Hers & Hers
LGBT wedding inspiration shoot
The KWP Piglets Ain’t Bacon Down! The interns at Kristen Weaver Photography (AKA the Piglets) have been working on a styled wedding shoot for the past couple of months now. My partner Malik and I originally wanted to do something minimal, modern, and beautiful. In the midst of the process and consideration, we decided we wanted to theme with black and white, while adding a tone of masculinity and an edgy flare. With that we knew we wanted a deep contrast! We began searching for a venue and landed on the beautiful Haus 820 in Lakeland, FL. They have a cool multi colored wall outside called #massmarketcolorwall. Once Malik and I saw that our vision began to form a story itself. The theme of black and white symbolizes One – Love regardless of sexuality, race, or ethnicity. In contrast, the Color Wall symbolizes the multitude of love.
When it was time to go shopping for wardrobe we were so excited, yet, a little nervous at the same time. One bride was wearing a clean and simple Katie May Collection dress from Calvet Bridal. It was more on the conservative side with a high neck adding a bit of sex appeal with a draped back. Our second bride was out to make a statement in a bralette and boyfriend blazer.
For our reception setup, we wanted modern minimalist – hand carved wood, clean granite and marble accents and smokey glassware. We chose simple letters for our “escort cards” on each place-setting. White gauze table runner, taper candles and a simple floral arrangement decorated the center of the table, and guests would sit in acrylic chairs. But we wanted the guest experience to be relaxed – so we chose to include a scotch and cigar bar, outdoor coffee cart and lounge.
We are proud to announce that this shoot has been featured on the Love Inc. website!!
The Vendors
Photography: Kristen Weaver
Coordination: Emily Grace Design
Venue: Haus 820
Invitations: The Invitation Lounge
Florist: Atmospheres Floral and Decor
Hair and Makeup: Clint Torres
Dress: Katie May Collection from Calvet Couture Bridal
Jewelry: Maria Elena from The Bridal Finery
Furniture Rentals: RW Style
Clear Chair Rentals: Any Event Linen and Chair Rental
Sweets: Sweet Design Studios
Coffee Cart: Concord Coffee
The Venue – Haus 820
Haus 820 was a dream venue for this shoot. We couldn’t have chosen a more perfect venue to aid our black and white theme. Not only were we able to execute the theme with simple blacks and whites; we were able to use the beautiful Mass Market Color Wall to give our shoot a killer taste of color.
Stationery Design – The Invitation Lounge
The Invitation Lounge saw our inspiration and visions for the shoot and provided an amazing, marble stationery. This wedding suite matched with subtle hints throughout our styled shoot while keeping our minimalistic touch genuine. Included were menus, custom marble envelopes with black liners, and a triple-layer invitation with band.
Bridal Salon – Calvet Couture in Orlando
This was the fun part for us! Malik and I had no idea what style we initially wanted for the gown. It had to make a statement and follow the minimal simplicity of the rest of our design. We chose 3 gowns to bring to the shoot until we could see what looked best on Adrianna. We loved the fit and style of this Katie May Collection design and knew it was the perfect choice!
Floral Design – Atmospheres Floral
Tying in blacks and whites into florals could have been a hard task. Atmospheres Floral designed and supplied the most stunning floral arrangements that fit so well into our theme. From the simple white roses to the white anemones to the ring bouquet, the florals perfectly matched our design. Some of the arrangements just had to come home with us!
Planning – Emily Grace Design
When time gets tough and things happen, it takes a true team player to step in. Just as it would be in the real world, our team were faced with obstacles. Emily stepped in and made this obstacles almost appear easy to jump over. Working with this amazing planner helped our shoot tie together with amazing input and the utmost assistance in creating our vision. Emily joined our shoot merely days before and immediately had the idea to have a coffee cart from Concord Coffee be incorporated. Not only did the black coffee in a glass cup fit so well into our colors, but the cart itself did as well. And for Emily, we are thankful.
Makeup & Hair – Clint Torres
We had so much fun picking out a hairstyle and what kind of makeup we wanted for this shoot. We got blessed with a Hair/MUA that is a triple (if not more) threat! Clint was also one of our “bridesmen” and provided us with the coolest dog ever! We wanted something extremely simple. For makeup, we wanted a clean, simple look. For the hair styles for both girls, we wanted something to accent their own individual style. Marianna had a windswept low bun, and Adrianna had vintage waves. Clint chose to accent the curls with a gold bobby-pin architectural detail behind her ear for the perfect finishing touch.
Earrings – The Bridal Finery
The Bridal Finery, opened in 2017 by Roberta and Tali, offered to lend us some beautiful earrings from their Maria Elena showpieces! These deep sapphire rectangular studs are so subtle and added a nice touch to our modern/minimal bride’s look.
Concord Coffee
This was an unexpected, yet much needed, element added to our concept! Emily connected us with Concord Coffee, a local modern coffee shop in Lakeland. They brought their Coffee Cart, which serves hot and cold brew to wedding guests!
Vintage Furniture Rentals – RW Style
RW Style was a tremendous help to us! When we went to their warehouse we were so overwhelmed by all the cool pieces they have. Originally, we went and chose a variety of pieces. But when we got back to the studio and started putting it all together, we realized we had actually started to lose our initial concept. So we contacted RW and they were so flexible and helped us make a few key changes. Outside of our venue we had a little lounge area where we put a black couch named Onyx , two very minimalistic Webster chairs, a miniature tub that we used for florals and letters that spell out L-O-V-E. They also provided the beautiful wooden reception table and banquet for the Scotch bar!
Reception Chairs – Any Event Linen & Chair Rental
What’s more beautiful than a clear, elegant chair? Answer: Nothing. The clear chairs used for our reception area played so well into the our shoot’s vision. Though the chairs had not been black or white, the transparency added such a unique detail to our shoot. Keeping true to our minimalistic touch, the chairs fit right in!
Cake & Desserts – Sweet Design Studio
We really wanted to give this shoot a masculine feel so we thought it would be a great idea to incorporate some dark chocolate into our desserts. Sweet Design Studios also made us some black and white cookies, macaroons, chocolate dipped fruits and homemade sweets – like a mini peanut butter cheesecake!
The Models
Through the process of planning this shoot, finding models had become a bit of a challenge. Clint actually introduced us to our 2 beautiful brides, Adrianna and Marianna. In true squad-goal fashion, we decided to add our 2 “bridesmen” – Clint and JC! Our original plan to incorporate different cultures in to our shoot was able to be realized with the mix of our “fantastic 4” bridal party! Adding Hapa, the Dalmatian, to the shoot was the polka-dot on the cake! Together, they were the best wedding party a shoot could ask for!
