How Styled Shoots Can Help you Assemble your Powerhouse Team
A Powerhouse (pun intended!) team of vendors will bring your wedding to life, and when you are assembling your own unique team, you should be paying attention the styled shoots they do. If you aren't a creative professional, you may have never heard of a styled shoot, but it's likely where all of those swoon-y images you've been stalking on Pinterest have come from.
With all of the visual noise on the internet today, it can be very overwhelming to put together a Pinterest board (or even just a descriptive sentence) of what you want your own wedding to look like. I often remind clients at consultations that, while their Pinterest board is a great place to start (and it really can have a lot of great information) there are likely 10+ weddings on there, and you get to plan one. Tuning out of all of the noise and dialing in on the actual vendor options that are available in your market (and on your budget and date!) is the real work.
*Enter the styled shoot.*
At first glance, you may think "Great, here's another gorgeous wedding idea that I can't afford/find suppliers for/possibly pull together on my own..." but guess what: It's basically an audition reel you didn't even have to call for! Here are four things you can get from following local vendors who are being published.
1) What products and services are actually and truly available to you in your immediate market! Here at Queen City Vignette, we jump on the opportunity to participate, because it gives us a chance to show off our shiniest new inventory in-situ, so you don't have to guess what it's going to look like to, let's say, cover a staircase in candlesticks and terrariums. (We think it's gorgeous!)
2) What are some of your potential vendors' freshest ideas. As creative professionals, we are always looking for opportunities to show off our new ideas. Weddings are planned over a long period of time (sometimes two years or more!) so even when you go to your trendiest bestie's reception, you aren't seeing the newest ideas/trends/vendors in action. It's still probably fly as hell, though, because she's a classy dame.
3) An insight into what vendors already have established professional relationships! As a vendor, getting hired for a wedding is kind of like getting picked for a dodgeball team, except, this time it's not so bad to be picked last! This industry is full of incredibly talented people, but some teams are stronger than others because that dream team silent communication thing down.
4) What newbies have the chops to get the job done. New wedding pros come on the scene every day! Hiring them can feel like taking a risk, but asking them for photos from styled shoots a way to see both their investment level in their new business and their ability to create well with others. It also gives you a list of people who can act as reliable references for that person who seems too good to be true and has an on-point Instagram feed.
So give it a try! Ask your vendors what shoots they have recently worked on, what they are planning, or what images they can share. We want you to be as cool as these babes about your wedding planning.
Oh, and yeah, check out the rest of this rad styled shoot that was featured on Wedding Chicks!
The Powerhouse team that made it all possible:
Social Design and Events : Larrison Photography : Katie's Blooms : Honey Designs : Spruce Nail Shop : Hyde Park Bridal : Camino Motor Co : Powerhouse Factories : Heirloom Style & Beuaty
