Behind-the-Scenes: Interview w/ Desi's Floral & Design Studio | Boone, NC Wedding Vendor

While most of the weddings I photograph happen off the mountain around North Carolina and beyond, it was a real treat to have the opportunity to work with local wedding vendors here in Boone, NC for our Alice in Wonderland styled shoot. Once Desi came on board she ended up being an integral part of the planning process and her contribution to the photoshoot was more than I could include in one blog post, so I interviewed her for more behind-the-scenes details.  


What was your contribution to the styled shoot?

Floral Design & Styling // Costume & Props: Mini Top Hat Fascinator, Bow Tie, Flower Girl Costume, Wands, Heart Garland, Mushrooms, Living Book, Birdcage, (Red Velvet) Cupcakes // Casting: Models // Hair for Alice

Why did you decide to participate?

With my degree and background in Theatre and Film, I find myself gravitating more and more towards projects and events that fall into the category of "a production." While I have focused mainly on floral and styling of weddings for the past 4 years, I was dying to do something that reminded me of my days working with set design and costume departments in Wilmington and early on the Foothills of NC.  

I had already planned to mentor Caitlin (Alice) with the focus on 2014 design trends and modeling, and when Andi asked me to come on board, I knew right away this was something I wanted my hands in! Timing was perfect! I dove into the project, oohing and ah-hing over all kinds of pinterest post, and even watching both of the well known productions of Alice in Wonderland. I wanted to pull off something not seen, unique to us vendors. 

I found myself wanting to contribute more, as it is in my nature to coordinate and produce, so through suggestion and delegation we ended up with more vendors than I expected. I was thrilled that so many local vendors were able to participate in such a creative project, and to top it off be an advocate for mentoring.

Did you have any hesitations?
None at all! I was all in from the beginning!

What was your favorite part of the whole process?
Ok, this is really hard, from the beer fueled meeting, to the hands-on development, to the sneak preview, I loved every minute of it! I guess if I had to choose, when I saw Caitlin arrive on set, I was like omg, this is freakin' awesome, she looked so good, and so like Alice! It felt good to know that we were able to give this student an opportunity that may in fact fuel her modeling career! I really am all about opportunities for kids, a former high school dropout, who went back to school to double major, work on film sets, work for non profits, all that good stuff on my resume, I know how hard it is to try to survive your teens, and I know what it takes to encourage productive citizenship and creative entrepreneurship! Mentoring is a valuable tool that we all can do once in our lives, and you don't have to have a production set to do it, but if you want one, we can make it happen!

What inspired you the most?
My own fuel for creativity, to make the project about a group of co-workers, friends, members, students and family to come together to produce something unique!

What was your least favorite part of the process?

Cold weather

[ Related Article ] If you'd like to see more images from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland click here » http://bit.ly/1mVA4Ql «

Would you have done anything differently?

Put Ruby's hair up :)

What was your biggest challenge in preparing for the shoot?

Weather

What was the most surprising thing you gained from the experience?

Friendship and networking opportunities.

What advice/tips would you give someone planning or participating in their own styled shoot?
Stay open minded and work together as a team. Be prepared for the weather or other incidents that may arrive. Have a catchy theme with ideas that really captures the audience. Just bring it props blankets, stuff that might fit, if ever you wonder if you can use it or not, just bring it, if you don't use it, then no harm done. You can do all the planning in the world, but it really comes down to creative design and the elements you have to work with on the scene.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how likely are you to participate in another styled shoot?

10

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Yes, but I have to go pick up Stella and go take my monsters to dance and swimming. Thanks for all your hard work, I am so thrilled to have been a part of this!

If you'd like to read more details about this Alice in Wonderland styled shoot, here is a BEHIND-THE-SCENES look with more images and information that wasn't shared here » http://bit.ly/1otIWxy « 

[ V E N D O R S ]

Venue: Camp Sky Ranch

Vintage Rentals: Miss Match Rentals

Florals & Styling: Desi's Floral and Design Studio

Teacakes & Mini-Cupcakes: Gamekeeper Restaurant

Makeup: Beautiful Bride on Location (Marion Edwards)

Hair: Desi Parker of Desi's Floral & Design Studio

Bridal Hair Piece & Groom's Bow Tie: Desi Parker

Wedding Attire: Did Someone Say Party?

Barnwood Tables: Upper Barn

Models/Couple: Caitlin & Zach

Photography: Wayfaring Wanderer

Photography Assistant: Raejan Dunn

[ C O M I N G S O O N ! ] An interview with Andi of Miss Match Rentals, so be on the lookout for her behind-the-scenes insights! Also, we'll be sharing a post with TIPS ON PLANNING A STYLED SHOOT because we learned quite a bit during this experience that we want to share with others! To be notified when new posts are available, sign-up for weekly updates HERE and “LIKE” the Wayfaring Wanderer Facebook page to get connected!

Behind-the-Scenes: Adventures in a Wooded Wonderland | Boone, NC Photographer

“You know, falling from anything higher than 6-ft. is considered a DEATH FALL, right?!,” Jack, the owner of Camp Sky Ranch, said. Suddenly, that 8-ft. tall ladder I was staring at leaned up against the wall looked more like a skyscraper to me. “Did you seriously just use the word DEATH FALL?!,” I exclaimed, as I quickly laughed it off. I only entertained the thought of a DEATH FALL for a second or so before deciding to bring it to the shoot despite his friendly warning. There was no way I was going to let my unfounded anxiety about heights deter my desire to shoot from above! After all, I had a vision and I was on a mission!

