Last month I had the opportunity to be a part of something that I have always wanted to try. I organized my first “styled shoot”! I don’t even know where to begin with this blog post! I was completely overwhelmed by the generosity and efforts of those that worked together to make this happen!

For those of you who don’t know what a styled shoot is, basically, it is when several vendors work together to put on a “styled” shoot rather than a real shoot. So, instead of me taking photos of a real wedding this time, I worked together with several of our most amazing wedding vendors in the area and a model couple to put on a “faux” wedding. This provided a fun way for us to work together and to get to know each other. We shared our gifts of the wedding industry to come up with a final product. Each of the vendors donated their time, efforts, and products in exchange for photos.

Have fun scrolling through the post and taking in all of the beauty these amazing vendors have to offer! I will be highlighting each vendor and their services or products, but to start off here is a list of everyone that was involved:

The White Brick Company – Decor and Styling

Troyanna Marie Hair & Makeup – Hair and Makeup

Mississippi Diamond Jewelers – Jewelery

Flowers by Jeannie – Florals

Nina Brooke Boutique – Dress

The 1917 Barn – Venue

Zak and Kairiss Kruse – Our Lovely Models

Models

The gorgeous bride and groom you see throughout the shoot are Zak and Kairiss Kruse! It was so awesome to work with these two-they were willing to do anything I asked of them! They are also an obviously gorgeous couple that is just as much in love in real life as they look in these photos! Zak and Kairiss have been married for four years and enjoyed their real wedding in the middle of January.

Decor and Styling

All of the styling and decor was done by Britta Kruse, the owner of The White Brick Company. I am always blown away by Britta’s creative eye, talent, and dedication to her trade. On the day of the shoot, Britta was out setting up at the barn before I even woke up! As you can see in the photos below, Britta’s taste is elegant and timeless. Everything she touches turns to gold! I was so excited to work with her on this project and partially wish I could get married all over again just to have her plan my wedding decor!

Britta at The White Brick Company specializes in wedding planning and also party rental products. You can find her on Facebook here: The White Brick Company Facebook Page and on Instagram here: The White Brick Company on Instagram

Hair and Makeup

Our models’ hair and makeup was done by Troyanna Marie Stefan with Troyanna Marie Hair & Makeup! Troyanna is a delight to work with. She is easy going and committed to her clients! She did a classic updo on our model for the shoot. She also cut and colored our models’ hair before the day of the shoot! It was so fun to get to know Troyanna and see her doing what she loves!

Troyanna is an independent stylist and esthetician. She offers a wide range of services from updos and makeup to balayaging hair and eyelash extension as well as full body waxing. You can find her at her website here: Troyanna Marie Hair & Makeup Website,  Facebook here: Troyanna Marie Hair & Makeup Facebook Page,  and on Instagram here: Troyanna Marie Hair & Makeup Instagram.

The Dress

Our beautiful wedding gown was donated by Nina Pleshe from Nina Brooke, a small business boutique that provides everyday wear, formal gowns, and prom & semiformal dresses. Nina has a gift for selecting adorable and classy pieces. Walking into her store was like walking into a perfectly curated Pinterest board. I could have spent hours trying on outfits and perusing the purses and other fine accessories she has to offer. Nina is also one of those people that makes you feel comfortable and valued within minutes of meeting her.

Although Nina is actually letting go of the wedding industry and will no longer be providing wedding gowns (she has a few wedding dresses left and they are all currently 70% off!!), it would be a mistake not to make a trip to her store! I personally don’t make many trips to Hibbing, but after meeting Nina and seeing her beauitful clothing in person and popping up on social media, I can promise you I’ll be making the 40 minute trip a lot more frequently than I used to!

Nina’s store is located in Hibbing at 115 E Howard Street. You can also find her on her website here: Nina Brooke’s Website, on Facebook here: Nina Brooke Facebook Page, and on Instagram here: Nina Brooke on Instagram

The Florals

I was so excited when Madeline Cook with Flowers by Jeannie jumped on board for our styled shoot! I have worked with Madeline several times before and feel honored to call her a friend. She is so talented at what she does and her creativity continues to surprise me. Just look at this bouquet she created-it has kale in it, kale!! Isn’t that amazing!? I couldn’t stop admiring her work and look forward to seeing more of it in the future!

To see more of Madeline’s ingenuity, check out her store in downtown Grand Rapids at 204 NW 1st Ave, Grand Rapids, MN 55744. You can also find her at her website here: Flowers by Jeannie Website and on Facebook here: Flowers by Jeannie Facebook Page.

Jewelry

The gorgeous jewelry that you see in the shoot was graciously lended by NiCole Barker from Mississippi Diamond Jewelers. I had never met NiCole previously to working with her on this shoot. She is so easy going and was wonderful to collaborate with. I thought she might possibly be interested in letting us use an engagement ring and maybe a band, but NiCole generously loaded up bracelets, earrings, a right hand ring, a groom’s ring, an engagement ring, and two different bands for the styled shoot! Her jewelry is stunningly beautiful and unique and she runs an amazing store-focused on great customer service and quality products. Enjoy a few fun photos of her jewelry below and don’t forget to stop into her store, even if it is just for browsing!! You won’t be disappointed!

Mississippi Diamond Jewelers is located at 6 NW 3rd Street in Grand Rapids. You can find them at their website here: Mississippi Diamond Jewelers Website, on Facebook here: Mississippi Diamond Jewelers Facebook Page, and on Instagram here: Mississippi Diamond Jewelers on Instagram

The Venue

Lastly I am honored to share with you the beautiful 1917 Barn. The 1917 Barn is a newly remodeled family barn that is celebrating its 100th birthday this year! Mike and Carol Lunemann are the owners of Lunemann’s Luney Berries Strawberry Farm in Cohasset and have recently opened up their barn as a wedding venue!! As a wedding photographer I was so excited to hear about this new option for weddings! The barn can be used as a ceremony and reception site and has several options and areas for seating guests. Besides offering the barn for couples to use, the Lunemann’s property is also gorgeously structured with rolling hills and lush flower gardens-making the most perfect backdrop for wedding photos!

The 1917 Barn is located at 41237 County Road 63 in Cohasset. You can also find them on Facebook here:  The 1917 Barn Facebook Page.

 Mike and Carol Lunemann are pictured below with their barn! They have put countless hours of work into this venue and it shows! They are also incredibly kind and easy to work with!