Love Is Love

I was so excited to style this fun inspiration shoot! I had a great team and really wanted to showcase all their talent.

This is a topic that is pivotal and extraordinary in our great State of Utah. Just a few years ago, no one could imagine that Gay Marriage would be a recognized, and now, it’s , to me, common. I witnessed my first Gay marriage back in 2003. I did the hair of both the Brides even (I was in cosmetology at the time) and I remember it being such a controversial thing. To me, I was just happy for the union of two people who love each other. That’s all. The ceremony was held at the couples private residence, there was no invitation, no photographer or anything. They felt they had to keep the celebration low key and didn’t want to attract any attention. If they could do it over, with the laws we have today- I am sure the Union would be so much more celebrated and they would have accepted more attention from it. In essence, I guess my inspiration shoot was inspired by them, and re celebrating their union, their love, and their rights as a gay couple.

My look is simple- My Brides wore traditional black and white colors, but we amped up the the tradition just a little bit!

Some of my favorite details include the fresh floral choker necklace made by Native Flower Company, I love the pop it adds to our model, Rachel. Emily Fillerup gave Rachel a beautiful up do and we finished it off with a lace head band and a simple veil. When Rachel walked up to the site, we had lots of strangers in the area, and one little girl said “it’s a princess!” Adorable, right?

For Ariel, our model in black. I had Emily give her a bold smokey eye look and a feminine side swept hair. I finished her look off with a matching boutinniere. Ariel’s dress is a simply LBD finished with a lacy overskirt that I made and wrapped a lacy belt to give it a finished one-piece look. I love over skirts cause it elevates the event, but when you’re ready to step out onto the dance floor, you can quickly change your look!

Twelve 30 Creative matched the black and white theme with a beautiful paper suite that included hand painted gold details and a hand tied ribbon wrap. Stunning!

This year, we we will be seeing simple cakes, we went with a simple petite coconut cake, one that the Brides can cut for the cake cutting event, but then serve desserts and treats to the guests!

One other fun detail- the Vows! We had a local stylistic writer beautifully compose these vows and then we printed it on fabric and then framed it with leaves from nature.

Though the colors of this shoot are traditional, I tried to implement many out of the box elements to keep things interesting, unique and focused on the couple.