Bohemian Bridal Shoot by T.O.A.D. | A Vendor Collaboration Part ONE
When we aren't editing photos, you might find us taking a break on our couches, usually around midnight, watching some recorded Reality TV. We are both huge fans of Project Runway and have watched every single episode. So when we heard that one of our brides was going to wear a design from Project Runway alumni, Kate Pankoke, we thought it was a huge deal. The Winnie was a show stopping gown and you can check it out on our past blog, Sam & Kyle's Red-Hot Firehouse Chicago Wedding.
Katelyn is a Chicago Designer for Elaya Vaughn Bridal and was a contestant on Project Runway seasons 11 & 12 & All Stars Season 4. She creates designs that are out of the box, yet are romantic & playful. We are very inspired by her personality & style.
We reached out to Kate if she would be interested to loaning us a gown for a styled bridal shoot we were planning. We are dreamers and thought why not ask for what you want! Graciously she agreed to lend us the Mel gown and Fleur beaded lace kimono.
The Mel gown and Fleur as described on Kate's Elaya Vaughn website:
“Mel is a pleated A-line gown made from Silk shantung and beaded Chantilly lace. The illusion neckline makes this dress delicate and romantic. The back of the bodice is fastened with covered buttons. The Mel gown also has pockets and can be made with or without a bodice lining.”
“Fleur is an elegant Beaded Chantilly Lace robe with Kimono sleeves and a sweeping train. It is the perfect touch to enhance a boho look or a dramatic sleeve alternative.”
Are you obsessed yet? We are! The gown and Kimono couldn't have been more perfect. So dramatic and romantic!
For years we've been wanting to collaborate with Foxy by Alex Garcia. He recommended Brittany Miller as our Hair Stylist. Mackenzie has modeled for us before and Ami was a Make-up Artist that we just did a Fashion Shoot with. This time we enlisted her as our model. We knew that having two models with contrasting looks would bring out different elements that we wanted to showcase.
We had just shot at the Fairgrounds the week prior and found this amazing field of wild flowers and knew the sun would be filtering through the tall trees in the evening. We were holding our breaths, hoping it would still be there for this shoot.
Mackenzie & Ami did an amazing job posing for us and looked so ethereal.
Alex applied a smoky eye on Ami that we all died over. We are all running out to buy MAC's Constructivist color ASAP. He also did a cool ombre lip for Ami. For Mackenzie, he did a vibrant tribal-esque eye and bronzed lip. We called it the "Tribal Butterfly". We heart it!
Brittany kept the vibe going with elegant but casual braids and flowing waves. We wanted a very free spirited effortless look for the hair and Brittany really came through. FYI, neither of our models are wearing hair extensions, those manes are all natural. Crazy, right!?
A boho bridal shoot wouldn't be complete without a lace teepee tent! We gathered a few props we already had from previous shoots, but for the most part we wanted to focus on the gown/kimono, hair & makeup and the flowers.
And what boho bride would be complete without her flower crown? The beautiful floral arrangements, bouquet and flower crowns by Charlyn's Florals were the perfect magical element to tie everything together. When we described the concept to Charlyn, she new exactly what to do with the florals. She created a magnificent bouquet out of hanging Amaranthus, Queen Anne's Lace, Scabiosa, Peonies, Roses, Hypericum Berries and a few others.
We all count ourselves lucky to be working as artists in the fields, no pun intended, that we love. To keep ourselves inspired and to inspire others, we create these shoots/worlds that allow our creativity to flow. We all enjoyed working on this bridal shoot with our amazing vendors.
For our behind the scenes shots and to find out more about the vendors we collaborated with, we'll be posting our Part TWO next tuesday!
Vendor Recap
Makeup by FOXY by Alex Garcia
Hair by Brittany Miller
Florals by Charlyn's
Models Ami Bangalan & Mackenzie M.
Elaya Vaughn Gowns by Katelyn Pankoke
Photography - Carmen & Jamie from Tales of a Dream