A bit modern + a bit vintage for your wedding

Today, I have a gorgeous shoot styled by Yelena Johnson of The Stylish Soiree and photographed by Heather Kincaid. I’m in LOVE with the dresses, the bouquets, and the beautiful table. Yelena also sent over a bit behind their design concept which I love hearing where the inspiration comes from. Thanks Yelena!

When Heather and I teamed up to brainstorm about this shoot, we realized that the majority of weddings we see are either completely modern, traditional or very vintage vintage in style, without a lot of blending of the styles. The concept behind this wedding shoot was born as a study in beautifully blending very modern elements with traditional and vintage elements to create a richer look with interest and depth. I love to approach wedding design and planning in the same way people approach interior design and fashion styling – by mixing elements with different styles, colors, textures and shapes to create something unique, different and beautiful.

vintage blue wedding dress and bouquet

vintage blue wedding dress

We pulled dresses that had both vintage and modern elements from Shareen Vintage. The idea of a short, more casual wedding dress with color accents is definitely a more contemporary idea, although the dress we chose as the ‘wedding gown’ was a vintage find from the 50s. The creamy color and blue accents looked gorgeous against our model Emily’s skin tone, hair and eye color. The pale blue, short-sleeve mini dress was reimagined as a fun and flirty reception dress, with delicate applique florals and tiny crystals for a bit of sparkle. I paired the mini dress with light gray tights and black patent slingbacks to bring in other colors from our color palette as well as additional texture.

wedding photos art los angeles

white anemone bouquet

art los angeles wedding photography

vintage pale blue wedding dress

Krista Jon from Krista Jon Couture Florals created two gorgeous bridal bouquets for the bride – one more traditional, large bouquet with peonies, ranunculus, dusty miller and sweet pea, and tied it off with a piece of sky blue suede I bought in the fabric district. Though you can’t see it in the photos, the handle of the bouquet also featured a large vintage-style pewter button. The second, more modern bouquet was smaller in size, featured a large succulent embellishment on the handle and paired with the bride’s sky blue reception dress.

wedding necklace and bouquet

To create the accessories, we took traditional bridal accessories and embellished them in a modern way to take them to a whole other level. Vintage gloves were cut down with pinking shears and an industrial zipper and button were added around the outside, creating an edgy, modern take on the old fashioned vintage lace wedding glove. Instead of accessorizing the bride in a single strand pearl necklace, I piled three different color and size pearl necklaces together and tied them with a hand-dyed blue silk ribbon for an unexpected style statement. We finished the necklace off with a sparkling brooch for the wedding shoot, although it was removeable and can also be worn without for a more subdued look. The final accessory created for this shoot was the slate gray silk shantung flower hair clip, which was crafted from a one yard piece of 1.5″ wide ribbon, a taupe accent ribbon (about 5 inches long) and a hair clip. The bride’s hairstyle and fresh makeup was created by Fiore Beauty. Her hair began as a classic updo that was then let loose for the reception dress.

wedding necklace and gloves diy

wedding table design

vintage wedding decorations flowers

modern plates wedding vintage bottles

The tablescape was a collaboration between Krista Jon and myself, and incorporated a mix of quirky elements, modern elements and very antique, traditional elements for the richly textured look we wanted to create. The plate sets and simple gray napkins were very clean and modern, while the multiple bottles, vases and candlestick holders added an eclectic feel with some very vintage items. The antique silver vases holding the ranunculus were very old pieces, the blue perfume bottles were new pieces made to look like vintage items, and the ‘candlestick holders’ were glass bottles with the stems wrapped in Spanish moss. Krista incorporated succulents, ranunculus, pussy willow, dusty miller, sweet pea, anemone and Spanish moss into the floral designs, which played perfectly into the overall design.

small flower bouquets

vintage vases with flowers

blue and grey wedding table

modern wedding couple

This shoot was actually created to share some DIY ideas for Non pareil magazine. Check it out for step-by-step instructions on how to make the gloves, necklace, and hair piece! Thanks to everyone who worked on this lovely inspiration.

Vendors:
Photographer: Heather Kincaid
Styling, Planning & Design Direction: Yelena Johnson, The Stylish Soiree; Yelena also created the necklace and gloves used in the shoot
Vintage dresses: Shareen Vintage
Florals: Krista Jon Couture Florals
Hair & Makeup: Jaimi Brooks, Fiore Beauty

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