Diversity Styled Shoot
Wow, just wow!
A special thanks to the coordinators and photographers all involved with making the day come together! Arianna with Arianna Belle Photography, Kendall with Mahogany Hill Weddings, Melissa with Melissa Sheridan Photography, Jay with For Us Photo, and myself! Bringing the theme to life and gathering all of the vendors and pieces needed was a team effort and took weeks of planning. I am so glad we were able overall focus on the importance of highlighting diversity and inclusivity in our shoot. We also worked hard to find vendors who were Black-owned, women-owned, LGBTQ+ owned, local, and those who are also in support of inclusivity!
On September 21, 2020 at the “Market at Grelen” venue located in Somerset, Virginia we were able to bring to life a truly diverse and inclusivity enriched event. Images from this shoot can be found scattered through my website as well as in the portfolio page if you are interested in seeing more soon! For now I wanted to take the time to speak more on those represented at the shoot, because the event certainly wouldn’t have been the same without them present and just as excited to be there as us.
Venue. The Market at Grelen | https://www.themarketatgrelen.com/
| Found on Instagram: @MarketAtGrelen | Found on Facebook: @MarketAtGrelen |
Though it may be located in Somerset, Virginia it was easy to forget I was! The architecture, garden, and beautiful mountain view felt as if we were in a different country. The venue was an amazing opportunity to work with and the coordinator, Tess, was incredible! The venue itself was extremely photogenic at every turn leaving no areas as a “bad” spot for photos. Making sure a venue is photogenic is normally a top priority for those searching, so this is a great fit! Looking past the gorgeous aspects of the venue and its location the venue owners and coordinators also were eager to see diversity and inclusivity in their space. Highly recommend looking into this venue option for your upcoming wedding!
Wedding Planner. Mahogany Hill Wedding | http://www.mahoganyhillweddings.com
| Found on Instagram: @mahoganyhillweddings | Found on Facebook: @mahoganyhillrva |
I truly can say with confidence that we could not have made this shoot happen without our beautiful black and woman run wedding planner service vendor. Kendall was above and beyond with helping us coordinate and plan the event in advance as well as keeping us on track throughout the day. Kendall created a new ceremony harbor for us as well for this shoot which turned out amazing! Having a wedding planner is a must. There is no need to stress yourself when you have someone absolutely capable who specializes in planning! Kendall was an absolute joy to work with and was simply incredibly outstanding at her expertise. She thought of everything in advance and brought beautiful props and settings to our shoot. Truly she and her work and talent are a must at your next event!
Photographers. Tyler Bray Wedding Photography | www.tylerbrayweddingphotography.com |
| Found on Instagram: @Tyler_Bray_Wedding_Photography | Found on Facebook: @TylerBrayWeddingPhotography |
Well yes, I was there too! My work will be appearing through my website and social media platforms soon! If you yourself are interested in seeing more of my work please look through my website and check out some other blogs I have posted. I was so incredibly excited to see this styled shoot come to life and can’t believe the near two months of planning came down to everything running smoothly! We had perfect weather, great vendors, and amazing models that all helped tie together the beautiful art that we did! Congrats and thank you to all who helped out!
Arianna Belle Photography | www.ariannabellphotography.com |
| Found on Instagram: @AriannaBellePhotography | Found on Facebook: @AriannaBellePhotography |
Another joy and personal good friend of mine who collaborated on this shoot! It was in fact her idea to host a bohemian styled diversity and inclusive shoot and am so honored to have been a part of making it happen. Arianna is a Richmond, Virginia based wedding photographer and has been shooting weddings since 2016 and just recently graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with her Bachelors of Social Work. Arianna herself was recently married this year too (yes, in the midst of the pandemic love prevailed!) Arianna is an amazing photographer and a huge hearted person always looking to make her clients day better. She is easy at posing models so no one ever feels awkward and you get everything you want out of your shoot too! Her experience, professionalism, and true talent are an amazing opportunity to have capturing your big life events! Go check her out!
Melissa Sheridan Photography | http://www.melissasheridanphotography.com |
| Found on Instagram: @MelissaSheridanPhotography | Found on Facebook: @melissasheridanphotography
Melissa is a Charlottesville, Virginia based wedding photographer who was an incredible help in creating the styled shoot and capturing it! Melissa helped with our theme decisions, bringing extra props that added to the shoot, and overall brought an amazing attitude with her cameras! She started her business in 2016 in Hawaii and moved around a bit as she is a military spouse. Melissa was especially excited to add true diversity and inclusivity to her portfolio to help reflect her care and passion for representing all people. She was professional, thoughtful, kind, and great with the models and detail shots. Go check out some of her latest work!
For Us Photo | www.forusphoto.com |
|Found on Instagram: @for_us_photo |
Jay was a super fun addition to our photographer list and brought black representation as well! His work and ease with shooting showed every second of the day. Jay says “there is nothing like love” and is why he has been heavily involved in portrait and wedding photography within the last year. Jay is a Washington D.C. based photographer who is down for new outgoing photography ideas. He was an ease to work with, went out of his way to help us, and extremely respectful of everyone in attendance to the shoot! Please go check out his website for his work and see if he can capture your big life event soon!
Models. Asiah and Cameron (found on instagram). They helped bring Black representation to our models and totally rocked it! This beautiful real couple were amazing to work with bringing their contagious laughter and gorgeous looks to our shoot. Asiah and Cameron were in love at first sight. They truly never left each other’s side after meeting and quickly started dating. Their passion for one another pours out by how they treat each other and the way they look into each other's eyes. They truly were an incredible addition and we could not have done it without their help!
