delightful | orchard harvest

One of my goals for 2013 was to arrange a styled wedding shoot.  I love all things wedding and one of the best things going on in the wedding industry right now is "styled shoots".  You pick a theme and work with vendors to set up a small mock-wedding and then have a photographer capture all of the details.  I knew I wanted to do this with my dear friend and talented photographer Kathryn Grace, so we met for dinner and started the brainstorming process earlier this summer.

The bridal bouquet & her nails!   

 My goal was to feature as many local vendors as possible.  Our theme was "Orchard Harvest", we dreamed up an elegant theme using beautiful harvest colors (berry red, emerald green, deep purples and mixed metals).  I was stunned to realize that we ended up with over eleven different vendors, only our models had to travel (from South Carolina!).  We were absolutely delighted with every detail of our shoot.  The florist, baker, dress shop, make-up artist, and hairstylist were amazing to work with. 

 Can we talk about this dress?!?  Kathryn's Bridals in McHenry was absolutely incredible to work with, they matched us up with a stunning gown, beaded belt and veil that fit our model perfectly.  And yes, that is a gold ladder that she is standing on (y'all, we have the most glamorous barn accessories).

 Betty at Apple Creek Flowers knocked my socks off!  I've never seen such lovely arrangements, she took the few ideas that we gave her and absolutely nailed the whole theme.  The bouquet stayed on my nightstand for two weeks and made my heart go pitter-pat every time I looked at it.

 The sweetheart table | In the middle of the Orchard | What could be better?

Our models have been married for two years and made the several hour shoot a blast!  Our Bride said this was more fun than her wedding day, isn't that darlin'!  My precious friend Katherine (so many Katherine's were involved with this shoot) drove over four hours to help me arrange things.  She just started a vintage prop rental company, and hauled the velvet couch, chairs, and red steamer trunk all over the orchard for me.  She's never afraid to try something new and she's pretty much the best! 

 Lauren at The Sugar Circle in Woodstock provided our cake.  She hand-painted the gold floral design on the cake.  And the figs are actually made from fondant and hand-painted as well.  Unreal!  We celebrated the end of the shoot by eating the cake, which was delicious!

 I used fresh apples as the name card holder and loved how it turned out.  The pink china is antique and from my mother's stash (thanks mom!).

Action shot | Reapplying lipstick mid-shoot

Photographer | Kathryn Grace Photography

Venue | Royal Oak Farm Orchard

Dress | Kathryn's Bridals

Florist | Apple Creek Flowers

Baker | The Sugar Circle

Calligrapher | The Constant Scribe

Hair Stylist | Amy at Studio 10 Salon

Make-up | Lisa at Renew Skin Spa

Props | Burlap & Bows

A very special thank you goes out to Kathryn Grace for putting up with my shenanigans (per usual!).  Thank you for being so willing to jump in and then delivering the exact photos that were in my head.  I'm grateful for your friendship and for your hard work on this shoot.

Oh, AND we were featured on Classic Bride Blog!  Check out our feature here and more photos on Kathryn Grace's website.  Thanks for reading!