Filed under: Editorial This is only the second feature I've done about myself or company, so that's not too bad, right? I'm just as critical of my work as of others, but probably more so, as we all are. I had so, so, so much fun doing this shoot. Originally we were trying to figure out how florals would fit into the narrative of it being a post-apocalypse delusion where this woman thinks it's her wedding day, but there's only one problem. Her fiance is a mannequin! Oh, that crazy lady. I mentioned, what if out in the desert, there were flowers growing out of a dead bush, by some miracle and from that she picks the flowers for her "wedding". Looking at the photos, you can't see the bush- the poor shrub we pulled out and replanted at the setting and then placed flowers in. But, that's the background. Check out the behind-the-scenes video by Kristin and Laure here, along with the full narrative and the full spread! Kristine and I went up there for the day shoot, and then each person on the shoot rented a trailer in the little park. It's so small inside and feels like you're inside Barbie's trailer park. Each airstream has a theme. We stayed in the Integratron one, fit with a ceiling of glittery stars. Some of the airstreams were really out there. We had about four setups. You can see more photos on Kristin's Facebook page. We ate both dinner and breakfast at this really great place, that I'm completely blanking on, but will let you know when/if I think of it. You should definitely check out the trailer hotel online and even visit. It is off the beaten road, and totally worth it. The rooms are pretty expensive (I think around $200) considering you're in a trailer with no bathroom. There's a bathroom for everyone to use outside. But still, a way cool experience. Kristin Banta Events and Laura Grier of Beautiful Day Photography along with Tara of MakeUp Therapy came up with the concept. Laura and Tara came up with the idea in a hotel room, like a year before they got Kristin on board. I kind of trickled in after. I LOVED this team. So professional, fun and ON IT. I like people that get it, and really just get shit done. These woman do.
0 Comments
Filed under: Weddings, Events, Editorial I originally wrote about the designs of Parrish Designs for a 2012 Trends Huff Post article. They have a new website up, and when I saw this headpiece below, I thought of one thing- Carrie! Lets find out the inspiration of these designs. To me they scream Sex and the City- with the funk, modern edge, and color combos that give a real punch. From the owner Kathryn, "The style and look of the headpiece was driven by the clients’ personality. She was having an informal beach wedding and wanted to incorporate that feel and requested feathers and orchids. Beyond that, she gave us free reign to design the piece. This headpiece really gave me an opportunity to run with my creativity. I used blue vanda orchids, bridal netting, and two varieties of white goose feathers. The bride complimented it with her own veil." She continues, "We went into this décor arrangement with our new website in mind. This design was driven by the white acrylic columns, which we had recently acquired, and complimented by the other white furniture. To contrast the starkness and modern feel of the white furniture we used very soft romantic flowers and colors with hydrangea and garden roses. The drama of the white furniture was continued into the arrangements with the use of the black dahlias."
I love this so much, and those black dahlias are killer! Even I couldn't tell that those were dahlias. I thought there were black balsa wood! Love both of these. Thanks Kathryn! Parrish Designs Facebook Filed under: Editorial I originally stumbled upon the genius of Jacky Tsai after a friend sent me his work from Hyperbeast, and holy cow!!! It DID look familiar and that's because you can see his work in Alexander McQueen's designs and runway shows. I emailed Jacky to find out his inspiration and the work this entailed, and to my joy he emailed me right back (even during Chinese New Year's!). Lets find out what he had to say: From Jacky, "The skull took around 1 year to finalise all the detailed flowers. The inspiration comes from the iconic floral skull image I made for McQueen 6 years ago. I upgraded the floral skull game in a new level.. ... My design partner, Linda Tsai spent 3 months to experiment the leather flower technique, after many tests, you see the beautiful outcome.
Each leather flower represents a soul of animals in this planet....the giant skull makes all the souls revived." Happy Friday kids! Today I'm sharing with you Kristi's creations using peacock feathers, which as you can tell, takes a painstakingly long time (and well worth the effort). Her company Bloomed to Last specializes in these types of ornates accents and dresses. Per Kristi, "I wanted to have a completed look (for a custom dress). I didn't want to hide the dress so a traditional bouquet wouldn't work and since the gown is so different it was the perfect opportunity to create a very unique floral piece. Constructing the peacock feather parasol was very time consuming and features over 200 individually pick and placed feathers. To make sure this parasol was stunning, no matter how she was holding it, I carried the feathers to the underside. And I think the peacock on the very top is the perfect accent."
I feel especially fond of this shoot because last April, I did a photoshoot at the Hicksville Trailer Park with an all-star team (the shoot will be featured in this winter's Modele Magazine issue) and stayed in the Integratron airstream. This shoot, done by Tend based in San Diego captures the essence of "odd", "different", "creature-like". Lets find out what their inspiration was: "Astronomical Twilight" was an editorial shoot we did at the Integratron. Our inspiration was the "acoustically perfect tabernacle and energy machine sited on a powerful geomagnetic vortex in the magical Mojave Desert" aka infamous site of alien contact, with our couple playing the role of cosmic lovers untethered by illusions of time and mortality. Colors were white, tangerine, and bronze and the floral palette included such flowers as pin cushion protea, scabiosa, dianthus green trick, lotus pod, kangaroo paw, ranunculus, and succulents. Photos by Tangerine Tree Photography.
