"Breath of Fresh Air" Spring-Inspired Styled Wedding Shoot at The VenueCU
The idea for this styled shoot was birthed from a tasting event planned by The Venue CU and Pan & Cake Catering. They then brought in florist extraordinaire Flowers by Kristine. The team knew we wanted lots of bright & light spring colors, while also tying in a nice dusty blue. The blue was a tie in with the ornate velvet couch that Kristine draped in flowers, and let me tell you, it was definitely a showstopper!
Miranda from The Venue asked me what vendors I’d like to work with and without hesitation, I said Alpha Lit Central Illinois! I don’t think anyone on our vendor team had worked with them before, and we were so excited to add this piece into this shoot. We wanted to do something different than the traditional “I Do” or “Mr & Mrs”, so we came up with “YOURS” with the ring as the O. And it was the PERFECT fit for this shoot… I love how it all looked together!
We also brought in Alyssa from AP Calligraphy Co for the invitation suite, menus, and seating chart. Tori Beach Videography came in to do a video of the day. Amanda from Something You Salon did hair and makeup for the models. The bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses were from Elite Bridal. Linens for the tasting tables were provided by Lottie Brogan Linens. Champaign Jewelers supplied all the bride’s jewelry (rings, earrings, bracelet, necklace) and also the groom’s ring. And last but not least, our groom and groomsmen models were outfitted by Jos. Kuhn & Co.
Our main colors were really spring-y, citrus-y pastels — cantaloupe oranges, bright yellows, salmon, and dusty blue with floral greens of course. We kept saying this styled shoot was a classy way to do orange and blue, which is a popular wedding motif in this area of Fighting Illini country.
We loved the idea of a colored gemstone for the bride’s ring, and Champaign Jewelers had the perfect necklance to complement it. The climbing earrings offered a delicate spring touch with a bit of bling.
For the print suite flat lay photos, I grabbed some flowers from Kristine, and went to work with my wedding day kit. I added some chiffon ribbon, some antique scissors, and my velvet ring box. Alyssa also provided the wax seals which were the perfect shade of blue!
Kristine made the bride’s bouquet mostly shades of yellow with a touch of white. It was so delicate and yet still a stop-you-in-your-tracks piece. And can we talk about that couch again? The drape of the florals around it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and it looked so great with the bride’s full skirt sitting alongside it.
For the cakes, Pan & Cake made 3 simply frosted white tier cakes, and Kristine’s team added ombre florals to them. I think this is such an elegant way to have a statement cake without breaking the bank.
Once all the styled shoot details were mostly photographed, we headed outside for some portraits of the wedding party and the couple. One of the best parts of getting married at The Venue CU is being right in downtown Champaign and having all of the charm of that area to use as a backdrop.
Toward the end of the shoot, they were getting ready to open the doors for the tasting event, so we wrapped it up with a few cocktail photos! We chose again very light and spring-y “his and hers” drinks — Aperol Spritz (love that orange color!) and the Spring Buzz whiskey drink, complete with a honey dipper. Casey is your go-to bartender for events at the Venue!
HUGE thank you to all the vendors involved in this shoot. I love working with my fellow vendors as a team, especially when we get to choose and implement all the details ourselves. It really allows us to showcase our best work and abilities, and to show potential clients what we are capable of. Also, a big thank you to our volunteer models — Emily, Andrew, Ashley, Kevin, Mattie, and Andrew! We loved working with you all and you helped make this styled shoot a huge success!
