Tuesday Tips: I LOVE Inspiration Shoots… & You Should Too!

Oct 23rd

by: Lauren

Hey friends! So in case you didn’t already know… I LOVE inspiration shoots. I love featuring them, I love creating them, I just LOVE them! Well, I’ve been hearing people “diss” inspiration shoots lately, and so today I feel like it’s my duty as the editor of this wedding planning and INSPIRATION blog to tell you about the reasoning behind my love for inspiration shoots! :)

I don’t love inspiration shoots because they’re “fake” or because they’re “styled”. I love them because of what they ARE and what they should ALWAYS be about- the inspiration. You see, many wedding professionals love to do inspiration shoots because it allows them to think outside of the box. They don’t have any constraints of a bride’s favorite flower, color palette, or budget. They can try out new designs or techniques, work with new vendors or suppliers, and sometimes they even use inspiration shoots as “practice” for a new concept for a real wedding they’re doing! Inspiration shoots allow wedding professionals to be creative and unique, all while having the aim of inspiring brides. And brides, you get to benefit from all of the unique and creative inspiration that they create!

Photo by Ashley Daniell Photography, Via

Now those shoots that are themed after movies, books, or TV shows… those are fun and all, but they don’t always provide *inspiration*. Sometimes they’re too over the top, or too unrealistic. Don’t get me wrong- sometimes they are great and can provide some awesome inspiration (like this one!), but most of the ones that I’ve seen are a little overboard. When people say that they don’t like inspiration shoots, my guess is that those are the types of inspiration shoots that they’re referring to.

A question for you- have you noticed that I don’t ever refer to shoots as “styled” shoots? Well my friends, I greatly dislike the word “styled” when paired with a photo shoot- mostly because it takes the focus off of what these shoots are supposed to be about- inspiration. Whenever I do a shoot myself, my sole focus is around how much inspiration I can provide to brides. Whether it’s a color palette, a tablescape, or details, I do inspiration shoots to INSPIRE brides. And because I consider it my JOB to inspire brides, I feature (and sometimes create) inspiration shoots here on ELD!

Photo by Laura Ann Miller Photography, Via

As a bride, I LOVED inspiration shoots. I loved them because when I was perusing blogs, I was indeed looking for inspiration. I wanted to see new color palettes, ideas for details, and different ways to do things for a wedding. I wanted to know what was outside of the box and not the norm. I wanted inspiration. But yes, I did often find myself thinking “I could never have that for my own wedding”. And I think sometimes, as a bride, you can be turned off by inspiration shoots because when you see the word “shoot” you immediately go to that thought- that what you’re seeing is unattainable and could never be done. But friends, I encourage you to NOT think that way. Take a look, soak it all in, and be inspired by what you see. If it’s an inspiration shoot here on ELD, you can know that there is going to be *something* that will inspire you. I won’t feature it if it doesn’t have that *something*.

Here are a few things to look for in inspiration shoots so you can draw inspiration from them for your own wedding:

– Color palettes… Because sometimes you really don’t know what colors will look like together until you actually see it in action!

– Details… Inspiration shoots have some of the BEST, innovative ideas for details!

– Table Layout & Placesettings… Maybe you never thought of doing a long feasting table, or perhaps you could alternate the types of things that are at your placesettings?

– Cakes & Sweets… Hate cake? You can draw on inspiration for a sweets table, or even get inspiration for other dessert alternatives, like a root beer float bar!

– Hair & Makeup… Hair stylists and makeup artists love to try out new things for inspiration shoots!

– Centerpieces… As I mentioned before, shoots allow pros to really spread their wings with their designs- which of course includes awesome ideas for centerpieces!

– Bouquets & Bouts… Unique bouquet designs, elements used in bouquets, and fun boutonierre options- you’re sure to find one of these in an inspiration shoot!

– Dresses & Accessories… It’s always fun to see the newest dress designs and ways to accessorize them. Who knows, maybe you’ll find that statement necklace you’ve been searching for!

Photo by Justin DeMutiis Photography, Via

So as you can see, there are LOTS of things to be inspired by with inspiration shoots! And friends, these are the reasons why you should love inspiration shoots. Don’t hate on them because you think they’re fake or pretentious or over-the-top. Love them because they can provide you with new ideas that you don’t always see. Love them because they give your wedding pros a way to really spread their wings and be creative. Love them because they are there to INSPIRE you!

