{Featured} The Oceanside Bride

We are soooooo excited to be featured today on The Oceanside Bride! Thank you to Meleesa for sharing our styled shoot that we did at Tybee Island. Melessa is also a fellow TWIPS member. 

{Real Wedding} Jenny & Robin

Jenny & Robin's wedding was very sentimental for many reasons, they were one of the 1st clients that I signed, I helped them and Alexis for their engagement pictures, and they had one of the most personalized sentimental wedding ceremony that brought tears to many there. These first images are a sampling of their engagement pictures by Alexis Sweet. I have become good friends with Alexis as she is the one who I worked with for the boho beach styled shoot. For their engagement session we walked through downtown with their two adorable corgis and I was the "dog handler extraordinaire". Their doggies are very important to them and had to be part of their special day. Aren't they adorable!!?

Jenny & Robin's wedding was very intimate with around 20 friends and family who traveled from Florida and all over, even London, England! Alexis captured the first look in Forsyth Park and luckily the Fragrant Garden was open for them, which you can see in the first 3 pictures below. Their ceremony was held at Wormsloe Plantation around sunset, then the guest departed for dinner at Moon River Brewery. Here are the vendors who helped make this wedding happen:

Ceremony location: Wormsloe Plantation

Reception location: Moon River Brewery

Wedding Planner, Florist, and Stylist: Simply Savannah Events/All the Little Details Designs

Photographer: Alexis Sweet Photography

Officiant: Savannah Dan

Cake & Cake Pops: Addy B

Makeup: Beyond Beautiful by Heather

Rentals: In Any Event 

Eco-friendly details: supporting etsy and small business owners, favors for guests from local stores, incorporated family heirlooms and vintage items, non-diamond engagement ring, flowers bought directly from wholesaler, reused glass containers for flowers, stayed at a dog friendly vacation rental, and "green" wedding photographer.

The Details!

Many of the details for this wedding were bought from etsy vendors or items that Jenny & Robin already had or my vintage chic collection. They had a rustic honey, "Love is Sweet" theme which included their banner, honey sticks, jars of honey, bee necklace, bee stamped burlap bags, etc. Nicole, my assistant, and I had a great time setting up their 2 tables with all these fun decor items. Plus I did all the mason jar flower arrangements, the bridal bouquet, and groom's boutonniere. Jenny and I had been working together to figure out the best color combination and which flowers she wanted to include. Don't you just love her choices!? After their ceremony they brought the mason jar flowers to Moon River, cut their cake, and ate dinner. Look closely at their wedding cake toppers, it's personalized characters of Jenny, Robin, and their 2 doggies! When I've been working for so long with couples and the wedding day finally approaches, and then they're happily married, I get a huge satisfaction of knowing we helped make their day beautiful, but then I get sad that it's over since I'll miss them. 

Best wishes to a happy marriage, Jenny & Robin and keep in touch <3

Bohemian Beach Styled Shoot

I can finally share with you the much anticipated styled shoot I have been working on with many talented Savannah area vendors! We set up on the north end of Tybee by the lighthouse and it was such a gorgeous day to be shooting. We all worked very hard to pull it together and I am so happy with the results. Here are the list of vendors who helped to put this shoot together.
Photography: Alexis Sweet Photography
Styling and Flowers: All the Little Details Designs
Models: Nicole and Bobby
Hair and Makeup: Color Boxx
Dress: Nicole Miller by BleuBelle Bridal
Stationary: 1420 DeZigns
Dove Release: Lowcountry Lovebirds
Hair Piece: Makebelieven

It has been featured on two wedding blogs the bridal detective and  the oceanside bride!!!

What started as a tiny idea....what if we used a Moroccan rug on a beach to create a beautifully styled beach wedding scene....soon turned into a full size beach wedding shoot!! Alexis and I planned this shoot from the very beginning, going back and forth sharing ideas, inspirations, concepts, which culminated into our concept of the Boho Beach Theme. Once the theme was decided, off I went brainstorming how to style the shoot and of course I had so much fun shopping for all the details! Krissy of Make Believe'N creates beautifully handmade custom bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, sashes, belts, fascinators, but I thought, why not make a headband, and voila! Krissy made one just to our liking! She was wonderful to work with and listened to exactly what I was envisioning to match the dress, sea shell necklaces and shell tablescape sweetheart table.

