Late last summer, I was involved in a color-focused photo shoot at Rivermill at Dover Landing in Dover, NH. Rivermill is a really cool, urban space with high ceilings, exposed brick walls and comes complete with fabulous river views.
Seacoast Weddings collaborated with Kate Parker to organize seven teams consisting of photographers, cake/dessert designers, florists, wedding planners, stationery specialists and dress/gown boutiques.
Ours was team white, which consisted of:
Our model was Kaetlin Parent – a breathtaking woman – inside and out. Kaet was Miss Maine USA in 2008 and our muse for the shoot. She also happens to be funny, sweet, smart as a whip and a salt of the earth person through and through. Thanks so much for your time and participation, Kaet!
Pick up your copy of Seacoast Weddings today! It is the 2012 issue on newsstands NOW. Grab a copy and see the fruits of each of the seven team’s labor and be inspired to infuse color into your special day.
Team white is located on page 95, the first page of the feature. I’ve scanned the page here.
The ad for Diana Ma Weddings and Events is located on page 36 and displays more images from our shoot.
We decided to interpret white as sexy, sophisticated, elegant and modern. I wanted to go opposite of ‘cute’. I imagined that the couple who’d want our interpretation of all-white as very glamorous, but with a bit of an edge- think George Clooney, Gisele Bundchen, Angelina Jolie, Sofia Vergara, Christian from Nip/Tuck and P-Diddy. Gee, it’s hard to tell that I’m totally addicted to celebrity tabloids, huh? 
Here are more incredible images from the shoot. The tables, linens and chairs were provided by Be Our Guest in Boston, MA. Spectacular hair by Lena Hartford of Hair that Moves in Berwick, ME and make-up by Kathy McDonald of Beliza Spa.
The following photographs are all courtesy of the fabulous Elizabeth Bradford Photography.
The Table, Centerpiece and Gorgeous Calligraphy
I was honored that Cara Linehan Esch of Dear Rose Studio wanted to be a part of this shoot. Her work is spectacular as seen in these hand-calligraphed menu cards. For something a bit more artisan and unexpected, consider getting your own escort cards, table numbers and menus hand calligraphed. In Cara’s words, the process she uses to create calligraphed menus is similar to a process commonly used in the White House:
The way I do menus is I do one then scan it into a electronic graphic file, and format and print from there. So I can do 10 or 20 and it would be the same amount of work. It still is hand lettering – some people get nervous when I say I use a computer for this – but I actually use the same process to do this that the White House uses for their menus, programs, invitations, so I promise it still is hand done – it’s just electronically duplicated!
They say you learn something new everyday… how neat of a trick is that? And the same process as what’s used at the White House? Why didn’t I think of this for my own wedding?
I thought Christine and Peter were ingenious to trick the lighting to display how the table would look as the day gave way to evening. I wanted to show a side-by-side comparison. Isn’t it incredible what candlelight can do to enhance table top decor? It’s pretty dramatic. LOVE IT!
Brad Harrington was the force behind the flowers. Brad is highly creative, skilled and just incredible at what he does. Check out his own technical description how the centerpiece was put together:
The flowers in the design were New Zealand Cymbidium Orchids ,White Phalaenopsis Orchids and Steel Grass. This style of design is called sheltering. I designed using the flowers in rows (lines) I wanted there to be strong lines to draw attention to the low centerpiece.The steel grass was used to reinforce this. The satellite pieces were done as an accessory to enhance the square glass design dish that we used and give it more drama.
Whoa… I am so thankful to be able to leave floral arranging to the experts as this totally went over my head! I think I’ll just stick to planning, thank you.
The Cake
Can you tell which are the real Phalaenopsis Orchids vs. sugar? I was there and it was hard for me to tell! Jeanne Kalman at The Well Dressed Cake is a sugar artist PHENOM. On top of it all, her cakes taste HEAVENLY! If you appreciate and love the skill involved in carved cakes and desserts, I highly recommend her. To say Jeanne is ridiculously talented feels like the biggest understatement of all time. She’s just brilliant. Be sure to check out her design sketch in my earlier post about the shoot.
The Bride, Gown and Bouquet
This is a snapshot of Kaet as she reapplied gloss during a break from the shoot and totally encapsulates the aesthetic and style of Elizabeth Bradford Photography: sexy, glamorous, cool, beautiful with a bit of edge. I was floored when I saw this preview image!
AJ, one of my dearest friends and industry mentor owns BRAVO, a unique womenswear and accessories boutique located on 97 North Main Street in Concord, NH, provided the dress and jewels. He didn’t just provide – he designed and created this spectacular dream of a dress in less than 24 hours! Everything you could want and more in a wedding gown – sexy, gorgeous, full, lightweight, fun, flattering. An artist with incredible intuition and keen understanding of a woman’s body, AJ makes everyone he comes in contact their most beautiful.
Our relationship came to be when I approached him to create my wedding reception dress and eventually, my ceremony gown. He is one of a kind and a dear, dear person. Please, if you are ever in the Concord, NH area, I highly recommend that you visit…. your self-esteem will thank you!
I still can’t get over these luscious cascading white Phalaenopsis Orchids. Elegant and chic to the max! Brad Harrington is amazing, folks.
A special heartfelt thank you goes to each and every one of our vendor participants. You all embraced the concept and vision flawlessly- nailing it with stunning, sexy, sophisticated and contemporary work. I love you all and cannot thank you enough for your time, effort and monetary investment. I am humbled and honored that you chose to spend the day and those many hours of creating for this shoot.
Hello and welcome to my blog! I hope to be able to pass on valuable insights and advice about the fabulous world of wedding planning.
Featured in Grace Ormonde Wedding Style.
