Delicate & Edgy: Our Romantic Southwest Michigan Cover Shoot

Photos ByThistle + Lace Photography

Written By

Date

January 26, 2023

The Vision

Inspired by her own dreams to have a large fall wedding, Leigha from EXL Events Co. wanted to create a black and white wedding scene. “I really wanted something that could fit all couples styles for any time of the year. By that I mean, simply switching the color palette but keeping the same décor. Versatility was definitely a goal,” Leigha explains. For her shoot, she added powder blue to give it a delicate touch, and copper to create some edginess.

The Venue

Part of the reason Leigha chose Bell Mare as her location to design is because it is a brand new venue that she couldn’t wait to decorate the way her heart desired. “I really had zero difficulties with the venue,” Leigha gushes. “While the venue has plenty of character and unique aspects, it’s mostly white, so when it came to design, it was like a designer's dream space to play with!” The Bell Mare fit perfectly into Leigha’s plan to design a shoot that could be reshaped into so many different wedding looks and created a beautiful backdrop for Thistle + Lace Photography to capture!

The Décor

The team sourced most of the décor from Burns Special Events with the goal to accent the flowers in the space. The main rentals were the tableware, which included black plates, powder blue napkins, bronze flatware, gold-rimmed glasses and antique water goblets.

The Stationery

Your Little Details designed a delicate stationery suite and welcome sign with the sweetest hand-drawn elements depicting the venue. And we love the way their menus pop against those black plates!

The Florals

Since they were the highlighted décor item of the shoot, the flowers had to be just right. Leigha let Laura from Truer Design have all creative control, as another element of this shoot was to bring vendors together and let them show off their skills! The flowers were mainly white with touches of baby’s breath that were colored pink and blue to match the color scheme. Laura also added in some black florals to go along with the edginess of the tablescape. One of our favorite touches are the colorful flowers suspended over the main table!

The Looks

The gown, provided by Simply Yours Bridal, donned beaded straps, a geometric design and a showstopping open back. Leigha raves, “I also got really lucky because it came with a detachable skirt, which aligns very well with the versatility aspect.” BÜK Weddings styled the bride with a simple updo to frame her face and show off the sweetheart neckline of the dress. They also stuck with classic neutral makeup with a little shimmer on her eyelids, creating a stunning beauty look! Louie’s Tux Shop provided an all black suit to go with the black and white theme.

The Cake

This beautiful cake fits perfectly with the delicate and classic feel of this shoot! Froehlich’s kept it simple with a white, two-tiered design but added in a fun striped texture in the icing and small pearl-like shapes along the bottom. The addition of the flowers amplifies the softness of the cake while reflecting the theme beautifully.