Next came the idea of a flowing ribbon ceremony scene, which was created by different materials from Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores, shell necklaces that were attached into one long chain, and wood poles from a hardware store. Very simple DIY that I created, which can be even more elaborate if you choose to buy more ribbon, shear fabric and have a good amount of patience. To finish off this amazing "wedding ceremony" why not add some love birds!!?? I had my fingers crossed that Tina of Lowcountry Lovebirds would say yes to letting us use her beautiful doves for our shoot-and she said YES! You may remember my post about how to honor loved ones at your wedding, doves can be a symbolic gesture for remembrance of a family member who has passed. The coolest part that I found out about the doves, was that after their release they are instinctively drawn to go back home to their mates and offspring, they will circle the area, figure out where they are, then head home, and go right back into their cages!! The doves are able to fly home from several hundred miles away!!!

My husband also had a hand in helping out with this shoot too. He actually spray painted, hand stenciled the letters and aged the "Shoes Optional" sign. When having a beach wedding, it's always fun to go barefoot! Valerie of 1420 DeZigns, LLC A Custom Stationery Studio created beautiful invitations, program fans, and little tags for the oyster knives guest favors.   

Something you would be surprised to know is that Nicole, my assistant and Bobby are just friends. A huge thank you to Nicole's boyfriend who was ok with us doing this shoot and being a good sport!! Also to Allie Morris, Alexis' assistant/2nd shooter, who volunteered her time to help us trek through the sand shlepping all the items needed for the shoot and help where needed. She also supplied those killer Ray Bans.

On to the sweetheart table!!! This was super fun for me to design and shop for the details. All the shells were from my house which have been collected over the years or bought at beach surf shops. The glass jars were recycled and the upside down wine glass idea with flower and candle was an inspiration from a post on http://emmalinebride.com/.

Last scene was the GRAND FINALE! As the sun was setting we rushed to set up the Moroccan rug gorgeous champagne toast filled with pillows, delicious food platter, and accoutrements, that came out AMAZING!!! All of our hard work can really be seen in this last shot of Nicole and Bobby lounging on the rug. Pure exhaustion set in!! The images of the flowers I worked hard to create for the bouquet, boutonniere, and small arrangements with the pomegranate, star fruit, figs, grapes, pears, etc fruit platter and Cupcake Vineyard champagne are probably my favorite pictures! I had a vision of pearls, feathers, flowers and shells in my mind while putting together the flowers and LOVE how they turned out. Big thank you to Carlstedt wholesale florist located on 515 Barnard Street in Savannah, GA where I purchased the beautiful flowers from, BleuBelle Bridal for letting us borrow the wedding gown, and ColorBoxx for doing the makeup and hair!

{Vendor Spotlight} Alexis Sweet Photography

Drum roll please!!! Today's Vendor Spotlight is Alexis Sweet Photography, whom I have become very good friends with. Alexis will be the photographer for one of my upcoming weddings here in Savannah and she will be taking their engagement session very soon (I'll be the doggie sitter since the couple MUST include their adorable two corgis, but will also be taking some pictures san-doggies). Alexis was also the amazing photographer behind the Bohemian Beach Styled Shoot that we recently just finished which combined many talented Savannah area vendors - pictures and post to come, don't worry! 

Grab your coffee, sit back and enjoy our little Q & A.....

Layla: Which are your 5 favorite images and why? 

Alexis: I couldn't possibly choose favorites. Instead, I offer 5 wedding images that I enjoy and am proud of.

1) This photo was taken in the hotel lobby as we were waiting for the car to come around to take us to the ceremony. I love that the bride has a look of both confidence and nervousness at the same time. Her mother was holding her train for her in the background with such a wonderful expression of pride and contentment. I am such a sucker for beautiful window light and the lobby of the Bohemian provides a beautiful example of the best kind.

