Inspirations shoots always make me feel like a kid in a candy store. It’s the magic that happens when creative collaborators like Archetype Studio Inc., Bourbon & Bloom Vintage Rentals, and Keely Thorne Events join forces to make my wildest wedding dreams come to life. But what I love most about this industrial chic shoot, other the obvious pretty, is that it’s totally do-able. It’s the kind of inspiration that’s sure to find a happy home in Pinterest boards and real weddings alike. And in case you’re left wanting a little more, there’s a full gallery right here.
From Ashley Tinsley of Bourbon & Bloom Vintage Rentals…The photo shoot inspiration initially came from the Restoration Hardware catalog. Their overall design includes a beautiful clash of industrial elements with softer, romantic features that I fell in love with. For example, RH has a crystal chandelier incased in a wrought iron birdcage. It is such a unique piece that combines rustic iron with polished crystal that results in a very chic look. So I decided that this “Industrial + Romantic” style would make a gorgeous theme for a wedding and sought out the best vendors to collaborate for an inspiration photo shoot.
The Olde Dobbin Station offered the perfect backdrop: a building with a rich history that it’s owners, Carrie & Robert McCoy, revitalized by restoring the original look and feel of the former “pump” station and added modern amenities. The exposed beams, high archways, brick columns and location along a country road are just a few of the many charming characteristics the venue has to offer. I first spoke to Terilyn & Koby Brown of Archetype about my idea and the enthusiasm from these two seasoned & talented photographers confirmed my excitement and from there, I began to design the shoot. The second-most rewarding aspect of this experience, the first being the chance to teaming up with brilliant vendors, is the fact that I built most of the furniture for this shoot with my (then) fiancé. He and I feel very proud that we created the farm table and seating in the lounge area ourselves. We gave new life to old metal storage barrels by cutting them in half, painted them and made “tops” to the halved barrels with wood to become fitting seats for the theme. As I continued to gather industrial props/accessories, Terilyn & Koby were tremendously helpful by securing our beautiful models Jalyn & Trent , reaching out to Mia Bridal Couture for the bridal gowns & jewelry, Tamara Menges of Tamara Menges Designs for florals & Briggitte Dix of Bloom Makeup Artistry for makeup. I can’t say enough how grateful I am to the Browns for not only capturing these images, but for also taking the time to help me build this “dream team” of vendors!
Emily Sutton of Mia Bridal Couture lent us two drop-dead gorgeous Christos gown right off the runway & dazzling adornments! Tamara Menges impressively put together exquisite floral arrangements after only a brief meeting with me to discuss my vision. She came up with an array of flowers that were better than I could have ever imagined! She was such a pleasure to work with and very flexible considering I didn’t even bring her the vases/vessels until the day of the shoot! As far as makeup goes, no wonder why they call it “Makeup artistry” because Briggitte is truly an artist! She was able to seamlessly enhance Jalyn’s natural beauty with a romantic, soft look. And the “dream team” continued to grow when Briggitte brought Billy Jones of OnSight Hair Design into the mix. I loved the elegant side swept do he concocted and it went so well with the style of the Christos gown.
Next, I met with Keely Thorne of Keely Thorne Events and when we discussed the shoot, she immediately wanted to be involved. I was thrilled that an accomplished event planner like herself was going to lend us her creative expertise, along with the help of one of her event planners, Kristin McShane. For instance, they made a frame out of pipe and fitted it with a chicken wire screen for the escort card display. They also constructed the candlestick holders out of galvanized steel pipe connected to a galvanized steel flange to make the base and painted them in silver, gold and copper to suit our color scheme of metallics + grey + peach + aqua. Furthermore, Keely & Kristin brought Amy Boyter & Melissa Broderick from Atheneum Creative on board. Their brainstorm sessions resulted in lovely dinner menus printed on cotton napkins, a stunning invitation made out of engraved steel (if that doesn’t say “Industrial” I don’t know what does!), the escort cards with a slit at the top of them so they could easily slip onto the chicken wire & the dessert signage that stood up with the help of spring coils. Absolutely innovative!
And speaking of dessert, the team at Petite Sweets, my personal favorite bakery in Houston whose menu features artisan macaroons, cake balls, mini cupcakes, cookies, whoopie pies, frozen custard, gelato, and dipped cones made with Belgian chocolate, graciously whipped up a delicious assortment of macaroons and cake balls. Lastly, Cindy Pleason of Al’s Formal Wear & the gentleman at the Post Oak location in Houston were extremely helpful in lending us a handsome black suit, dress shirt, tie and dress shoes for our groom. I really appreciate everyone’s efforts on this shoot and I am very proud of what we accomplished! “
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Photography: Archetype Studio Inc. | Venue: Olde Dobbin Station | Photo Shoot Design + Rentals: Bourbon & Bloom Vintage Rentals | Floral Design: Tamara Menges Designs | Lighting + Seating Chart: Keely Thorne Events | Stationery: Atheneum Creative | Makeup: Bloom Makeup Artistry | Hair: Onsight Hair Design | Wedding Dresses: Christos via Mia Bridal Couture | Accessories: Mia Bridal Couture | Desserts: Petite Sweets | Groom’s Suit + Shoes: Al’s Formal Wear