Happy New Years Eve! I could not let 2017 go without sharing this shoot with you. I’m so excited to finally blog these images.  I have had the idea for this shoot for ages. I know a lot of photographers do styled shoots, it’s not a new concept. And frankly, they can be a bit misleading to some future clients who see them as a goal they can’t attain. However, I see them a bit differently. I use them as a way to introduce ideas to clients they may not have thought of. That is where this shoot came from. I love the idea of getting back into your wedding dresses with your girlfriend and having a bit of a party. I always think it’s such a shame to only wear these gowns once and even more of a shame that you never get to party with your bests while wearing the gown of your dreams! Perhaps I was inspired a bit from a little from this episode of Friends, oh you know the one…. the one with the wedding dresses. But maybe a taste more upscale. 😉 Additionally, I LOVE color. In an industry  where color can sometimes be a bit sparse, it was important to me to create a palette of vibrant color that speak to my soul and make my heart happy. I mean, can you even handle those florals. Dang.

I teamed up with some pretty incredible vendors to do an upscale tea party. We were able to get STUNNING florals, some fabulous women in DIVINE dresses at a STUNNING Cincinnati venue that I highly recommend. My only regret post shoot is that I didn’t take more time to shoot. It’s always a bit bittersweet for me after a shoot I’ve put my heart and soul into. I love what we got and am so thankful and happy it all came together so beautifully but I always wonder if I could have done a bit more.

I find as a creative, inspiration tends to strike me at the most inconvenient times- usually at the height of wedding season or right after I give birth and I find  I can’t act on it. Not only that, I find that sometimes I get so nervous to ask people if they’d like to shoot with me, I never do. I’m taking this time to say I would LOVE to reach out to vendors who would be interested in collaborating with me in the near to far future on styled shoots. The vendors I’d love to work with include but are not limited to planners, florists, gown designers or boutiques, jewelry designers and of course hair and makeup brilliant people. I’m also calling all couples, models in the industry or out! I would specifically love to work with models/couples I haven’t worked with in the past and couples/models of color.  I would love to build a catalog of interested parties who are interested in pushing limits, having some fun, and making beautiful images with me in 2018. I’m not just reaching out to Kentucky and Cincinnati either! I would love to work with some lovely people in Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia and Vermont since we have several weddings in those areas this year as well. Shoot us an email! I’d love to connect. hi@claireandbarrett.com

Here are the BEYOND incredible collaborators that made this shoot a reality.

Venue: The Monastery Event Center

Photography: Claire and Barrett

Florals: Courtenay Lambert Florals

Models: Katharine Ridley, Brock Maitland, Melissa Scalia, Marsha Ashley and Sophia DeSimone

Gowns and Veil: Provided by Hyde Park Bridal. Designers featured: Hayley Paige and Pronovias

Hair and Make Up: Pink Lou Lou Design Studio– Allison Johnson and Dana Peddicord

Jewelry: Richter and Phillips

Wardrobe Styling: Dara Michelle

Baked Goods: Happy Chicks Bakery

Cheers to a VERY special and Happy New Years, sweet friends! XO