If you've seen the last post on my blog, you'll have seen the gorgeous pictures from my style shoot with Brae Howard. We did four sets, and between myself and Stella from SoLi Events, we each ran point on two, while supporting the other with logistics and creative ideas (although let's get real, my idea of creativity is figuring out how to get more sweets onto the set).
Proof of my creative skills.
The second set we did was Masquerade-themed. I avoided calling it Phantom of the Opera, because no one should wander off into a stalker's lair just because he looks like Gerard Butler. But, Masquerade seemed safe enough, and our gorgeous models Moises and Jose are happy newlyweds (with no known Phantoms running around)!
I went into this on Instagram, but I'll elaborate here: having these two as models was a happy accident. We originally intended for this shoot to be with two male models, but when each dropped out for different reasons, we changed it over to two women. Moises (on the right) was going to model as the groom in the traditional set that Stella was running point on.
The music is old opera scores.
Usually when I'm running a photoshoot, I let people know not to bring their significant others. It doubles the number of people in the room, and provides an audience that some of the other models might find uncomfortable. I forgot to tell Moises, and his husband decided to come check out the photoshoot. Thankfully, he was extremely polite and stayed in the waiting area.
Cheers to good people!
When it came time to do the masquerade shoot, Brae and I approached Jose and Moises about being the couple for that set, and they were wonderful enough to agree. Their chemistry was electric in the room.
Now that I've gushed over our fabulous couple, here's a little dive into the design of the set!
Models, from left to right: Stefanie, Salma, Jose, Moises, Fatma, and Tommy.
Every dress in this shot costed $1. No, I'm not pulling your leg. Each was slightly damaged, so I was able to scoop them up and fix them for the shoot. Thrift stores like In Full Swing benefit charities (in this one's case, it benefits A Woman's Place). They're a gold mine for decorations, as well as bridesmaids dresses, if you're willing to mix-match.
It was only after the fact that I realized I had a little bit of a Lady and the Tramp thing going here. The music was free- I contacted a music teacher and asked for her old broken scores. The music flowers on the main page of my website were from the same scores (I think she gave me half a ton of music)!
The bottles were leftovers from a friend's party, and it's easy for most people to collect them, even if you don't drink. Take a look at what you- or your friends- use on an every day basis.
The champagne glasses were $10 for a set. The only pricey things on the table are the masks. If they were just for decoration, I would have gone cheap, but I didn't want them looking goofy on the models.
Invitation suite and seating chart by Melissa of Cupcake Graphics.
So there's set two! If you're interested in buying the gold sequined dress that Stefanie's wearing, please shoot me an e-mail. The cost is a donation to A Woman's Place, plus shipping if you live outside of the Philadelphia area.
Next week I'll be sharing some of the photos from Stella's sets- they're just too pretty not to share!
Until next time, Wed-O-Sphere!
-Merida