Samantha and Brooke (Found on instagram @samanthavenezia and @brookesm). This amazing real couple helped bring LGBTQ+ representation to our shoot and were fantastic to be around. Their love story shows the essence of connection and true unforgiving love for one another. Their passion for one another and giggles shared with tickles brought an amazing atmosphere to the shoot. They both were down for anything and made the shoot more lively with their outgoing spirits!
Querida paired with Kamece (found on instagram @queteepi_ and @kmceantny).These models helped bring Black representation to our shoot and both were incredible to work with. Querida just graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with her Bachelor’s of Social Work degree just this past May. She was paired with Kamece who together brought us a picturesque fantasy look between their outfits, styles, and personalities. Both were an amazing help and worked seamlessly together!
Chi paired with Terrence (found on instagram @e.xali). Both brought laughs and edge to the shoot with their natural people skills and those portrait worthy smirks of confidence. Both models helped bring Black representation to our shoot. Chi is a strong woman of color taking on the life of education. She has already earned her Bachelor’s of Sociology and is currently working towards her Master’s in Public Administration at Liberty University!. Terrence was an amazing help when us photographers needed the extra hand. He also was quick at cracking jokes with everyone and was up for anything. Chi and Terrence brought a strong yet humble energy to our shoot and it wouldn’t have been the same without them!
MUA and HMUA. The Beauty Soiree | http://www.nicolelaughlinmakeupartist.com/ |
| Found on Instagram: @NicoleLaughlin_MUA | Found on Facebook: @NicoleLaughlinMakeupArtist
This team of makeup and hairstylists brought a seamless consistency to their work that found ease in meeting our desired styles look. They were extremely professional and arrived in amble time to have all of the models ready by the scheduled photography start time. This team is Latina-owned and holds a great team of diversity as well! Watching those Black beauty queens and lesbian bosses do their thing brought an incredible atmosphere to our event as well as their beautifully seamless makeup and hair artwork.
Floral. Elizabeth Lou’s Floral Design |
| Found on Instagram: @ElizabethLousBlooms | Found on Facebook: @LousFloralDesign
This vendor is woman-owned and local! Elizabeth was a pleasure to work with! Her arrangements were stunning and fit our theme so incredibly well! Asking for bohemian styled bouquets and arrangements was a tall order. We were graciously met with our high expectations! Elizabeth scattered her work throughout the shoot at different stations brilliantly and flawlessly. She provided the bouquets, boutonnieres, cake accessories, table accessories, and our ceremony harbor touchup. Elizabeth came prepared and perfectly on time to have everything run smoothly too! We loved these floral arrangements! What about you? This is not all that this vendor specializes in, so go check it out for yourself!
Baked Goods. Sliced Cake | https://www.slicedcakebar.com/
| Found on Instagram: @Sliced.CakeBar | Found on Facebook: @Sliced.CakeBar
Yum yum! Is an event even complete without cake? This great vendor while mainly a mobile cake bar, they still accept private orders as well! This couple, as veterans of the United States Army with careers as a social worker, teacher, and basketball coach, started this business after “semi-retiring.” Megan has been baking cakes for friends for years and finally expanded to their shop today! They strive to focus on flavor and quality while always remaining “elegant and delicious.” Go check out their website to see how they can make your events amazing!
Dresses.
| Found on Instagram: @reviveyosoul @katiedentonphotos @eleanorsbridal |
https://www.eleanorsbridal.com/blog/categories/rae
If you are interested in any of the styles or looks from this styled shoot, you just have to see where they came from! These four dresses brought together the soft, edgy, fantasy, and true boho vibes to our day. To make it even easier on us, most of these dresses were adjustable by several sizes making model fittings a “no hassle” and alterations not necessary! This vendor was an amazing addition to our shoot and was extremely professional and timely with getting the gorgeous dresses to us in time for the event. What masterpieces! Go check out these pages and their work to see any rent or buy options you might be interested in.
Jackets. https://www.etsy.com/shop/WhimDesignsLLC
| Found on Instagram: @weddingsbywhim |
This duo woman owned vendor set up shop in 2018 after studying fashion design at Virginia Commonwealth University. They wanted to bring along some of the shop's current best sellers which are custom leather and denim jackets! Though that isn’t all they carry either. They specialize in several different bridal accessories as well including veils! This vendor was such a fun addition and brought that true edgy boho style that we were needing. Their products are elegant and beautifully crafted. Go and check out their shop and see what can be attending your style in your wedding or any other events coming up!
Bridal Accessories. Blushing Gold Brides | https://blushinggoldbrides.com/
| Found on Instagram: @BlushingGoldBrides | Found on Facebook: @BlushingGoldBrides
Looking for someone to really provide those custom, unique, theme fitting accessories. We got you! This woman-owned and local vendor was extremely professional and kind. Jennifer also has extreme talent! Her accessories really brought together our bohemian theme look. She provided more than what we could have ever hoped for and these pieces speak well for themselves. Our personal favorite was the quartz styled crown. If you are debating wearing one yourself on your big day, don’t let anyone stop you! Where your crown high and tall queen and kings!
Signage. Rachel Lettering Events | https://www.etsy.com/shop/rachellettering
| Found on Instagram: @RachelLetteringEvents | Found on Facebook: @RachelLetteringEvents
Having beautiful signage, calligraphy, and details is a must at your wedding! Let this woman-owned vendor take care of you and bring together your beautiful needed details for your big day! This vendor was a joy to work with and was excited to be a part of a diverse and inclusive themed shoot. Rachel’s talents and abilities can be seen in her portfolio ranging from themes like pastels, vintage, modern, artistic, rustic, and royalty! Go check out her work to see how she can tie together your special day!