2) This wedding had been running behind all day. We had planned to do shots for 45 minutes on the beach after, but I ended up with only having the couple for 5 minutes right before the reception for their portraits. This couple was sweet and quiet. The wedding schedule was so crazy, but the entire time the couple exuded a quiet calm. It was evident that this was the way they loved each other too. I thought this photo captured that calmness beautifully. 

3) This super fun couple (mentioned in a further question) was willing to do anything for their portraits. I love when I get couples like that. This bride trudged right into the surf to get this photo. When she pushed him up on the rock and kissed him it was all her, not a hint of direction from me. He just loved it. He said to me he had finally snagged his mermaid. This photo is also in a way the birth of my current style. The beautiful creamy luminescent quality was a happy accident that I now try to carry through a lot my editing process. 

4) This was from a simple elopement wedding. The couple tied the knot in a very quick ceremony in one of the sqaures and we headed off on a sunset walk through downtown. I saw this railing and the beautiful light and directed them to it. I suggested he kiss her cheek and as he did, she moved right into it and gave this beautiful expression. It was like his kiss was just as warm and inviting as the sunset.

5)  This was taken just before they were announced as husband and wife and kissed. As the moment drew close they both became so excited that they began swinging their arms back and forth in anticipation. Their smiles went from being big to being mega-watt. I connect with the total adoration you can see in the bride's eyes when she looks at her man. 

Layla: What makes you laugh?

 

Alexis: 80's teen movies like Better Off Dead and Just One of the Guys, awkward moments, and I always burst out in uproarious laughter when I fall down.

Layla: What do you find enjoyable?

Alexis: I enjoy fall air, my dog Molly (when she isn't destroying my house), a quality sandwich from the likes of Starland Cafe, the city of Chicago, and bees wax candles. 

Layla: What are you most proud of?

Alexis: I am most proud of myself. I have come a long way to get from point A to point B in my life. While I have a long way to go to get to Z (although I'm pretty sure only folks like Nelson Mandela or Ghandi make it to Z), I'm proud of who I am now and how I am learning to handle what life throws at me.  

Layla: How would you describe your style?

Alexis: Its a bit of a grab bag when it comes to my wedding work. My work seems to polarize between really fluid candid shots and editorial portraits. This really seems to work for me though. The candids pull at my documentary heartstrings, while the editorial style adds a little extra gloss and polish. I find that it suits the task of capturing a wedding very well. I often remind myself throughout a wedding day "shoot the story, then shoot it prettier". 

Layla: How did you get started in photography?

Alexis: I got started in high school with a fabulous teacher. He imparted in me the importance of composition and light and I was immediately hooked. It was the darkroom aspect that sucked me in at first. Something about watching the image I captured slowly appear on the paper while it was in the developer. That was like poetry to me. I made a misguided attempt at studying Classics in college, but after a year and a half transferred to an arts and media school to pursue a photography degree. 

Layla: When did you start your business?

 

Alexis: I've been working freelance for the last 10 years. It wasn't until I moved to Savannah that I thought of pursuing wedding photography. In fact, I didn't think I would enjoy it. Thankfully I was wrong and I absolutely love it. I've been doing it now for about 3 years. 

Layla: What has been your favorite/most memorable wedding thus far?

Alexis: This is a tough one. All of the weddings I shoot end up taking up a small space inside me. I get emotionally attached to the couples and the amazing experience they are having, so picking a favorite is nearly impossible. I do have to say that an extra fun wedding I shot was when I was first starting out. It was a simple budget wedding out on Tybee. The bride and groom were laid back and total jokers. They were totally comfortable and up for trying anything during their portraits. Their friends and family were just as fun and by the end of the night the bride was doing keg stands and the groom had on a lobster hat. That was a fun wedding. It taught me that you don't have to have expensive details or flowers to provide a great memorable time for yourselves and your guests. 

Thank you Alexis!!
Don't forget to check out her website at www.alexissweetphotography.com or facebook page or email her alexis.l.sweet@gmail.com