Weddings and events
Versailles Revisited
Vivid & Vogue Weddings and Events
MINT ROOM STUDIOS, TORONTO, ON
Photo Courtesy of Inna Nova Photography
Who doesn't love a little old-world romance with a modern twist? After an amazing prior collaboration with florist and friend Maria Markova, I was delighted when she reached out to me about an editorial she was putting together with her friend and international wedding photographer Inna Nova. Inna was inspired by elegant pearls and wanted to incorporate them into the vision - from there, I played with a few ideas and mood boards and together we landed on the idea of a modern, elegant editorial inspired by the lush gardens and classic elegance of the palace of Versailles - a place known for jewels everywhere!
Once we said "oui" to the initial inspiration, the ideas blossomed from there. We continued to consider how pearls could be featured in an elegant and subtle way; less of a main focus and more of accent so they could flow throughout the shoot in delicate touches like jewelry, finishes, and little shimmering accents on the cake and stationary.
I chose a soft French blue as the main colour - it felt super classic but also modern and a beautiful foundation for all of the soft pinks, dusty roses, and buttery yellows of the flowers that we'd use in the garden inspired arrangements. We really wanted to ensure that the freshly-picked from the garden feeling was carried through the centrepieces, bouquets, and installations to capture the feeling of the elegant European gardens against the bright white of the studio space.
For the table scape, I was inspired by the traditional elements in regal table settings and wanted a way to make them more accessible for the modern couple, so I looked for twists on these traditions with a bit more of a contemporary feeling. As always, I looked for lots of opportunities to play with tone and texture across the full design.
See the full inspiration on our Pinterest page!
We chose the Conservatory space in Mint Room for the basque relief detailing and amazing faux fireplace which had a lot of the visual details we were looking for in a modern bright white finish.
For table settings, I sourced a gorgeous pale blue velvet cloth as the base, and some stunning pearl effect chargers with a classic pattern, and added to that blush smoke wine glasses, gold cutlery, and gauze napkins for a mix of textures and finishes.
One of my favourite vendor meetings leading up to the shoot was the trip to The Modern Bride in Guelph - the team helped us select a variety of elegant gowns and accessories from their extensive collection and used their expertise to recommend looks that were perfect for the shoot.
Our stationer hand designed the invitations which were a mix of vellum, watercolour florals, pearl touches, and blue toned flourishes that captured the blend of modern and classic and brought all of the colours of the floral design into the stationary suite.
The beauty team custom designed the pearls for the models hair to get the "floating" look of this major inspiration detail just right and ensure that the whole look was dripping with decadence.
Photos Courtesy of Inna Nova Photography
With so many elegant touches ready to execute, the team got down to work setting up and creating this beautiful and dreamy editorial in the warm morning light of the studio.
The beauty and styling teams got to work on both looks for our gorgeous model - the first look of the soft and filmy off-shoulder dress for the ceremony, with the elegant low ponytail and pearl hair beads; and the second look with the soft updo and the pearl and applique embellished gown as the reception look.
The floral design came out perfectly with just the right blend of soft colours and the elegant wildness of a palace garden, and the bouquet was one of my favourite ever with its blend of roses, ranunculus, and delphinium for that touch of French blue.
Rounding out the blue was our table scape with the lush blue velvet tablecloth. The pearl chargers were definitely one of the star elements, softened by the nude gauze napkins and the elegant menus and seating cards with the tiny pearl touches. And of course, I couldn't leave out the small food elements and added some fresh fruit for that extra touch of indulgence. Decadent, yes, but this is Versailles, after all.
Is your wedding vision one of romantic abandon and absolute decadence? Tell us what type of special touches you're looking for whether you want your wedding to be a little or a lot extra, and we'll help bring it all together.