What a fun engagement shoot concept Colorado couple Rachael and John came up with to fit their lifestyle – from a little black dress to flannels and fields of wildflowers, this adventurous photo shoot with Chowen Photography had a little bit of everything!
From Rachael: My inspiration for the shoot was a glamorous “little black dress” concept. We went with the Bitter Bar in Boulder as it is a favorite of ours and has that speakeasy type vibe. For the rest of the shoot we went to Chautauqa where my husband proposed. We took our dog Harlow Quinn with us and used the base of the mountain for a natural setting. Heidi and Daniel were beyond amazing and so wonderful to spend the day with. We love them!
From Heidi Chowen, of Chowen Photography: Every so often we get a request to have a “city mouse, country mouse” session with a couple. This works great when the two are fully on board with creating the juxtaposition needed to pull it off. John and Rachael literally transformed themselves when allowing us to shoot their engagement session in Boulder, CO. We started calm and cool with sophistication, speak-easy drinks, and some steamy alley-way moments. We ended with a much more casual feel with nature trails, a sunset atop Chautauqua Mountain, and a family made complete by their faithful dog.
John and Rachael did an amazing job of really stepping outside of “wedding day” mode and just letting themselves relax for us. Their attitude made for some great images and a day they can always look back on with fondness.
Dallas couple Diana and Miguel are simply bursting with joy and personality, and they channeled all of that energy into creating a wedding at the Hickory Street Annex where every detail was a colorful, creative reflection of their relationship and home. I love the way they worked alongside their talented team of wedding professionals, like Grit + Gold, Nest Floral Studio and Nine Photography to put their own fun and funky stamp on their day!
What three adjectives best describe your wedding day? DIY, artistic, and unique.
Was there a decor theme that ran through your wedding? What was the inspiration for that particular idea and how did it reflect you as a couple? We really never had a “theme” because we didn’t want to be confined to one single style. All we wanted was to make the wedding US! From the moment we sent out our save the dates to when we left the wedding, we wanted to make sure everyone knew this was ours! We also wanted them to feel comfortable and at home which is why we gathered a lot of our inspiration from our home décor.
It was a bit of a challenge at the beginning – I think a lot of brides feel like their wedding has to be themed – but when I started to see all the amazing weddings done out of the ordinary, we really let loose! Theres no better way to style a wedding than after your own personalities. As a couple, we are fun, artistic, natural, musical, and vibrant and we wanted our wedding to be the same!
What were some of the different ways you used decor elements to create the beautiful, cohesive event you were envisioning? Since our inspiration was our home, we used the wooden stumps down the aisle, like the wooden stump we use as a coffee table in our living room. We love to decorate with babys breath and ranunculus flowers in our home, so we used those flowers in the wedding décor.
We also wanted to bring our DIY lifestyle into the wedding so we did a lot of projects ourselves. We handmade the banners that hung on the ceiling in the venue that highlighted different areas in the room, i.e. Chow Down for the buffet area, Shake That for the dance floor, and Take a Swig above the bartender. We also made a life-sized replica of our wedding invitation out wood, that stood just outside the venue. We made wooden cake pop holders with our faces stamped on them for pur cake pop wedding favors (made by my good friend Amber Martinez).
We designed and handmade our save-the-dates and wedding invitations my husband created the design and included a drawing of us, which we silk screened onto paper. We made big paper marquee light initials that decorated the entrance hall to the venue. We also made little paper cupcake banners with our faces stamped on them. I made different colored lanterns out of paint swatches a special way to remember my dad (we also used paint swatches to make the seating chart). The bridal party and I handmade tons of paper pinwheels that were mainly used for a colorful installation on the altar wall.
Where did you choose to hold your wedding, and how did the location influence your decor decisions? Our wedding was held at Hickory Street Annex and the fact that they were able to host both the ceremony and the reception was the main reason we picked such a magical venue. They have an outdoor setting thats surrounded by these cool industrial buildings, but the ceremony itself was in an area surrounded by greenery and nature. We loved the combination of the hard, dark, metal/industrial feel and the soft, green natural atmosphere as we said I do.
The reception area was also amazing it gave us a downtown, lofty vibe to take the edge off the industrial ceremony. There were big beautiful hanging lanterns that were absolutely to die for lighting is so important! Everything about our wedding fit us perfectly, and we couldnt be happier with our choice.
Looking back, do you have a favorite project or successful decor idea from your wedding? Tell us what you loved about it! This is such a difficult question because there were so many projects and ideas that I loved! But if I had to choose one, it would be our handmade wedding stationary the save-the-dates and wedding invites. We had so many sleepless nights and the design process was a bit of a headache but the end result was so amazing! We saw the invitations as an opportunity to set the tone and décor for the wedding day itself. They gave the guests a little taste of what to expect, and hopefully made them hungry for more! It was such a joy to make them and for them to have such a vital role in the wedding vibe.
As youve noticed, we put a lot of effort and personal touch into the wedding but everything was well worth it. We know for a fact that our wedding fit our personalities perfectly: it was ours and ours alone. Isnt that how all weddings should be?
If you’re looking to plan a wedding in the beautiful Savannah, Georgia area, then don’t miss the Southern Wedding Experience: B…The Event in Savannah, GA and Tybee Island, March 1st – 3rd. It’s the perfect opportunity to really experience all that a southern wedding can be, and to get your planning started off right!
Unlike most wedding shows, the Southern Wedding Experience isn’t anything like an afternoon of walking a trade-show floor, this is a fun and luxurious weekend away where you and a guest will experience Savannah in style, as if you’re attending a destination wedding yourself.
On Friday you’ll arrive for your stay at one of the area’s top hotels – the Ocean Front Cottages Tybee Island, the Mansion on Forsyth Park or the Savannah Hyatt and then head off to a fabulous Welcome Party. Saturday brings tours of incredible venues on Tybee Island and in downtown Savannah, and even a historic trolley tour! Saturday night you and your guest will attend a glamorous gala for dinner, cake tastings, one-on-one time with top wedding professionals, a Boho-chic bridal fashion show, and education from celebrity wedding planner Shawn Rabideau as well as other experts throughout the weekend. Sunday wraps things up with a farewell brunch before you head home with your souvenir bag and all the new wedding planning experience and inspiration you’ve gained.
It’s a five-star weekend of pampering, planning and inspiration for the Southern Bride!
If you can’t make it to Savannah, here are some future Southern Wedding Experience events in the works:
Asheville, North Carolina: August 2-4, 2013
Nashville, Tennessee: November 15-17, 2013
Atlanta, Georgia: February 28 – March 2, 2014
And for all you wedding professionals out there, looking for some great professional education, there is a sister event happening on March 3rd and 4th that Blair and I will be speaking at! The Southern Wedding Experience is partnering with Inspire Smart Success for the ISS Experience Savannah – a 2 day event for the wedding industry. Other speakers include the amazing Jacqueline Nwobu (Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Munaluchi Bride Magazine), Shawn Rabideau (founder and President of Shawn Rabideau Events & Design) and Stacie Francombe (the founder of Inspire Smart Success). We hope to see you there!
This post was sponsored by Southern Wedding Experience – B… The Event, and chosen for What Junebug Loves because we think it’s a fantastic wedding planning event, and we’re excited to be involved!
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