Red Rock Inspiration Shoot in the Desert + DIY Watercolor Guest Book

Erin Lepperd
July 14, 2014
Categories: Photo Shoot, The Blog, Wedding Style

Inspired by the red rocks of Las Vegas, Scheme Events, Enchanted Florist and Laura Ivanova Photography set out to craft a shoot that brings glamour to the high desert. With colors reminiscent of a gorgeous sunset (think pretty pastels and deep, shimmering copper) plus a peppering of modern decor and the prettiest watercolor DIY, this imagery is sure to inspire from the desert to the coast.

From Scheme Events…Las Vegas is known for many things and weddings are usually at the top of the list. When thinking about weddings in Las Vegas a few cliches come to mind: drive thru’s, Elvis, poker chips, casino tables. But did you know Las Vegas also has beautiful venues in gorgeous settings and killer desert sunsets? For this photo shoot we wanted to highlight some of the best of Vegas and feature a variety of wedding trends. We took inspiration from the famous Red Rocks of Las Vegas and selected the Red Rock Country Club for their amazing views and desert setting. Sequins and watercolor may not be the first thing you’d think to pair together, but the pastel of the water color and the dark copper of the sequin linens and table runners created a glamorous effect in the desert. Glittered table numbers and a watercolor menu on each table accented a floral mix of ranunculus, dusty miller, air plants, rice flower, tulips and more! To sweeten things up, a favor of cotton candy wrapped with a copper glittered ribbon was placed on each setting. A desert table featured a watercolor cake, glass bottled drinks, pastel cotton candy, rock candy sticks and oversized macarons. Sweet on the eyes and the taste buds!

18 x 24 stretched canvas

Watercolor paints

Brushes – we used flat brushes between 1⁄4” and 3⁄4” wide

Glass of water

Permanent marker

Easel

Watercolors are a very forgiving medium, if you feel like the color looks too saturated just take your brush to mix in a little water and it will lighten up instantly. There are no such things as mistakes with this art form so don’t be afraid to pick up that brush, after all, it’s a special piece of your wedding and unique to the two of you!

Create a wash using a mixture of pigments from the palette. This will be the header for your canvas – make sure it’s big enough to fit what you’d like to write on it, this can be your names or initials and your wedding date.

Let the canvas dry for 24 hours before writing on it. Permanent markers come in so many different colors you can choose a few to match your color scheme, just make sure it’s dark enough to read against the watercolors.

At your reception, prop your canvas up on an easel next to a table with the brushes, watercolor paints, permanent markers and a glass of water.

Ask your guests to pick up a brush, add a stroke of color and sign next to it with a permanent marker. At the end of the night your friends and family will have created a masterpiece, the perfect wedding keepsake to hang on your wall!