CREATIVES GO CUCKOO FOR A QUIRKY COLLABORATION

From the moment I introduced the idea of doing an Alice in Wonderland wedding themed shoot to Andi of Miss Match Rentals, we began planning with reckless abandon! I've been hording all sorts of Alice in Wonderland inspiration on a Pinterest board for the past few years which helped move things along swiftly. By the time Andi asked Desi of Desi's Floral and Design Studio to join us, a whirlwind of wacky ideas started to storm in and a foundation was soon forged.

From left to right: Raejan: Diverse Accomplice & Finger Fire Fighter // Rob: King of the Handsome Lemmy & Hardworking American // Andi: Psychedelic Queen & Plate Peddler // Jessica: High Ladder Climber & Soulful Image Collector  // Jack: Maple Tree Syrup Tapper & Chief Camp Ranger // Desi: Handmade Prop Goddess & Freestyle Florist // Wendy: Sugar Whisperer & Master Snow Globe Maker

IDEAS OVERFLOW WHEN YOU JOIN FORCES W/ KINDRED SPIRITS

Andi, Desi, and I had a beer-infused brainstorming session at the Appalachian Mountain Brewery here in Boone a month or so before the shoot to get our creative juices flowing and to solidify our intentions. The frenzy of inspiration resulted in an intoxicating exchange. Ideas were the easy part. Corralling our concepts was the biggest challenge! Getting other vendors involved who were as elated as we were required a lot less effort than I thought thanks to the awesome network of wedding vendors here in Boone, NC. We gained momentum pretty rapidly after that.

Location scouting for Alice in Wonderland Styled Shoot @ Camp Sky Ranch

ECLECTIC MEETS ENCHANTED

While scouting locations at Camp Sky Ranch we wanted something that felt magical and mesmerizing for our backdrop, so when Jack took us up to this special spot that was once an apple orchard, we were enraptured by the beauty of the bare forest and windy, gravel road. The woodland scene he shuttled us to was more perfect than we could have imagined, we thought that it would set the whole tone for the shoot nicely. I'll admit, it was a HUGE pain in the butt to get everyone and everything to our secret hideaway because it required a 4x4 vehicle to access, but it was definitely worth it for this secluded spread!

Raejan, Photography Assistant Extraordinaire 

Paparazzi getting their shots in before we lose light!

ADVENTURE AWAITS ON SHOOT DAY

Once our barn wood table(s) were delivered and put into place, everything started taking shape. It was impressive to witness a big ol' pile of stuff transform into a storybook scene from one of my/our favorite childhood fantasies. The thoughtfully decorated 24-foot table(s) supplied by Upper Barn were situated in the middle of the road to act as the center-stage for the entire production. It took nearly 3-hours to put all of the details in place before the set was perfected and photo-ready.

Everything starting to transform @ the Alice in Wonderland Wedding Inspiration Shoot (iPhone Pics)

I had, roughly, two hours—not including the many warm up breaks our freezing models needed—to shoot everything before we started losing light. Things ran smoothly due to some extensive pre-planning, thankfully, only a few hiccups were encountered throughout the day. I knew from my experience as a wedding photographer that not everything would go according to plan, but we managed just fine no matter what was flung our way!

The 24-foot table getting set-up on the day of the shoot (iPhone Pics)

THE FREEDOM TO EXERCISE OUR OFF-BEAT CREATIVITY

To say that everyone took this theme and ran with it would be an understatement. We all had our “jobs to do” but it was the group effort that made this shoot run so seamlessly from idea to conception! With every meeting, email, text, and phone call our plans morphed and cemented with great ease. Before we knew it the time flashed by as we feverishly neared the finish line.

One thing that made this whole production a success was that everyone was eager to see what we envisioned come to fruition. We were all chomping at the bit to unleash our creativity and bring this shoot to life! What an incredible experience it was to have the opportunity to work with some of the most esteemed professionals in the wedding industry here in (and around) Boone, NC. 

I spy Wayfaring Wanderer!

I am so honored and grateful to have been a part of this styled shoot. Thank you for taking a look at this behind-the-scenes peek at our Alice in Wonderland Wedding Inspiration collaboration. I'll be sharing the actual images from the shoot soon so stay tuned! 

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Photographer: Wayfaring Wanderer // Rentals: Miss Match Rentals // Florals + Styling: Desi's Floral and Design Studio // Venue: Camp Sky Ranch Events // Teacakes & Mini-cupcakes:The Gamekeeper Restaurant and Bar // Farm Tables: Upper Barn// Make up: Beautiful Bride on Location (Marion Edwards) // Dress: Did Someone Say Party? // Model: Caitlin Lovell // Photography Assistant: Raejan Danger Dunn

Want to see more of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland? Be sure to "like" the Wayfaring Wanderer FB page to get connected! I would also encourage you to visit the pages of the other vendors listed above and show them some love, too!