Why do a styled shoot when I have 12 years of weddings in my portfolio? I used to think they weren’t anything I needed to do– after all, I have so many images to choose from. But 2019 was a great year, but a tough one. I worked almost every weekend. That is not rare, but if I am being totally honest, I found myself getting in a rut. I wasn’t being creative. It also had been way too long since I had been to one of my favorite venues, Nashville’s Union Station Hotel. I needed to strip away the schedule, the demand and the stress of a wedding day and just focus on having fun and exercising more creative and taking more risks. And it was totally worth it. My batteries were recharged and I remembered the risk was worth it…
Like this oneā¦ slowing down the shutter speed to catch the motion of the ribbon in the wind is a tricky technique. I wouldn’t often take the time to do this on a wedding day, because it really takes several attempts to be just right, where faces are sharp and the only thing that is moving is exactly what you want to be moving.
Stella Rose Florals … what she created really brought my vision to life!
Another thing you can do on styled shoots that you can’t do at a real wedding is tell the bride to stand in the wind and let it totally mess her hair up. But because, well, I was paying her, and also I had the AMAZING Perfect Day Beauty on site, she fixed it right up and we were ready to keep shooting.
Maggie + Cody are actually married, but they are brilliant at giving very editorial looks. But I made them break on occasion. Pretty sure I told Cody to lick her face before these were shot.
Velvet grey curtain + window light + this Peter Langner gown from Adorn Nashville = magic. Union Station Hotel has great places to photograph indoors and out, which means you can still get amazing photos, even if it rains (and it did).
Want the perfect fire-free wedding exit? Contact my friend Josh Ray at High Tone Entertainment for these beautiful cold spark fountains.
There is fun. Always fun.
Previous Union Station Hotel Weddings – Anne + Brandon
Vendor Love:
Venue: https://www.unionstationhotelnashville.com/
Florals: http://stellarosefloral.com/
HMUA: https://www.perfectdaybeauty.com/
Dress: Designer – https://www.peterlangner.com/ Dress Boutique: https://www.adornnashville.com/
Cold Sparks: https://www.hightoneentertainment.com/
Models: https://www.instagram.com/codyheckber/ + https://www.instagram.com/maggie.heckber/
photography copyright Courtney Davidson - 2022
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