves your venue – will it be an outdoor wedding, held in some beautiful gardens, a more rustic affair in a barn, or perhaps a resort wedding on an island? This decision really dictates a lot about your wedding day. This shoot by JENNIFER HAYWARD showcases bridal inspiration at a Luxury Estate, with florals by WILDFLOWER, and a gorgeous stationery suite by SARAH PEARL STUDIO. And we’re loving how a simple white cake is elevated with a touch of gold leaf!
JENNIFER shares some of her thoughts about this shoot with us which includes a valuable lesson is going with the flow – or how to simply roll with the punches (applicable for both photographers and brides!); “This is a story about friendship and hustle. In the end, this is a story about love. As a wedding vendor, you know how important it is to love serving your couples, to cultivate lasting vendor relationships, to push yourself creatively, give generously, and to always be grateful for those who help you along your way. As a wedding photographer I’ve had the career changing opportunity to conceptualize styled shoots and invite local wedding vendors to participate. I never cease to feel humbled when surrounded by women and men who create for the love of creation, and contribute their time and resources for the benefit of the collective group. From florists to cake bakers, calligraphers to planners, there is a place for everyone to grow and inspire.
I spent weeks drawing out the concept for a bridal shoot called an Italian Garden wedding story, reaching out to local wedding vendors whose aesthetic would be a great fit, preparing a personal story board, and more. On the day of the shoot, I packed my car full of “just in case” props, swung by the wedding dress shop where they graciously helped me choose THREE stunning dresses for our model, and I drove to our venue location in downtown Boise, Idaho.
On location I met with our florist (Paige) and calligrapher (Sarah). We loaded up our arms and walked a ways to the garden gate entrance. To our complete horror, we saw that without any notification, they had closed! After seriously considering jumping the tall gate, impaling ourselves, and tossing all of the shoot necessities over the top, we accepted our fate. Trading our trespassing ideas for sheer will power, we each jumped back in our cars and were determined to use all of these beautiful elements for something meaningful. Continued below…
“In moments, calls were made, texts were sent, and we were finally driving/location hunting in downtown Boise. As the leader of this group and photographer, I felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility to make sure my vendors-turned-friends were taken care of, that they had a location they felt proud to showcase on their websites, and photographs they could truly love and share with prospective clients. I quickly found the estate I was thinking of and pulled over. It was gorgeous- white with huge windows and thoughtful architectural details. We parked our three vehicles out front and got out. The three of us stood in front of the long driveway and Sarah uttered, “now what?”. Now what, indeed. I grabbed the coveted wedding dresses out of my car (I was not going to let them out of my sight!) and said something theatrical like “let’s do this, ladies”. We marched (with grace) right up to the front door, took a deep breath, and I rang the doorbell. Paige asked, “what are we going to say?!” and I replied, “good question!”.
The massive doors opened, a dog behind them started barking, and the sweetest woman in the world smiled back at us. I mean, she was confused, but smiling. She was smiling, people. So I just let words trip out of my mouth and hoped they made sense, crossed my fingers under the pile of dresses, and waited for her to reply with a “no, I really don’t want a group of strangers shooting around our house” and her slamming of the doors. Instead, she said “of course! That would be fine. Come on in”. We three quickly threw each other eyeball high-fives (you know, to keep it discreet. Keep it discreet, people) and entered her incredibly beautiful home. We were met by several of her children and escorted to the main restroom to hang the dresses. She then showed us her backyard, inviting us to shoot around their newly designed pool and patio (sooooo many more eyeball high-fives).
“Shortly, our model and cake baker arrived. While the others prepared their elements for the shoot, I took a few moments to assess the lighting on the property, the angles, and quickly decided what I wanted to focus on. It was an incredible rush having just ditched my entire story board for the Italian Garden concept and walked into a brand new environment. As I wandered the estate, I surrendered all of my preconceived ideas and decided to let this new environment dictate the flow and mood of this new story. In many ways, being forced out of my comfort zone was the very place I needed to be, and I’m so grateful for that.
Without hesitation, the new photo gallery became the Luxury Estate wedding story. As our bride explored her surroundings in a crystal-detailed gown, jasmine trailed down her classic white and green bouquet. Her hair was pulled back perfectly, with few curled tendrils gracing her cheek. The cake flecked with gold was the perfect blend of organic sophistication, and her hand lettered calligraphy suite truly tied this story together.
When mentoring other wedding photographers and creatives, one of the first artful concepts we consider is how to bridge all of the beautiful ideas in their mind with what the location and elements actually look like. Since so many of these things are outside of our control, having a basic foundation of art and lighting principles will serve you in whatever situation you find yourself in. This shoot certainly put me throu
gh my paces and from it, I was able to create a few new favorite images. I also walked away with profound humility for the trust my local group of creatives had in me. Their faith and willingness to move forward with me created a safe circle of encouragement and determination where we could work through our art processes without criticism. In this way, our love for our different art forms, wedding couples, were truly able to grow.”
