Inspiration | Extra Moody and Ethereal at Pavilion Event Space

At some point in January I was enviously scrolling through a gorgeous styled shoot. It had been over a year since I’d self coordinated one of my own, and while I wanted to shoot something beautiful and a little out there, I also was aware of the amount of work it takes to put together such a shoot. I flippantly posted at about 6 one morning that I wanted to photograph a “super extra” styled shoot. I promptly fell back asleep thinking nothing of it, but when I checked my phone a few hours later everyone and their dog seemed interested and on board to take part. And so, this little jewel was born.

Going in I didn’t know exactly what this would look like. After a surprising amount of interest I was kind of pulling a theme out of thin air. Luckily I had Katelynn’s help in creating a vision. All I knew was moody and very over the top. I met with Kacie at Pavilion and she asked me the colors I was using and I just stared at her blankly. I had given that absolutely no thought. I tend to create things by feel, so coordinating these types of shoots is so puzzling for me. I never focus on little details, but focus on the overall mood and concept. Luckily everyone was very patient and accommodating to my lack of specific vision. After a lot of thought, I was finally able to verbalize that I wanted something moody, ethereal, and editorial. I wanted the shoot to feel almost like an enchanted forest: beautiful, but with a hint of malevolence. Even if I hadn’t been able to get that across I have no doubts these guys would’ve come through regardless. They are all kind of the shit.

I had shot at Pavilion a year prior at my first styled shoot ever. I adored the space and hoped I’d get brought back for a real wedding, but it seemed Kacie and I kept just missing each other; a couple who booked me ultimately decided on a different venue, a couple that booked her ultimately booked a different photographer, and so on and so forth. If it wasn’t going to happen naturally we were going to collaborate in this regard. She had some brilliant ideas, and alone suggested and designed our gorgeous head table structure, draping it with beautiful dove grey and ivory fabric. Matt with Botanical Floral Design, in turn created gorgeous pieces to adorn the space; arrangements filled with exotic blooms, a chandelier of greenery, and beautiful flowering branches to frame the structure. Chrystal with Petals and Pastries created the most perfect cake I could’ve ever dreamed up, and even Veronica gave us some say in her veil design. Which was absolutely, stunning by the way!

One thing which turned out so perfectly was our selection of models. I knew the second Ellis volunteered that we had our groom. Five years prior we happened to be studying abroad at the same time in Italy. We weren’t incredibly close but I remember listening to an elaborate tale he told me that literally took the entire duration of our train ride to Rome. The story? He’d walked into a fake wedding a restaurant had put together in order to “make money.” (I don’t remember a lot of details, but it was quite entertaining. You should definitely ask him about it some time, but make sure your schedule is clear for the day first.) Naturally, it seemed only fitting that as a model and photographer we should meet again to do the exact thing that had amused us so years prior. I mean, he’s also a kick ass model but the irony sealed the deal for sure. Ellis was the one who suggested we use Beth. I know a ton of amazing models, but I really like the two people I’m photographing to know each other and have some natural chemistry. It’s always great to have a real couple, but for a shoot I knew would be very editorial in nature I wanted pros who would just do their thing while I snapped away. And boy, did they. These two didn’t skip a beat. Even in the freezing cold they just dropped their jackets and didn’t so much as flinch.

There were so many other amazing persons involved: Evan with Pavilion who put together our custom cocktails, Jennifer with Brossie Belle who stepped in quickly when our original rental plan fell thru, and many more! You can browse those individuals, and see their talent below. I think our HMUA, Shani said it best when she wrote, “Dream Team Vendors right here! A great team can put on a dream wedding. It's what makes the difference between good enough, and spectacular. Find the right team to complete your vision!”

V E N D O R S
venue: Pavilion Event Space
photography: Juliana Noelle Jumper
floral: Botanical Floral Design
rentals: Brossie Belle
planning: Eleven Events and Planning
cake: Petals and Pastries
cocktails: Pavilion Event Space
stationary: Writefully Yours
veil: Veronica Couture
jewelry: Cydney Ross
gown: Beloved Bridal
tux: Tip Top Tux
huma: Shanelis, MUA
models: Beth Bedel and Ellis Wallace