Farm-To-Table Wedding Inspiration

We were on a race against time, well against the sun really, the day of our Farm to Table Styled Shoot. It was the dog days of summer in late August and by 10:00AM it was set to be 98 degrees, hence our 7:00AM arrival time for vendors. Early call time means coffee and donuts though, so everyone's a winner then!

This shoot was inspired by the rustic and organic feel of our local Farmer's Markets, and everything they have to offer. Springdale Farm, fresh off a win from the Austin City Council to allow weddings and events on their property, was the backdrop for this true one-of-a-kind shoot. It's rolling fields of crops, dazzling wildflowers, and coops of chickens added the perfect authenticity we needed to showcase the bounty of beauty the farm really offers. Rachael Hall Photography perfectly captured the ethereal, natural and cozy feeling we wanted for this shoot.

Our bride, a local Austinite, wore a gorgeous taupe and white vintage lace dress, provided by Melange Bridal, which was perfectly accented by a brown satin ribbon belt, and raw natural gemstones and jewelry. All of the jewelry was handmade by local Austin artist, Chesley Mae Designs. The stunning purple druzy crystal engagement ring really allowed the bride's personality to shine through and be anything-but-ordinary.

Her hair was down in loose tousled waves, and was topped off with a handwoven headpiece of fresh herbs and flowers. Her smokey eyeshadow, applied by Livia of All Dolled Up ATX, really allowed her stunning baby blue eyes to sparkle and catch the light of this early morning shoot. Said Livia, "Originally we had chosen a bird cage veil with the gown but when I put it on our bride, I felt like it didn't match. It wasn't natural enough or bohemian enough. It needed a big statement flower. As I added the flowers, I secured them with the floral wire, looping, and sewing it through the stems to secure them and shape the floral crown. The final result was beautiful and only took about 12 minutes to craft."

Floral Stylist extraordinaire Claudia Lopez of Kitsch Event Styling designed all the natural wildflowers herself, and incorporated several fresh local vegetables into her design. She even adorned the bridal bouquet with strands of peas, dangling from her bouquet like rosary beads.

LOOT Vintage Rentals provided us with some extraordinary vintage china and glassware, as well as some lounge furniture and even vintage suitcases to complete our effortless look for the shoot.

Our groom had his own unique style, by wearing khaki pants with suspenders and a bow tie, in lieu of a traditional tuxedo. This was Jahan's first foray into modeling and after the first few shots, he felt completely at ease. The was our third styled shoot featuring Katie, but she finally got to wear a wedding gown. Twice a bridesmaid now finally a bride!

Jamie Foster of Scripted Ever After supplied a bevy of unique stationary touches, including menus, invitations, place cards, escort cards, wooden table numbers, and even a personalized cake topper, which was treated with scorch marks to add a nice element to the wood. We featured this on top of the cake designed by Simon Lee Bakery, which was a gorgeous purple ombre buttercream. This cake was featured on top of a vintage vanity table, and showcased along side of some wooden cheese boxes and china to round out the rustic look.

Oh My G'Nosh Catering provided us with a feast of fresh, farm-to-table cuisine for this shoot. Every element from this shoot was truly authentic, and really spoke to the final outcome in regards to the design and feel we were trying to achieve.

Hair and make up were done by 8:30AM and shooting began of just Katie. The temperatures were creeping into the upper 80s by the time Jahan arrived. The two were posing for about an hour before we hit the mid 90s. Not only do we plan weddings, but we also help reapply deodorant for the bride and wipe sweat!! Rachael's pictures turned out so perfect that you would not know otherwise.

All of our blood, sweat and tears (actually, make that our sweat, sweat and more sweat) were worth it though when we were published in Smitten Magazine Online!