My vision for our intimate styled shoot was wanting to focus on what matters. A lot of times brides think of weddings as only a large event with every family member and friend they could imagine in attendance. Although that is not a bad thing, not all brides desire that or can afford it. I really wanted this styled shoot to show the raw moments of what an intimate wedding can be. Intimate weddings for me are all about gathering immediate family and a few close friends to witness a lifetime union before God. Celebrating this special moment can go by so quickly and get lost in your wedding budget and all the “add on’s” that come with planning a wedding. But if you want to focus on the true reason for your wedding day, an intimate wedding is the best option for you. And, if you still desire to celebrate with all your other family members and friends, having a post wedding celebration reception is a great option. Everyone can eat, drink, and be merry while they celebrate your marriage.
Because of what I envisioned for this shoot, I knew Alta Viola’s House inside of Sweet Legacy Vintage Rentals was the perfect place to host our shoot. These ladies at Sweet Legacy care about your present and your future. They desire to assist you with what ever event you are planning. With our intimate wedding styled shoot they created the perfect intimate ceremony space complete with cozy and darling couches and chairs. It was so perfect and so romantic with the string lighting.
Our photographers for our shoot were Rachel Traxler Photography and Selycia Yang Photography. Both ladies edit it two totally different ways and that is what I love. Rachel has a moody style but her photos are also bright and warm. She did an amazing job at capturing raw moments. Selycia’s style is very bright and airy and she does an amazing job capturing the details of love with her fine art photography. Both captured the beauty of the couple and the vendor items perfectly and I was so thankful to have them both on board!
I wanted our color palette to embody the holiday, but not be taken over by it. We chose a lot of jewel tones; Burgundy, reds, purples, with hints of greens and blues. I feel like all these colors added to the romantic feel but yet still showing the season in which the wedding (shoot) was in.
The vendors who were a part of our shoot were so amazing to work with. Sugarspoon Desserts showed such attention to detail in our two tiered Burgundy and white cake. She truly can create anything you can imagine. This cake was the perfect touch of YUM to our intimate shoot. Our Makeup artist Kaili gave us exactly what we asked of her, a subtle smokey eye with a dark lip. Hair stylist Krista took the reigns and loved the outcome. A nice relaxed curl with some detail of a braid to pull the models hair out of her face.
Becky Geboy with Rebecca Kay Designs gave us gorgeous flower arrangements that complimented out color palette so well. Our desire was to have lots of greenery with touches of red, Burgundy, and anything else she wanted to throw in. Her arrangements were constructed beautifully and she was such a pleasure to work with.
Our dress and tux vendor was Foreign 5 in Chippewa Falls. Foreign 5 was amazing to work with. They had a great selection of gowns and the convenience of offering tuxes as well was the cherry on top. The store manager Kathy was so helpful in finding a gown that really embodied the simplicity yet elegance of the day.
And for planning, design, Calligraphy and invite suite work it was myself, Samantha Mathews with Mathews Weddings and Events. From contacting vendors, organizing a day of shoot timeline, getting logistics in order and to designing the calligraphy work and invite suite, this shoot came together so well. It was such a pleasure dreaming up this shoot with these vendors. I am beyond thankful to have had the opportunity to meet them as well to show brides how beautiful, affordable, and doable an intimate wedding can be. Any bride deserves to focus all of her time and effort on her blooming relationship and thats what an intimate wedding can be for you.
Our lovely models, Mariah and Steve, are newly married and they brought so much love to this shoot. Each photo captures their TRUE love. This was not posed or fake, you can tell every shoot they were fully in and so in love with each other. From the moment I saw their connection in photos, I knew they were going to be the best models. So thankful to have had a couple who was okay letting us capture their love. Who doesn’t love hugging and kissing on your significant other?! 🙂 Congrats to the newlyweds and our model couple, Mr. and Mrs. Hokanson.
To those dreaming up your own intimate wedding, if it includes everything that you hold dear, it be beautiful and so meaningful.
Here is a list of the amazing vendors we worked with:
Coordinating/invite suite/Calligraphy: FB: Mathews Weddings and Events. IG: @mathewsWeddingsandevents Website: www.mathewsweddingsandevents.com
Venue/Rentals: FB: Sweet Legacy Vintage Rentals IG: @sweetlegacyvintag Website: www.sweetlegacy.net
Photographer: FB: Rachel Traxler Photography IG: @racheltraxler. Website: www.racheltraxler.com
Second Shooter (photos not posted yet): FB: Selycia Yang Photography IG: @selyciayangphotography Website: https://selyciayangphotography.pixieset.com
Dress/Tux: FB: Foreign 5 of Chippewa Falls IG: @foreign5chippewa Website: http://foreign5.com
Cake: FB: Sugarspoon Desserts IG: @sugarspoondesserts
Floral: FB: Rebecca Kay Designs
Makeup: FB: Kaili Amrein Enger IG: @makeup.by.kaili
Hair: FB: IG:@_hairbykrista Models: Mariah and Stephan Hokanson