Thursday, June 28, 2012

French Provence Lavender Style Shoot

I'm so excited to share this style shoot with you guys.  After getting so much great feedback from my sunflower field engagement sesh  (click HERE if you missed it) I decided to plan a dreamy romantic "French Provence" themed lavender shoot.  We shot at Seven Oaks Lavender Farm in Northern Virginia and it was a creative dream come true... so fun.





It's one thing to sit in your living room and think "how cool would it be..." and picture a beautiful bride running barefoot through the lavender fields with a flowy white dress... it's another thing all together to plan for months on end and bring the vision to fruition. A big thanks to all the vendors who came along side to help bring this artistic daydream to reality. Special big thanks to Alex Pare from Cherry Blossom Events who worked with me as the planner to the very day before she was due!!! She totally rocked this shoot and helped me pull it off.  Now sit back and enjoy!


It's hard to start with anything but these flowers. Jill, from Toulies en Fleur created these stunning bouquets. I shared with her our vision of "French Provence"...  rustic, romantic and elegant. Let me tell you when I turned around and saw the flowers she was unloading from her car... wow.  Are these not the dreamiest flowers you have ever seen? Stunning. Absolutely stunning.



Love this country chic feel


Loving this sophisticated jewelry? Got it at my new favorite local jewlery boutique Lou Lou's


I wanted to feature some different food for the shoot. I feel like desserts, especially, come in trends.  Everyone does cake pops, then everyone does whoopie pies, then everyone does pies.  Going with our French Provence theme I wanted to think up some not-before-seen desserts that fit our theme.  Veronica Rogers (stylist   Upside Down and Inside Out)  totally nailed these rustic french tarts from the images I sent to her.





And this cheese platter(below) was prepared for us from our friends at Bon Vivant Farm. They're a local farm that provides fresh, healthy foods... from their farm to your plate. This goat cheese was as creamy and fresh as it looks. You must swing by the Old Town Saturday morning farmer's market and pick some up for yourself... you'll be hooked!  It's from goats on their farm... yum.


Now brace yourself for this awesome tablescape ( thank you Party Rentals)


This elegant tablescape was designed by Alex Pare at Cherry Blossom Events. Isn't it breathe taking?




So dreamy! I had suggested succulents to Jill and I love how she tied in the lavender with this gorgeous succulent


These beautiful menus were done by Paper Zest. 


Veronica (our contributing stylist) put together this gorgeous chandelier with fresh flowers and painted this stunning backdrop with a french love quote. Great inexpensive DIY project for any bride!





The ladies at the posh Georgetown wedding boutique Hitched allowed us to pick any dress we wanted for the shoot! I love this romantic flowy dress we got with the floral sash. Thanks Hitched!


True or false... I bought this bunny for my daughter? True! He was so cute and they were only $10....  she LOVES him... who wouldn't - isn't he adorable?


Aren't you loving this messy chic hair that Julie from Hair by Jewels did?





This beautiful sofa, and the domed chairs (pictured above with tablescape) were provided by Chica Chica Boom Boom Creative. Love it!



This dreamy makeup was done by Leslie, owner of Strategic Skin... love it girl!
                      





I tried really hard to stay away from the (frankly somewhat "been seen a million times") shabby chic look that I always gravitate to. That's one of the reasons I chose to work with one of the most sophisticated event planners in the DC area. I really wanted to marry my creative artisticness with their polish and sophistication to create something not often seen.... but alas, no post would be complete without a little hat's off to the dreamy shabby chic vintage look, and with these flowers... I just couldn't resist.




Hope you enjoyed a little sample of the type of creative dreamy ideas that swirl through my head.  This was such a fun project and a huge thank you to everyone who chipped in. Scroll down to the next two posts to see my associates Steve and Muriel's "Five Fav" from the shoot.

And if you don't follow me on Facebook I'd love to invite you two. I do "Inspire-Me-Mondays" with DIY creative wedding projects, inspiration idea, modern pose guides, trend highlights and even giveaways... so click HERE and "Like" me to keep up with more creative photography and inspiriing artistic ideas.

 Until next time....

6 comments:

  1. C'est magnifique Michelle!!! J'adore la deuxième avec le chat derrière... Et effectivement, c'est ma Provence natale mise à l'honneur

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  2. I really have no words to say about this photography. I like all photos, special blue color eye of Cat, looking really pretty.

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  3. djsteveyoung@yahoo.comJune 29, 2012 at 7:38 AM

    It was great seeing you make these beautiful pictures at Seven oaks. A special day, especially with the bunny. Steve Young ( the candle maker )

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  4. Yay! better ever time i look at them :)

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  5. The pics are stunning! When I first glanced I thought she was Blake Lively! :)

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