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on inspiration shoots! Have you seen something done in a shoot that has inspired you for your own wedding?

Southern Peach-Inspired Bridal Shoot

Category: Inspiration Shoots 6 Comments

Oct 23rd

by: Lauren

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Happy Tuesday friends! This inspiration I’m sharing with you all today comes to us from Kitt Creative and C & A Event Planning, and it actually started off as a bridal shoot! The bride, Lacey, wanted to incorporate some of her southern heritage into her bridals, and while planning everything, it became a beautiful inspiration shoot! Incorporating Lacey’s family china with rustic details and Georgia peach elements, this shoot is full of some great inspiration for any bride wanting a southern, rustic wedding!

I love the way they used the peaches and the rustic wood slabs as main parts of the table decor! And the little wood coasters are excellent favor ideas, don’t you think?

I think drawing inspiration from your family background is a great idea for a bridal session. If you were to do that, what would yours look like? I think mine would involve lots of Italian elements…

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Kitt Creative / Wedding Planner/Coordinator: C & A Event Planning / Flowers & Decor: Anthomanic / Cake Baker: Simply Sweet / Makeup Artist: GoGo Gorgeous Makeup Artistry

Romantic Gray, Green & White Oklahoma Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 4 Comments

Oct 22nd

by: Joelle

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Seeing as this is Every Last Detail and all, I’m obviously a lover of the details. This Oklahoma wedding by Aubrey Marie Photography leaves nothing out! From the stylish gray bridesmaid dresses to the “Stash” candy bar, you can really see all the love that this couple put into their beautiful day!

From the bride…

For the most part, the planning process was all me. We had a 1 1/2 engagement so I had plently of time to figure out what I really wanted (and change my mind a couple of times).

However, from advice I received from family and friends about enjoying the day, I had a day of coordinator. Her name is Becca Hybl and she works for Coles Garden, our wedding venue. Besides the fact that she’s the cutest little thing and has the best southern accent, her decorating taste is amazing. I met with her a couple of times to give her pictures of how I wanted to the centerpieces to look, and then the night before we took everything (table linens, candle sticks, cake topper, candy bar etc…) with us to the rehearsal so she could start the next morning decorating things. I told her I wanted to walk in with my drink in hand and go “wow, everything is so pretty!” and with the exception of a few table arrangements, it was exactly what we wanted! I also met with Lynda McCasland, also with Coles Garden, three times to go over things like the menu, order of the wedding party and finances.

For me, the most important thing when deciding on who to work with, was if they listened to what we wanted. My husband and I are very different when it comes to decorating/theme/ideas. I like to consider myself an old soul. I’m a sucker for romance, so I like lace and delicate/vintage touches. Cory, on the other hand, likes clean/sharp lines and a modern twist to everything. We chose Aubrey b/c she captures the intimate vibe of a couple/wedding but puts a vintage twist to her finished product. But she listened to what Cory was wanting too… for the groomsmen pictures she kept a very modern feel for him, and he loved it! We also told her we wanted to take ALL pictures before the ceremony, that way we could join our guests quickly, not an hour later. She was great about pushing this point with our wedding party and parents. They, of course, wanted to take all these other pictures that Aubrey and I hadn’t discussed. No offense to my family, but I don’t need the photographer to take a picture of me with every single family member in attendance. They can do that on their own throughout the night. We wanted to keep it simple and smooth, just the basics, and Aubrey didn’t budge from that and I love her for it!

With Becca, I told her I wanted all the flowers to be white, no roses, and delicate flowers. I know carnations get a bad rep, but I love them! One, they smell good. Two, the layers of ruffles are beautiful and when you bunch then together, they look good enough to eat! Again, she listened. She didn’t try to push anything on us, but got excited about our ideas.

For our wedding, I tried as much as I could to keep it a blend of Cory and me. We took the approach that the wedding ceremony was for us and the reception was for our guests. Again, back to the whole vintage/modern twist to everything, we chose white and gray for our colors b/c you can dress it up anyway you want. It flows easy for vintage or modern. The bridesmaids dresses were all different which made it vintage-y with the delicate fabrics, but modern with some of the necklines and hemlines. The guys wore bow ties and suspenders for a vintage touch but with modern cut (the most tailored tux we could find). Throughout, we wanted everything classy and elegant, but inviting. The flowers were all white (my florist missed that memo somehow when the bridesmaids bouquets showed up green, but it looked just fine). The candle sticks were all silver with white candles and white flowers. It gave the room a warm and inviting glow. Becca went the extra mile to spray paint the insides of the clear vases I gave her silver. The table linens were gray to mix things up a little and when you walked in it just felt warm.

