Today’s From Inspiration to Reality is a lesson in the whimsical, the magical, the imaginative. Drawing inspiration from this inspiration board , the Michigan based design team headed up by Tifany of Gourmet Invitations, Misty of Bells and Bliss , Don of Take1 Productions and Hollye Mackler Designs, the goal was to create an enchanted forest filled to the brim with steal worthy ideas and little tidbits of gorgeousness that you can apply to your own wedding. From the firefly lanterns to the moss covered chargers this shoot is anything but ordinary. And the best way to tell the story, in our humble opinion, is by watching it unfold on film…
Don Pham of Take1 Productions: “We were asked if we would be interested in being involved in a SMP “inspiration to reality shoot”. Of course we jumped on board! We are always looking to do something different, fun and creative. We brainstormed on what we could shoot once the theme was set…..”An Enchanted Forest”. We envisioned something different and out of the box, not just your typical eye candy music video. A storyline without any spoken words is what we wanted to create. When I entered the set, it immediately felt like a dream to me. The storyline evolved as we started to film. “An Enchanted Forest” conveyed feelings of fantasy, eeriness, non-reality. Our minds raced as we thought of these adjectives. The final story that was conveyed was “Poison Apples”.
{Click here to see the whole enchanted affair in our galleries}
Tifany of Gourmet Invitations: “I immediately knew that I wanted to do something natural and a laser engraved wood invitation was perfect. I used a large piece of wood with bark on the sides and designed the invitation with the look of a fairytale book. The large engraved letter is so reminiscent of old fairy tales and this piece set the mood for the rest of the elements for our shoot.”
A pre-planning design meeting was held at the amazing venue, Flat 151. Located in the heart of the business district, the space boasts over 8,000 square feet with 12 ft ceilings and sweeping views of the Detroit cityscape. Event planner Misty Trompeter suggested the location and the team heartily agreed as it was the perfect “blank canvas” to transform the inspiration into an indoor magical forest.
Next, Bells & Bliss took the team to Special Event Rental, Michigan’s leading Event Rental and Design Company. Here, all of the elements of the design became a reality. A green organza linen with a thick stripe, was inspired by the photo of the butterfly on a striped background. The photo of the fairy had beautiful lilac flowers on her wings and thus the colors of lilac and hot pinks were incorporated into the table décor. The brown Chivari chairs were covered with moss, as well as the chargers, which were large pieces of wood. A bride could achieve this look by using a custom chair pad in a shaggy fabric in the same moss green. Using actual moss as filler and accents on the table helps a bride create the “outdoor” feel. Near the tablescape a “soft seating area”was created by using a modern wooden bench with complimentary decorative wooden tree stumps. Special and unique elements adorned the table such as tiny gold salt and pepper shakers, gold rimmed stemware and tiny buds of pink dendrobium orchids gently scattered around the table.
Hollye from Hollye Mackler Designs: “I wanted to bring the earth up through the table, creating a natural inspired piece. The curly willow branches were designed to look as though they were growing from the ground and sprouting through the center of the table. Dendrobium orchid blooms along with seeded eucalyptus and natural moss completed the piece and created a cohesive design element for a beautiful Enchanted Forest.”
For the additional paper products, Gourmet Invitations wanted the elements to be very unique and to follow the fairy tale idea. Tifany designed table numbers to hang from the tree centerpiece on each table. The numbers were backed with a wood grain cardstock. The menus were designed as a leaf and placed on each moss covered seat. The placecards are one-of-a-kind laser engraved stones; each customized with the guest’s name. Various paper signs were designed for the “Everlasting Love Potion” (raspberry lemonade), the Poison Apples (caramel apples from Christine’s Cakes), the signature drink (“Drink Me”, Kiwi/Green Tea shooters) and leaf shaped sign for the leaves tossed as a send off . Gourmet Invitations also worked with a longtime friend and artist, Stephenie Fish, to design a guest book. The guest book was a large tree and the guests were instructed to use colored stamp pads and markers to make thumb print animals of their family.
Another piece that Tifany of Gourmet Invitations created was the custom firefly lantern that also doubled as the ring bearer’s lantern. “Using the photo of the fireflies in the mason jar for inspiration, I contacted Fire Flies in a Jar. I purchased their Fireflies in a Jar and removed the lid. I purchased a vintage looking lantern and put the firefly lid in the bottom and then strung the fireflies with fishing line up into the top of the lantern. I covered the bottom of the lantern with green organza with sewn in crystals.”
Dionne of The Shooting Gallery: “Normally at weddings, I am always behind the camera. But for this project, I was in charge of my other love: fashion. First I found the wedding dress from the amazing designer, Sarah Seven. Sarah was thrilled to loan us the dress and it was perfect for the ethereal look I had envisioned for this shoot. The shoes are from Badgley Mishka. The jewelry was from my own collection. Our groom’s tuxedo was donated from Wesner’s Tuxedo. I decided on a silver tuxedo. The tie was a perfect find with the same green stripes that were in our inspiration board.”
Shannon and Carie of Emplume: “While creating the Enchanted Forest Collection we were inspired by images of a mossy, dense forest, the soft glow of fireflies, colorful butterflies and magical fairy wings. The colors of the collection were directly taken from the weepy, murky colors of the inspiration board. The fairy bride’s bouquet is made up of forest green feathers, preserved mushroom ‘petals,’ alight with butterflies, fuschia swarovski jewels, and is finished in back with a moss covered trellis wrapping over a velvety handle. Her bridesmaid is carrying a fairy dust covered twig ball, surrounded by flitting butterflies, complete with a ethereal, glowing, fuchsia light inside. Enchanting!”
Christine from Christine’s Cakes: “When I was ask to do a inspiration cake for the Style Me Pretty photo shoot, I wanted to design a classic four tier wedding cake, but with hidden punches of wow factor. I designed and hand painted butterflies that were placed around the cake. The overlaid fondant flowers were a way to give some dimension and were colored in the same lavender pinks and green touches as the color scheme. Tifany from Gourmet Invitations wanted touches of fairy tale pieces in the shoot as well, and we were asked to design ‘Poison Apples’. Our chocolate dipped caramel apples were all hand drizzled with various toppings and tied with twine. We also created two tiny cakes, that were piped with ‘Eat Me’ and were made of our award winning chocolate poured cake.”
Video: Take1 Productions / Cakes: Christine’s Cakes and Pastries / Bouquet: Emplume / Photography: The Shooting Gallery / Flowers: Hollye Mackler Designs / Invitations: Gourmet Invitations Event Planner: Misty Trompeter, Bells and Bliss / Furniture, Linen and China: Special Events Rental / Venue: Flat 151 Detroit, Michigan / Hair: Roman Barrett from Alex Emilio Salon / Makeup: Elizabeth Arsov, Elizabeth’s Head to Toe / Bridal Gown: Sarah Seven / Tuxedo: Wesner’s Tuxedo / Cakes and Caramel Apples: Christine’s Cakes and Pastries / Violinist: Karen Krause Rochester Hills, Michigan