Bespoke Wedding Stationery | Calligraphy | Charlottesville, Virginia
My very first styled shoot designing a custom bespoke wedding invitation was a whirlwhird of amazing! I was moving to a new state (hello Virginia!) with a toddler and a burgeoning stationery and calligraphy business which is always a little crazy. I hadn’t even started unpacking yet when I saw a post through the Charlottesville Rising Tide Society looking for a Charlottesville wedding stationery designer to design an invitation suite for an upcoming styled shoot. I swallowed my fear and responded back that I would love to contribute.
I had never done a styled shoot before, I literally hadn’t met a single Virginia wedding vendor yet and my computer, along with the rest of my life, was in boxes, but I didn’t let any of that hold me back! I was overjoyed when Isadora of Rixey Manor said they wanted me to design the invitation suite and collaborate with Anna of Simply Handwritten by Anna for the calligraphy. I couldn’t believe it, my very first styled shoot! I immediately sat down and started sketching ideas for the suite. Anna created some beautiful spot calligraphy I used throughout pieces of the suite and she even painted the watercolor crest that complemented the design perfectly. I fell in love with the design aesthetic of the shoot particularly because it mirrored Farmstead’s branding so well.
It was already a dream styled shoot, allowing me to delve creatively into ideas I hadn’t had the chance to showcase before (hello deckled edge!) and then a week before the shoot I received the timeline for the day titled “Madeline Stuart Photoshoot”. I didn’t think much of it until a few days before when I decided maybe I should google Madeline Stuart and see what comes up . . . um am I doing my very first styled shoot with a world renowned fashion model?! A model looking to change society’s perception of beauty and spread her message of acceptance? Why yes, yes I am! To say I was excited is an understatement!
I could hardly contain myself on the drive to the shoot! I was in awe I was participating in my first styled shoot, meeting vendors in my new area, delivering one of my all time favorite invitation suites and about to witness history! I briefly met Madeline and her mom before she was whisked away for hair and makeup, and Madeline was just the sweetest! You could see her genuine enthusiasm for modeling and she literally lit up the room!
Obviously the shoot went fantastic and once the photos were published, y’all the response was overwhelming! We literally broke the internet! The shoot was featured in dozens of media sources all across the world from People to Huffington Post to Wedding Chicks and even CNN. And Nugen Media made a beautiful behind the scenes video, with an awesome shot of the invitation suite at 0:14! So all in all this styled shoot was a dream come true on many fronts and beyond compare for this wedding stationery designer!
Madeline Stuart – Rixey Manor from Nugen Media on Vimeo.
Thank you to all the talented Virginia wedding vendors!
Model | Madeline Stuart and instagram
Venue + Styling | Rixey Manor
Photography | Sarah Houston and Lieb Photographic, photos featured in this blog by Lieb Photographic
Videography | Nugen Media
Fashion | Ava Laurenne
Flowers | Good Earth Flowers
Hair + Makeup | Sara Dodson and Casey Hargrove
Jewelery | Suz Somersall
Cake | Gateau
Orchids | Color Orchids
Gift items | Southern Grown Vintage
Paper Flowers | Creations by DGB
Invitations | Farmstead Design Studio
Calligraphy | Simply Handwritten by Anna
Signage | Bella Love Letters