“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.
 |
| 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!
< -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >
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!
