If you're not ready for Merida's-nerd-is-showing, just keep scrolling down and you'll see all of the gorgeous photos from the shoot with Alex Medvick! Bonus support came from Jaimee Donahue of William Jean Salon doing the hair, gorgeous boho dresses from Country Bride and Gent in North Wales, PA, and a beautiful vow book by Wedding Story Writer. Nije Durdeen and Stef were the hardcore models for this shoot, braving mud, wet, and freezing temps to make this happen. This shoot got so much love, it was featured on Offbeat Bride!
When I was first working on this shoot, I fully intended to use a King Arthur. But as I developed the concept, I tossed the idea out on it's head.
Two very pretty heads.
Rather than go through the hassle of trying to figure out a modern-style medieval look for guys (sorry dudes!), I decided to go with another idea I've been wanting to shoot for awhile: a gorgeous lesbian couple. Obvs, these are models, but they sure look like a gorgeous couple! I mean LOOK at this boho-ness!
And of course, I couldn't just make flowery things without being a dork. I completely assigned them characters and cherry-picked their backstories to fit it. Here begins the geek, so proceed with caution and popcorn.
To begin, the Lady of the Lake's name is Nimue (knocked out of the park by Stef, pictured above). As with older legends, there are a whole bunch of variants. They wandered as far as Vivienne! She's largely a benevolent figure in most of the stories. She began appearing in the Arthur tales in the 13th century as a kind of fairy-godmother character. As her stories grew, she became more complicated.
Nimue had a long history with the wizard Merlin. He taught her magic, and eventually when he'd pestered her for too long (pestered=sexual harassment) she trapped him a tree. Please, grant me that power!
Another female character that figures prominently in the myths (that wasn't Guinevere) was Morgan le Fay. The name literally translates to Morgan the Fairy, but given the stories told about her, she was my kind of fairy! She was considered a naughty girl even by today's standards, and she was often an adversary in the stories. In early versions, she known as a great healer, astronomer, and mathematician. Basically, she was a badass.
Played by Nije here, on the left.
Geeking over! Now I'll just post the rest of the pretty pictures, while giving that run down on how we did it, and what kind of budget you'd be looking at to reproduce it!
First, these dresses:
These particular dresses run between $1,500- $3,000, which if you're looking at boho dresses in a traditional bridal shop, is a steal. That's why little local shops can be a great option- you can get that Rue de Seine look without shelling out half of a down payment. Country Bride and Gent in North Wales holds a special little place in my heart because I've spent SO MUCH TIME in their showroom for my bridesmaids' dresses. Their staff is always friendly, too, no matter how long you're there!
And next, the altar piece:
This particular setup costed about $70. I bought wisteria from Michaels' and supplemented it with roses and greenery from a local produce shop. Wedding Story Writer's vow books run at about $300, but it's a lifetime memory of your wedding vows. Also, it's a great help at the wedding, and much prettier than flash cards.
Next up, hair!
Jaimee's one of my best, and also a giant geek! You can find her pricing here. The moment I uttered the phrase, "Lady of the Lake", she jumped right on board. And she created alllll of the flow-y goodness you see above!
Brief notes:
We shot this in Green Lane Park. If you do a wedding outdoors in a park, you'll need a back up tent, which often runs over at least $1,000, plus you'll need lighting, tables, chairs, linens, table settings, etc. Another downside to it is often they don't allow alcohol consumption. What does work well for parks is ceremony only. That way you only need the basics of a tent for cover, and chairs. Afterward, you can head to the reception space of your choice and party away!
Until next time, Wed-O-Sphere!
Merida