My favorite thing about our wedding was our First Sight arrangement we did. It was just Cory and I along with Aubrey (our photographer) and Chad and Melissa (our videographers). It was the only time of the day that Cory and I had for each other where we weren’t interrupted or being pulled in 7 different directions. We were able to enjoy a more intimate moment and it really relaxed both of us before the ceremony.

Best piece of advice… enjoy the day. I’m so glad that I didn’t spend the day decorating the venue, cooking food or fighting with my hair. I wanted to be able to enjoy my time with my girls. I was able to take in the details and appreciate them and not have to fuss over them or be overwhelmed with how much there was to do that day.

This bride has the right idea, and I’m so glad she was able to enjoy her day! Their first look really was so sweet, don’t you think? And that candy bar looks incredible. I love that they were able to infuse themselves in their day and take the time to actually enjoy getting married. To me, that’s a successful day.

xoxo, Joelle

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Aubrey Marie Photography / Reception Venue: Coles Garden / Flowers & Decor: Petite Fleur / Catering: Deep Fork / Invitations & Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas / Cinematography: DCMGMT Creative, Inc. / Makeup Artist: Makeup by KK / Bride’s Dress: Bridal Elegance / Bridesmaid Dresses: David's Bridal & Alfred Angelo / Bride’s Shoes: www.Zappos.com / Hairstylist: Logan Needham

Rustic Elegant Australian Vineyard Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 5 Comments

Oct 22nd

by: Elisa

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This gorgeous Australian wedding was shot by the fabulous American photographer Kristen Weaver, who actually met the bride, Rosie, through Facebook! On the day that she got engaged, Rosie posted on Kristen’s photography page, asking if she would fly to Australia (from her home in Orlando) to shoot her January wedding. Well, lucky for us, Kristen said yes, and the rest is history- all here for us to see today!

Rosie’s mom designed and sewed all the gowns (yes, including that dreamy lace wedding dress!), her friend Christine created all the stationery and Rosie and her husband, Jackson, did all the planning and design! I have to admit, it’s rare that I don’t adore a wedding I see here on ELD… but this is one of my favorites to-date! Gorgeous couple, gorgeous setting, gorgeous details… well, I’ll just let you see for yourself!

From the bride (in her adorable Australian accent!):

As I am a photographer myself, we were very particular with who we wanted to photograph our special day. As of course, our photos would be the main aspect that we could reflect back on our wedding with. Therefore, we chose to get a photographer from another country (Kristen Weaver Photography) to come all the way to Australia to photograph our wedding. We had been following her work for just over a year and she was definitely our number one choice! If anything else fell through, I wasn’t fussed, as long as our photos turned out.

We were extremely blessed in every aspect. Now looking back at it, our photos are amazing, the food was absolutely delicious and I’m still in love with the bridesmaids and my dress! However, when we both talk about how much we loved our wedding day, the number one thing that was so special to us, was having everyone so close and dear to us, from all over the world, in one place, for us. That meant the world to us!

Growing up in Adelaide, South Australia, I’ve always loved the idea of a vineyard/rustic wedding (as we are known for our beautiful hills and vineyards). The Barossa, a place made up of all small country towns packed with beautiful vineyards and scenery, was our obvious choice when we decided our location to get married. As far as the design and style, I constantly was researching the internet for ideas. Wedding blogs helped me incredibly to get the exact style I was after, as we wanted to DIY most of our wedding. In the end we had a Vineyard/Rustic inspired wedding with a touch of elegance :)

To really enjoy every stage of planning your wedding and to do it WITH your husband. Don’t take over everything yourself. I honestly can say it was not a stressful experience at all! Planning every detail together and seeing all our vendors together was the best thing, as we got excited together and made sure that the day not only reflected what the bride (always) wants, but the groom too! It really is an exciting time for the both of you.

I love that Rosie and Jackson were inspired by their location without feeling that they had to be theme-y. The result was elegant, beautiful, and personal!

How have you taken your wedding inspiration to the next level? How will you ensure that it’s personal and not overly themed?

xoxo, Elisa