This is the first of three postings about a little project I put together. It began as an idea back in May after meeting Patty Nayel of Pure Magnolia at EPIC and was shelved for some time over the summer when things were too crazy with a newborn. When I found out in November that I would be a vendor at the Grassroots Wedding Fair, I began thinking about my project again a bit more seriously and while on Christmas holidays in Ontario, decided to kick it into gear, but with a twist.
I thought it would be neat to do a green wedding vendor styled photoshoot ~ and what that means is using items from those that have attended or will be attending the Grassroots Wedding Fair this year. But I began to see that there were a few things missing, so I began to do my own research to see what I could find that was made locally, recycled, or made out of special materials. And the things that I found! My idea that began as an editorial style photoshoot of gowns began turning into something a bit more grounded with significant meaning behind it.
I contacted 11 vendors in the Lower Mainland area to see if they would be interested in being involved in my photoshoot ~ not everyone I contacted was included but a significant number of people were excited and on board, donating their time and efforts to providing beautiful things for the styled shoot. The main intent for this shoot was to show prospective brides out there what amazing resources there are for putting on an eco-conscious wedding ~ high-quality, hand-crafted, thoughtfully produced and beautiful items that are made in our very own backyards from wedding gowns to flowers to even photography! I wanted to put something together that could showcase each piece in some way, in the hopes of creating a beautiful styled wedding that might give someone some ideas of how they might want to do something for their own wedding.
This was no easy feat. I began contacting the vendors shortly after Christmas and had a month to pull it all off. Coordinating between that many people and trying to pull together a cohesive look proved to be a bigger challenge than I had imagined. Finding a location that would work with my vision but still had a workable indoors was key because let’s face it, the weather around here is some of the most unpredictable around. The days before were busy with running around and gathering all the elements, making lists and checking them twice, making sure everyone that was showing up at the shoot had all the details they needed and that I had everything I needed in order to keep things organized. Anyone who knows me, knows that I always have a Plan B, C, and D for my A!
Today’s posting is all about the dress! This gorgeous, fun gown designed by Patty Nayel of Pure Magnolia featured layers upon layers of tulle material and is almost 80% cotton. Pure Magnolia focuses on creating unique wedding dresses by using sustainable materials like peace silk and hemp silk.
My model for the day was Lyndsay Cotterall as well as her husband, Adam. Lyndsay is a fellow wedding and lifestyle portrait photographer (who now can add modeling to her career roster!) in Vancouver and you can see her work here.
The lovely hair fascinators were created by Carmen West Creative and the delicate jewelry was provided by Spark Jewelry.
Hair design was done by Jennifer Ault, a fabulous stylist from Chilliwack and the pretty makeup was done by Dil Chhina of Dil Chhina Artistry.
I hope you like the first posting of a few more to come and there will be more items featured from these wonderful local artists. The next posting will feature another dress in a silk charmeuse, so stick around for that!