Eddie Zaratsian of Tic-Tock Couture is somewhat of a floral legend in the Wedding and Events circle, and those that work with him, rave about him. I've seen his work at various events, and the one thing that sticks out most is this sort of wild, jungle feel- not in a rustic way as in mason jars, but in a structured way. Each stem is placed exactly where it should be and with precision. The images below are from a floral book Eddie is about to release. Per Eddie, "The flowers have a natural feeling with layers of texture that normally would not work together but they do." Above: ranunculus , green mist, natural palm fiber and pearls in a milk vase
Below: orchid plant roots, green mist, white peonies and umbrella fern Photos by Marianne Lozano Filed under: Weddings, Editorial When I browsed through my friend Katie's website looking at what to chose, I kept saving one after another. What stood out is the originality and personality she brings to each bouquet. Not only is Katie the head of Elegance and Simplicity, but also Editor-in-Chief of Eco-Beautiful magazine (how we met). And I thought I wore a lot of hats! Be sure to check out both of her businesses- they are super inspiring. The above is my favorite, and I asked her about the creation. Per Katie, "This bouquet was made for one of our first issues of Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine. We used all sustainable and local flowers: Phaleonopsis orchids from a local greenhouse, dried pomegranates, dried lotus pods, scabiosa, local peonies, gorgeous vintage broach on handle."
I love love love the dried pomegranates, don't you? The dried elements add a lot of texture, and the best part, is that you could save it as a keepsake! Filed under: Editorial Alright I know I rave constantly about everything featured, but for good reason. However this REALLY took my breath away. Kind of like what I'd want to do, if I had that kind of imagination. I love the starkness of the concept. Darin Bahl of Darin Bahl Events came up with this for his off-shoot company Tailored Twig. So how did Tailored Twig come up with it? Per Darin: While my husband and I were brainstorming design concepts and associated looks we enthusiastically determined a fashion show with floral adornments would foster an ideal situation for boundless creativity and well translated design concepts. Purses, necklaces, headdresses, bow tiesare just a few of the accoutrements Tailored Twig handcrafted. Once the "fashion show" seeds were planted a man with dreadlocks and sleeves would be the pinnacle of the show. He continues, "We wanted to have this look in underwear and boots only. Bow tie, custom headdress with flowers bubbling over and gently cascading down, and a handheld bouquet housed with buffalo horn." Photos by Susan Jeffers - Facebook
Filed under: Editorial
Bare Root has a modern Black and White Italian wedding that will be featured in the coming weeks. For this Nymph inspired shoot, Robyn told me that it was conceived as a gorgeous boudoir shoot celebrating the beauty of Colorado. Designed by Jessica Hearing of A Vintage Affair and shot by Laura Murray Photography. I love this floral crown because it is lush and magical. So often we see these head wreaths that are typical, but this was constructed beautifully and the craftsmanship really shines through. It was made of blush spray roses, blushing bride protea (I've never heard of it before! Google it, and you will see how beautiful it is!), sola shell flowers (also known as balsa wood which was a huge trend the past couple of years), and seeded eucalyptus. How gorgeous is her make-up? Filed under: Editorial Paper flowers with a twist. Benagami is a special type of origami created by Benjamin Coleman. I was blown away by the detail and creativity. The passion is inspiring and remarkable. Per Benjamin, "Makigami is both a material and a technique. Makigami means "roll paper" in Japanese just as origami means "fold paper." I cut newspaper and then saturate it in a liquid that includes small amounts of glue and paint, and then gently at first, roll it into a tube. The tube is then rolled repeatedly, gently and carefully, so that the paper slowly forms a tightly compacted shaft of material. I can control the taper of the shaft by varying the shape I make it from... ...Thick tree trunks are made of many layers of newspaper. Once the makigami has been rolled I shape it by bending it around dowels, broom handles, bowls, or any other shape I think will be interesting. I tape it in place with masking tape and put it in my car, again parked in the hot sun, to cure. Makigami cures in three hours in the summer, more like five in the winter." He continues, "This is my fifth chess set. These sets VERY time consuming to produce. The set is made entirely from recycled paper. Each plant represents a different chess piece. Mushrooms represent pawns, and the various more powerful pieces are represented by different flowering plants. This set took over one hundred hours to produce. It is the finest set I have made. The trick to making a good chess set is to make sure certain pieces mirror each other. Notice that the castles and rooks mirror of each other (their stems twist in opposite directions). Also notice that the queen and king are similar in height, but the queen has thorns; suggestive of her tremendous power." He also invented a new kind of paper! It's designed specifically for folding flowers, and is printed on both sides with colored floral patterns. Each package comes with enough paper to make 168 flowers and many, many leaves. This means an Origami Bonsai sculpture can be made in as little as 30 minutes, instead of the hours it used to take because we had to paint the paper.
Super interesting, right? Check out his book Origami Bonsai Facebook |