Bit of Ivory Photography | Chelsea LaVere | Williamsburg Virginia Wedding Photographer: orchestrated

Showing posts with label orchestrated. Show all posts

Ku'u Lei - The Bridal | Orchestrated Stylized Shoots

Since I'm headed to photograph a destination wedding press event in Cabo next week, I thought the blog should get some bright, colorful, and oh so tropical pretties! :)

We tied a bit of the history of Hawaii with beautiful vintage details at the wedding shoot, so Sara and I wanted this beach bridal session to be bold and vibrant with a nod to Hawaii without being "too Hawaii."

So a fun little story is that we got a text from Shilhi of Passion Roots the day before the bridal shoot: "I decided I want to freehand the crown!" With my obsession of watching florists create, I kinda squealed. This amazing girl had woven florals and shells into our gorgeous inside-and-out model Sarah's hair. Seriously.

And it was just sheer perfection that our model Sarah danced hula professionally and was already used to heavy hairpieces. I'm pretty sure #canteven was spoken multiple times the entire morning, especially when we arrived to the beach and I saw that a little island would be photobombing all my captures. :)

Want to see the full feature? Head over to Burnett's Boards!

And I had to throw in this little amusing nugget of a behind the scenes... :)

Ku'u Lei - The Wedding | Orchestrated Stylized Shoots

It all started with a tweet about cats, and then one thing led to another, and soon, Sara and I were emailing back and forth over a year's span planning what we would end up calling Ku'u Lei (my beloved)-- a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. When they say there is an Aloha Spirit in Hawaii, they're not telling tall tales. It really does exist. The Hawaiian wedding industry seriously has to be one of the most friendly communities I've ever had the privilege of working with. To plan an event 5 hours BEHIND you with constant contact with the state government over permits and insurance policies... well, that was an adventure in of itself. But when you're playing ukelele music for your "on hold" telephone music, even that can't be that bad. :)

We dreamed of Downton Abbey meeting the beautiful tropics... and we experienced it with this part one of our three-day event. Sara built an inspiration board around it, Pinterest inspired us, and the creative team drew a dream into reality.

It's hard to put into words how this event and experience changed my life way beyond the professional, but into the personal realm. It may have started out with a tweet, but it now continues with future adventures, cat mom socks twins, Hemingway to my Radcliffe, collaborative partnerships, and one special friendship.

And like all poignant moments of my always-a-literary-reference life, I feel only Jane Austen has the words for this:

"There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature." ― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

To see the full feature on Burnett's Boards (without behind the scenes snippets), head on over there! Stay tuned over the next two weeks to see the other two shoots from Ku'u Lei! :)

Thirst Relief International Mentor Auction 2014

Thirst Relief Mentor Auction 2014: February 6th 11PM EST – February 9th 11PM EST

It's back! It was exciting to be asked to participate again in Thirst Relief International's cause this year alongside so many great individuals. Somehow I'm like, "Really? Me?!" And after a small confidence pep talk with myself and reminder of the great gal I got to know who was gifted the mentoring session and event ticket last March, I breathed in, rolled with it, and clicked on the "Send" button.

Through Thirst Relief International's Mentor Auction, you will be able to bid on eBay for a 90-minute instructional session with some of the best photographers and industry leaders! That means you have the chance to spend 90 minutes with me which can happen at WPPI this March, in Virginia, or via phone/Skype AND one photographer ticket to our 2014 Orchestrated Stylized Shoots "Hitched" event at WPPI. That by itself would be fab, right?! :)

(Note: If you happen to win this auction AND had already purchased your ticket for Hitched, you will be refunded your ticket cost. Everyone wins!)

100% of the proceeds directly benefit Thirst Relief, meaning all that money goes towards saving the lives of those in need! There are so many great photographers and donations in this auction, so whether it's me or not, join in, get some edumacation, and help a worthy cause!

Don't forget to look at that date... it starts THIS THURSDAY at 11PM EST!

HEAD OVER TO THE MENTOR PAGE >>

Seaglass and Mist | Orchestrated Stylized Shoots

It's been an adventure this whole year with Orchestrated, and it's been a big blessing to be able to meet all of these incredible people along the way. For the first part of the shoot, we created the swift elopement storyline for a bride and her sea captain groom as he prepares to head off to a long work project in the Atlantic. Not knowing what may come the next day, they embrace the ocean as their wedding inspiration and have an intimate ceremony with a reception for close friends and family. And for the grand finale in the second part, as our perfect break-through-the-clouds weather would just make it oh so perfect, a happy celebration on his return, with man's best friend, and a captain being led home by his the light of his life. :)

Seaglass & Mist pays homage to the nautical history embedded in New England's past. The beauty and power of the sea has crafted the local communities as many were (and still are) seamen, fishermen, and other ocean-related laborers. Families were deeply affected by these often hazardous jobs, yet the pride of this sea-bearing region reigns in their hearts and histories.

These New England wedding vendors were artists in every sense-- from the beautifully crafted and seaglass-inspired pastries by the ladies at Zest to the handpainted wedding stationery by Haven of Bottle and Cork... just major swoon everywhere. And with many thanks to Jen of J. Splendid, Katy and I were so fortunate to be able to work with them this past September!

We were also very grateful that Fab You Bliss published this in two installments and saw the two story lines within the images! Mission accomplished! See Part 1 and Part 2 on that beautiful wedding blog! :)