My first styled shoot! I am so incredibly proud of this shoot and all of the work that went into it! When I started planning for this, I honestly had no idea what I was doing but I knew that I wanted to produce something beautiful that was also a reflection of my brand and personality. I also wanted to uplift the Black + Curvy bride community! As a curvy Black bride myself, I desperately craved more images of beautiful brides who looked like me. So, I went to work on crafting my vision.
I met with Arianna (Arianna Belle Photography) back in January on a cold rainy day at Panera to chat about my goals for the shoot and the vision I had in mind. It was the first time we'd met, but I had known about her for years (and been low key crushing on her photography style). I knew that I wanted to work with a photographer who was open minded, had a moody style and focuses on having a diverse client market. Arianna was absolutely perfect and immediately down to join! So, I hit the ground running to find other vendors and planning out the details. Our original plan was to have the shoot in April, but just needed to find a venue *cue thinking emoji*
Our G O R G E O U S venue: The Estate at River Run turned out to be perfect for the vibe and aesthetic that I was aiming for! The character, architecture, colors, and luxury feel were exactly what I wanted to see for this shoot. I was very specific about wanting to capture a diverse couple in a space that typically isn't seen. Fun fact: this venue was the personal HOME of William B Massey (of Massey Energy) and was listed as the highest priced property for sale in the region at a whopping $7.9 million *gasp* Arianna and I met with Kim Moody (Kim Moody Design), who is the current co-owner of the venue, to tour the space and map out our plan for shots. With location and photography locked in, the next step was getting rentals, floral, models, hair, makeup and paper goods sorted.
My beautiful bride and groom were a real couple, which I absolutely loved! And even better, they never had the opportunity to have their own "big" wedding. Participating in the shoot was their chance to shine and have a taste of wedding bliss :) My bride, K, had never had the chance to try on a wedding gown, let alone be photographed in one. So we hopped in the car and headed out to Waynesboro to visit Amanda's Touch Bridal to shop for the perfect gown. We found this beautiful sleeved Essence of Australia gown that was a total stunner and I couldn't have designed a more perfect gown myself.
C U E C O V I D
We have all been affected in some way by living through a pandemic, and planning this shoot was no exception. Our original April date was pushed back, and we had to reorganize a few things to find new vendors. But luckily, everyone was understanding and we were able to get things back on track. Our new date: May 12th! So I reached out to vendor friends for invitations (Winding Roads Calligraphy & Design), hair (Wyvetra Brown), makeup (Underrated Beauty, LLC), cake (A Sweet Confession), videography (Virtue the Artist), rentals (Rent-E-Quip), florals (Sassy Snapdragon Florals) and accessories (Blushing Gold Brides).
All in all, we had such an amazing day! And when I tell you I was tired, I was T I R E D at the end of the day, but so grateful for my team. Without further ado, here are the kick-ass photos that we got out of it! And make sure you scroll to the end for some exciting news ;)
One thing I loved about this shoot was the inclusion of a videographer! If you're anything like me, the wedding videos punch me right in the feels every. single. time. Enjoy this short film documenting our sweet couple!
W E W E R E P U B L I S H E D !
Y'all, we've been published! The shoot that was my baby and labor of love has been published in the beautiful and oh so important (for the culture) Our Love in Color Vol III Fall magazine! Be sure to head on over to their website to purchase your copy.
xo
Kendall