Many brides in the DC, MD, VA areas are looking for a rustic chic wedding with romantic elements. As a florist in this area, I called on some talented friends and vendors to brainstorm ideas for a rustic chic wedding and to create a vision of what rustic chic would look like. Thanks to Faith Like A Mustard Seed Farm we were able to have a venue that complimented this vision beautifully. Please enjoy this styled shoot as seen in Bridal Musings.
"We wanted to take the blank canvas of a barn and transform it into something any bride would love to have for her most precious day."
Planning for this rustic chic wedding shoot reminded me of planning my own wedding. I was doubtful at times and nervous about the outcome, but the end result was worth every effort.
The Planning Process
I will be completely forthcoming here. The only wedding I have ever planned was my own. It was back in 2015 and if I could plan my wedding all over again today, I would do it in a heartbeat. Let me explain. It wasn't until after I opened my business as a floral designer that I truly understood all the work that goes into weddings. Yes, I had planned my own, but when you look at an event from a vendor's perspective and all the details that go into pulling off a successful wedding, it is truly nerve racking.
To alleviate some of those nerves, I started planning early. I cannot stress enough how much having a head start on planning really helps. Granted, as a floral designer my main focus was flowers, but I also had to gather the vendors who would collaborate on the shoot, maintain a steady flow of communication, answer questions from 10 different vendors, plan for the unexpected and of course make flower arrangements and design the whole event!
I decided that the first thing I would do is get a vision board together. This helped tremendously when it came time to look for the gown that I wanted the bride to wear and the tuxedo I wanted to get. It also helped when it came to ordering flowers and the color palette we wanted to stick to. Vision boards are LIFE my friends! Once my vision board was together, I started emailing and calling vendors who may be interested in collaborating on this crazy vision of mine. Much to my surprise most of the vendors I spoke with were on board! It was exhilarating to see a vision I had, start to come together.
Day of Shoot
After months of planning, emailing, calling, venue visits, texting, scheduling, re-scheduling etc. the day was finally here. October 11th, couldn't get here fast enough! When it finally did, I jumped out of bed that morning, excited to get the day started! However, I found myself staring a wet pavement, cloudy skies and a drizzle. My heart sank to my pinky toe. My biggest concern was the wedding gown I borrowed from Global Bridal Gallery. How was I supposed to keep it clean on a muddy farm?! The #stresslevel was at 100 #nojoke. So, I did the only thing that could comfort me at the moment; had some coffee (I'll tell you all about me and comfort coffee on a later post). I loaded the SUV and made my way to the venue. I arrived at Faith Like a Mustard Seed Farm in Leesburg, VA and took a deep breath. Here we go. I enlisted my mother's help with designing and we both headed to the barn where the bulk of the work would take place.
I wanted to incorporate a hanging installation that would be the main focal point of the barn. These hanging flowers is what would give the barn more of a chic look. Achieving a trendy and warm feeling. For more on the topic of hanging flowers, check this out.
As I started to design, I was nervous it would not look like what I had in mind, but by the time I was done, I was in awe of the beauty. I could not believe that my hands created this beautiful thing!
We opted for a navy blue tuxedo with black lapels from Lapel Tuxedos for the groom. It brought such a great contrast of color to the shoot and well. He looked as handsome as I'll get out!
Our bride wore a champagne color bridal gown from Global Bridal Gallery. It was soft and romantic and hugged per body perfectly. The tulle and pleats of the gown were a perfect compliment to the navy blue tuxedo and brought some serious romance. Her hair and makeup was done by the fabulous Priscilla Molina of Priscilla M Beauty and we were all so happy to see everything come together so incredibly.
Now, can we pleeeeeease talk about her bouquet!?!? It was over-sized, lush, whimsical and gorgeous! The bridal bouquet looked like it should be in a magazine. Or maybe I am just being a little biased. ;) Why don't you judge for yourself?
A wedding would not be complete without the cakes! I mean, who doesn't like cake? Thanks to Cake by Chelsea, we got some beautiful desserts and tasty too!
We had the privilege to work with an incredibly talented designer, India Garrish of India Garrish Designs. She hand wrote the menu card, invitation and place settings on vintage paper and it complimented the overall look perfectly.
The final look for the shoot was a warm and inviting reception area. The barn was filled with warm lighting, beautiful centerpieces, delicious food by Patricia of Faith Like a Mustard Seed Farm and an incredible couple. This rustic chic look was accomplished successfully. At least in our humble opinion. ;)
A GIGANTIC Thank you goes out to our talented photographers and videographer for these amazing images! DAM Fotografy, Sean O'Rourke Photography and Jory Marketing. THANK YOU!
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