You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.

e.e. cummings

Twinkle lights, a crescent moon, hints of gold sparkle scattered throughout, dreamy, whimsical and loose watercolor inspired by the night sky - all of this is what I had in mind when I created the stationery that would inspire the entire celestial styled shoot. I wanted to create an atmosphere of romance, of infinite love that reaches the moon and all of the stars. I also wanted to show couples what is possible when using bold colors, unique shapes and unconventional materials.

For this shoot, we experimented with layered textures of vellum, handmade gold paper, hand painted watercolor and stationery elements cut out to resemble the moon. I even made an altar backdrop by hand with papier-mache of a crescent moon and hanging stars. My favorite piece however, was the table menu. An 8” round circle cut to sit perfectly on top of the place setting and intended to add to tablescape rather than detract. All too often I see menus that are simply an afterthought at a place setting, when really they should flow seamlessly with the rest of the design. We carried over the watercolor waning moon and starry sky motif from the main invitation suite to the background design of the menu and then sprinkled gold stars throughout the entire table - a setting fit for infinite love.

Jess of Jessica Fredericks photography is my right hand woman when it comes to styled shoots. Not only is she an expert at capturing all of the details, but she knows how to bring that atmosphere you’ve created to life through her photography. Jess and I planned this shoot together, but it was her organizational skills that really brought the whole to fruition.

One thing we both feel is so important in these styled shoots, is allowing each individual vendor to be creative with the theme. I make a mood board and share my ideas for stationery, but I never dictate what another vendor should do - I feel that styled shoots are their time to shine, and get creative with new techniques they’ve been dying to try.

I particularly loved the floral design that Monarch Florals provided - she created an ombre effect with baby’s breath by spray painting it and arranging into floor pieces that we were also able to use on the tables. They almost looked like a watercolor piece themself and they perfectly suited our celestial motif.