This Garden Party stylized wedding shoot was an idea I had for a themed summer wedding.
I love the fact that we are all getting back to our ‘roots’ (no pun intended), and thinking more about what we eat and growing our own gardens. I’m allured by the colors and textures of vegetables and was inspired by them. I wanted to show off the arcadian qualities of farming in a refined and polished way.
This lovely themed shoot was an example of an amazing collaboration between many wedding and non-wedding local businesses in the Dayton Ohio area. I love the fact of local businesses coming together and working for one goal, everyone helping each other out and working as a team. That is exactly what this became and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome!
Lost and Found Vintage Rentals was the location for the shoot and the owner, Jennifer (who is amazing by the way) supplied some incredible furniture that really went with the organic yet elegant feel I was hoping to achieve. Lost & Found offers this great space for rent to local photographers, along with tons of props and furniture that can be rented for photo sessions or for any events. The amazing vintage farm table she brought had pull-out drawers which we lined with local grown vegetables and the adorable tea towels supplied by Bibliosophy: Art by Bley. Check out her etsy shop for some custom family portraits and many other adorable products! She also supplied the wedding favor recipe cards shown below.
The other paper products were custom designed for this shoot by Paper Pod Designs. Pam, the owner, did an incredible job customizing these veggie themed invitations! I could just eat them up, they are so cute!
Paper Pod Designs offers custom wedding invitations and they do an amazing job using great quality papers.
The incredibly beautiful wedding dresses were supplied Alfred Angelo Bridal near the Dayton mall. They were an absolute pleasure to work with. Managers Charity and Rebecca were so excited to work with me on this project. They let me come in and hand pick dresses (which was sooo much fun). Charity brought them and helped during the entire shoot. I’m totally obsessed with all the dresses, especially the rose colored one! If you are interested in any of these dresses, feel free to contact Alfred Angelo Bridal and they would be happy to help you.
The hair and makeup was done by Salon Noir owner Amber Bromer. She did a flawless job on Ellie Reynolds, our model. Amber gave Ellie a soft pink cateye with a loose curly updo to start, then brought her hair down for a relaxed romantic look as we show them towards the end of the wedding.
The gorgeous floral head piece was created by Floral V Designs. This stunning replacement for a veil really adds a unique twist to old tradition. I love the sweet and organic feel as it twists into her tossed curls.
The delightful naked wedding carrot cake was absolutely divine, and made by Cake Hope & Love, where the owners are just as sweet as the confections they make. I am so in love with this understated yet modern and elegant showpiece. It was also just as delicious as it was pretty.
The vegetable bouquets were handmade by me (with help from my husband) along with the cauliflower boutonniere worn by the male model, Andrew Daugherty.
We ended the shoot with more casual setting of the “bride & groom” sitting at their table of half eaten food. They were sitting, relaxed, shirt unbuttoned and hair let down showing the two of them being together, tired, at the end of it all. 
