Wild Romance: An Innovative & Organic Wedding at the Indianapolis Zoo

Photos ByJamie Vester Photography

Written By

Date

October 11, 2018

The Vision

The zoo is a place to have fun and be curious, but — more importantly — it is a place where we can create heartwarming memories with the ones we love. As an unexpected and exciting venue option—zoos are often overlooked, yet they host some of the most contemporary, eye-catching event spaces. That is why we looked to the Indianapolis Zoo as the location for this cover shoot. Its earthy spaces and exotic animals offered unusual inspiration for an organic and delicate theme with soft hues of purple and floral elements. Sarah Farthing of All in the Details was the experienced planner who brought this vision to life. Like the whimsy and inquisitiveness that you may feel while exploring the zoo, we wanted to create a similar feeling of excitement and invite an innovative look into wedding venues.

The Florals

Inspired by the zoo animals and Sarah’s overall vision, Violets are Blue Floral Design, created pieces of greenery to mimic the fauna of the zoo. As for the bouquet, Sarah says, “I wanted the bouquet to look like a living piece that was freshly pulled together from the surrounding environment and Violets are Blue delivered just that.” The florist used roses, spray roses, dusty miller, ivy, varieties of orchids and Lisianthus in order to curate these exquisite floral pieces.

The DÉcor

“I wanted the venue, the animals, as well as the surrounding natural elements to be the star of this cover shoot.” says Sarah. “As a result, I went for a very calming and cool palette of gray and lavender, all the while bringing in accents of greenery and other tones that occurred naturally on the butterflies that initially inspired my vision for this shoot.” Captured by Jamie Vester Photography, this vision came to life with the work of the entire team. LGi Linens provided the subtle, purple linens as well as silver, textured linens to add depth—bringing this palette together. A Classic Party Rental provided glassware and gold flatware that perfectly matched the subtle theme.

The Venue

“There are so many different areas to explore and animals to learn about,” says Sarah. “It’s an amazingly inspirational space in its own right.” The zoo offers several event spaces, such as the Hilbert Conservatory, where flowers and plants served as bright touches for the background and the Hulman Riverhouse, which boasts floor-to-ceiling windows for an open, romantic feeling. Other spaces include the Efroymson Wedding Garden, an idyllic scene for ceremonies and the new Bicentennial Pavilion, a modern space perfect for a chic reception. Another thrilling event spot is the Dolphin Dome where the team created an elegant, cocktail hour complete with delicious appetizers from Centerplate with, of course, dolphins! The zoo also offers interactive moments with their animals. Jackie Sabrosky, Wedding & Events Sales Manager at the Indianapolis Zoo says, “A new and memorable experience that will tickle you pink is the flamingo feed experience! The new flamingo feed allows the engaged couple to come up close and personal with our flamingos by feeding them one of their favorite foods, krill!”

The Look

The team designed a bridal look that complemented the natural hues of the shoot. That Special Touch Bridal Boutique provided the “Lindsey” dress by Morilee. Sarah says, “I knew it was the right ball gown for this cover shoot. The mixed pattern embroidery embellishments on the gown alternated between a floral design and a pattern that some might say was reminiscent of an animal. It was perfect for our flora and fauna shoot!” This gown was paired with a soft, textured updo as well as neutral-tone makeup, giving the bride an overall sophisticated look created by Andi Sherman of Something Blue Stylists. The shoot also included a second look that was an Allure Bridal gown. Sarah says, “It was clean and elegant in the front, but the back was dramatic and accented with cascading buttons. It was the picture-perfect combination of timeless and modern that I had been looking for in a second look.”

The Stationery

Eileen Adam of Noteworthy Expressions designed stationery pieces that brought in the organic components of the shoot as well as the color palette. Sarah says, “The invitation suite she produced consisted of a refreshing display of soft and dusty purple accents that are increasing in popularity due to the Pantone color of the year.” Laura Reilly Calligraphy made acrylic décor pieces that featured elegant lettering for an ornate touch.

The Cake & Desserts

Classic Cakes delivered a four-tiered cake with fondant, floral details that were hand-painted with the same hue of purple as the linens. Sarah says, “They also created delicious and edible place cards!” The place cards provided another level of detail to the shoot that show what a difference small elements can make. Jack’s Donuts provided the donuts for the cocktail hour dessert display which showed a fun way to incorporate, edible décor into a wedding.