Enchanted Garden Daydream
The tone of this shoot was inspired by Florida’s beautiful botanical gardens and a vision of colorful glam outdoor weddings. The Garden Villa is a dreamy garden whose beauty and charm provide the perfect backdrop for an outdoor wedding. This gem is nestled in the heart of Winter Park, a city near Orlando, FL. The color palette of black, gold, navy blue was perfectly paired with colorful floral to reflect glamour, the sun and blooms of a lush foliage. Each component was incorporated in the decor,bridal fashion, as well as hair and makeup. These delightful details were captured by Unashamed Imaging. Our unveiled bride wore a fitted beaded elegant wedding gown with a touch of sexy. It was stylish, yet versatile enough to navigate a garden on a wedding day. Rather than focus on the style of a cliché garden wedding, a lovely combination of elements was used to create a unique styled wedding. To bring this eclectic theme to life, a squared table was dressed in a crinkled navy tablecloth. To complete the design, a table space of colorful garden floral and pillar candles was the table’s focal piece. The place settings were bushed gold charger plates with yellow napkins atop, to tie in the floral colors. Elegant menu cards with gold foil tropical design, were added to complete the look of the place setting. To further glam up this table, black ghost chairs were used for seating to add a modern touch.One of the favorites, unique and sweet addition was a two-tiered black wedding cake with a cascading wave pattern of colorful garden floral. Incorporating another modern element, the cake was displayed on a gold metal column stand. I'm also excited to share that this has been officially published on MunaluchiBridal.com. Check it out here to see more images from this shoot. Vendors: Venue: The Garden Villa Ballet Flats: Rescue Flats Photography: Unashamed Imaging Bridal Gown and Accessories: The Dressing Room Planning/Design: Immaculate Events, LLC Hair/Makeup: GAD Artistry Rentals: A Chair Affair Linen: Over the Top Rental Floral: RJ Glamour and Innovation Cake: Bakers Cottage Cakes Acrylic Sign: Andi Mejia Calligraphy and Design
Participating in this shoot was really important to me because every bride, regardless of her ethnic background, deserves to be showcased. More often than not, I am contacted by women of color with the disappointment of not seeing themselves online or in beautiful wedding images. Every Bride, regardless of her ethnic background, is beautiful in her own unique way. From her personality to her unique features, that’s what sets her a part and makes her shine bright on her special day. No Bride (realistically) looks exactly alike, but to a Bride in planning seeing another Bride’s wedding can inspire her and ultimately help her with planning. I'll never forget the moment when I received an inquiry from a Bride. She had been following me for some time on Instagram, and in her email she expressed a heartfelt statement that made me stop for a moment. I’m about to share that with you. (Sidenote: This goes to show that people can have a connection to your brand before they really get the opportunity to work with you.) THE EMAIL “I really love your work. I have been following you on Instagram for some time now and I’m so excited to reach out to you about your wedding photography. I love how beautifully you photograph ALL of your couples and Brides, but being able to see myself in one of your black-Brides really makes your photography stand out. I don’t want to sound weird, but being African-American sometimes it’s hard to see yourself in Brides (featured in magazines, television, or online) that don’t look like you. Being of a darker-tone it’s even harder. Seeing a Bride that is my exact skin-tone and how beautiful she looks in your photographs; I felt like I had a place. Like I belonged. I could see myself in her wedding photos, and that made me smile.” – Inquiring UI Bride When I first received her email I wasn’t expecting this type of message to be included. Most Brides start off with their wedding day and then begin to inquire about my Collections. Yes, sometimes they do share feedback about my work, but this one was different. It was different because she shared her heart and how my imagery was directly effecting her in a positive manner. It was knowing that a photograph I captured of my beautiful UI Bride, made another woman feel even more beautiful about herself. It was knowing that my work can speak to any Bride, and remind Bride’s of all colors that they are beautiful. It was knowing that a woman who may have had negative thoughts about her skin color or perhaps others have attacked her for her skin tone –my images let her know that none of that mattered. After reading her message, while I was happy that she contacted me to shoot her wedding I wanted to respond to her message about being encouraged through my photography. I wanted her to know that she was beautiful and that her darker skin tone IS beautiful. I wanted her to know that she can be herself with Unashamed Imaging, and that as her wedding photographer my goal is to bring out what she already embodies, and for her to embrace it. At the end of the day, I want people to embrace who they really are. I want them to love themselves and not beat themselves up; the world already does enough of that. Fitting in is a struggle for a lot of people (both men and women alike), so if all it takes is one photo to make you realize how unique and beautiful you are then I hope that more people like the Bride who reached out to me and shared what my photography did to her mindset and view of herself – encounter this same experience. I'd also like to share two additional articles that I took the time to write for. I'm serious about letting women of color know that are valued. Take a moment to check out my feature in BAUCE Magazine.
