December 10, 2020

Wildly in Love: An Editorial Shoot for The Southern Social Magazine

Greetings!

It is another beautiful day (or night) depending on when you read this blog post. I am so excited because Issue 5 of The Southern Social magazine has dropped and now I can officially share with you the photos from the editorial shoot that we were asked to create exclusively for the magazine.

In order to plan for a style shoot, I follow just about the same process that I use for my couples to plan for their wedding.

  1. Secure a Location
  2. Create the story and mood board
  3. Locate Vendors
  4. Cast the vision to vendors
  5. Create a timeline details sheet
  6. Execute the shoot

I am going to walk you through this process and show you how this shoot when from conception to completion. So stay tuned, it will be lots of fun!

Secure a Location

Typically I scout out a location, but in this case Melissa with The Southern Social approached me with the idea to do a different style of shoot at the Dallas World Aquarium (DWA). It is a gorgeous space with so many areas and opportunities to create beautiful photos.  Kyle with the DWA wanted to show off their newest space, Cloud Forest Trek and also show case the Endangered Species Gallery and Palm Court.  As you will soon see, these are all equally beautiful spaces and my mind was racing to create a story to design this editorial shoot.

Create the Story and Mood Board

When I am working with an actual couple, the story is easy because it is almost always their love story combined with some very special dates and a few fun and unique details of their relationship. In addition most of the time they have a vision and or color palette in mind so I am able to use that as a base and build their wedding story and design around it.

In order to make sure that everything is cohesive for any shoot, I create a story based that all the vendors can identify with and this ensures that the finished look is complete and polished. For this shoot the story was very simple. We were planning for a couple that lives in the city and they love a modern and unique space. In addition they champion the rain forest and conservation and love animals so the Dallas World Aquarium was a perfect choice for their wedding. Their non-negotiables for their wedding are:

  1. Beautiful florals
  2. Excellent food with unique plating
  3. Drinks must taste as good as they look
  4. A private dinner before going in to the reception with their guests.

Once the story has been established then it is time to create the mood board and color palette. This was the mood board that we used to create the shoot.

Locate and Secure Vendors

When doing a styled shoot is important to choose your vendors wisely. They need to be about to see the vision and create it based on the story and the mood board. I will introduce you to our vendor partners at the end of the post so you can check out their websites and see how truly talented they are.

Cast the Vision to your Vendors

As the planner it is very important for you to communicate with each of the vendors individually and collectively to convey all the details and information. It is a collaborative effort and requires all hands on deck to ensure the success of the shoot.

Create Timeline and Details Sheet

My styled shoot timelines are identical to my wedding day timeline with just as many details. This can make or break your shoot. Most styled shoots take 6-8 hrs to shoot and we were shooting at 3 different locations within the aquarium during and after business hours.

Execute the Shoot

This is where all the hard work pays off! Everyone comes together bring the vision to life that has been discussed for months. Now to share with you photos from the shoot

The Invitation Suite

I believe that the first touch of any wedding or celebration comes with the invitation suite. It should make your guests excited and also set the tone for the entire event.

Invitation Suite

 

Ceremony Details:

We created a modern look inside the DWA. It was important to us to showcase the spaces but also create a beautiful space that couples would like to re-create in this space. I chose the location for the ceremony, this was directly in front of the large fish tank. It only made sense that since the wedding was taking place in an aquarium that the backdrop should be a fish tank. We framed it with gorgeous flowers and it was simply stunning.

Wedding Ceremony at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding Ceremony at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding Ceremony at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding Ceremony at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding Ceremony at Dallas World Aquarium

Cocktail hour

Since our couple champions the rainforest cause, it only made sense to have their cocktail hour in Cloud Forest Trek, this is the newest space in the DWA and features a full video wall with a live feed to 8 of the world’s rainforests.

Cloud Forest Trek Cocktail Hour at Dallas World Aquarium

Cloud Forest Trek Cocktail Hour at Dallas World Aquarium

Cloud Forest Trek Cocktail Hour at Dallas World Aquarium

*Custom made cake pops with the photos of endangered species that are in the aquarium

Cloud Forest Trek Cocktail Hour at Dallas World Aquarium

Cloud Forest Trek Cocktail Hour at Dallas World Aquarium

Cloud Forest Trek Cocktail Hour at Dallas World Aquarium

 

Private Couple Dinner

According to our style shoot narrative, our couple wanted to have a private dinner during their cocktail hour in Palm Court, so we created one of the most romantic table settings for them to enjoy their first dinner as a couple privately.

Sweetheart table at Dallas World Aquarium

Sweetheart table at Dallas World Aquarium

Sweetheart table at Dallas World Aquarium

Sweetheart table at Dallas World Aquarium

Sweetheart table at Dallas World Aquarium

Reception

The design for the reception area was to create tables that were different from your typical rounds or long tables. We used a shadow box table as well as a statement centerpiece to create an experience their guests would not soon forget.  Not to mention their breathtaking architectural wedding cake!

Wedding reception at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding reception at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding reception at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding reception at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding reception at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding reception at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding reception at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding reception at Dallas World Aquarium

Wedding reception at Dallas World Aquarium

Vendor Partners:

Thank you to each and everyone of the vendors that participated in the shoot

Planner – Stohr-ee Events

Venue- Dallas World Aquarium

Photography- Teshorn Jackson Photography

Floral- Rao Factor

Rentals- Top Tier Event Rentals

Cake and Cake Pops- The London Baker

Dessert Charcuterie- Uncle Willie’s Pies

Invitations and Printed Items- JPC Graphics

Favors- The Chic Shoppe

Mixology/Bar- Kitchen Kandy

Champagne Cart and Balloons- Boulevard Events

Publication- The Southern Social

 

I hope you enjoyed these photos as much as I enjoyed working with this vendor team to create them!

-Rey

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