Organic Elegance Meets Rustic Charm: WeddingDay Magazine's Exclusive 2025 Look Book Cover Shoot

Photos ByChrystin Melanie Photography

Written By

Date

February 3, 2025

The Vision

A single photo was what inspired our stunning naturally and elegant 2025 Look Book cover shoot. Leigha Vinson of EXL Events Co., the planner and coordinator of the shoot, shares, “I had seen a post somewhere of a dinner table using moss as part of its décor and just loved it. From there, the idea of making a design that looked like I had just gone outside and used what I could find just grew.” Leigha settled on a nature-inspired color palette and set her sights on finding as many elements as she could that were made out of organic materials which brought together our beautiful cover shoot!

The Venue

Even though Leigha hadn’t seen the venue in person beforehand, Inisfree Estate couldn’t have been a more ideal location for our shoot! “Inisfree is an incredible, restored barn with massive doors on both sides, so when they're open, you're basically outside anyway,” Leigha raves. The incredible staff also set this venue apart! “They were some of the most hospitable and accommodating venue owners I had ever worked with.” All of the wooden details throughout the venue lend themselves to Leigha’s theme of natural elegance perfectly. And we are obsessed with all the fun photo opportunities Chrystin Melanie Photography had with the stunning landscape around the property!

The Décor

To bring this natural cover shoot to life, Leigha and the team focused on burgundy, green, gold and neutral colors. As always, AAYS Event Rentals came through with perfect décor for the setup. “Every item was carefully selected to enhance the design concept,” Leigha explains. While some of the rentals were not nature-specific, they helped build the overall theme of the shoot. Some of our favorite organic touches are the mushroom glasses from venue, the napkins with the vine designs from Special Occasions and the custom-made charger plates from Hook Pottery Paper, which were made with clay directly from the ground!

The Florals

Obviously, florals are a main detail of any nature-inspired shoot, and this one is no exception! Because Leigha was originally inspired by a moss centerpiece, there are plenty of moss touches in this shoot, too. Pushin Petals Detroit curated a beautiful array of blooms that brought in an elegant air to the design. We love all the white, voluminous flowers that fill the space. And since they decided to use frogpins in place of vases, it looks like the floral arrangements are blooming right out of the moss!

The Stationery & Signage

The invitation suite, paper products and signage for our cover shoot are stunning creations from Allison of Your Little Details. They all incorporate rich colors with elegant fonts and gold detailing that enhance our organic yet elegant theme. However, the most unique designs she created is the table numbers and seating chart display. Leigha shares, “This is something I was extremely excited about because I had never seen it done before. I told Allison I wanted to use actual stone for the table numbers and signage.” Allison ended up using a counter top that she broke with a hammer to give them an organic, jagged edge to create a more natural, dug-out-of-the-ground look. We are absolutely obsessed!

The Looks

Staying in line with the natural theme, the beauty team wanted to enhance our model's natural beauty, electing to use just enough makeup to add dimension to the bride’s face without overpowering it. Blushing Beauty & Co. styled her hair in a high modern bun which really show off her facial features, while Jenn Martz Makeup Artistry kept her makeup light, with the exception of a darker shadow to add dimension. As for the dresses, two stunning gowns from La Bridal Loft were utilized. The ceremony look was a classic strapless gown with intricate satin details, including a sweetheart neckline and high leg slit. The simplicity of this gown really allowed our natural theme to shine! The reception look was a more modern design with a detailed beaded bodice and simple skirt. We’re also obsessed with the groom’s burgundy suit that added a nice pop of color in the portraits!

The Cake

While at first glance this cake looks like a standard white, three-tiered wedding cake, the talented Trina from Homestead Kitchen took this opportunity to create something more interesting. Leigha says, “She added pearlescent details bordering a break in the smooth frosting all the way up the cake making it look like waves in the ocean with pearls. She also handmade flowers with super thin stems around the top to add a pop of color, and it was perfect.” We couldn’t agree more!