Where on earth to begin with this story? It’s a fun one, so grab a cup of coffee and I’ll tell you. A wonderful group of vendors and I started planning a styled wedding shoot at The Edison. Styled shoots give us a chance to slow down a bit (vs. the speed of a real wedding), create something unique that we want to showcase for future brides to give them inspiration, and basically just have fun and collaborate with colleagues. So as we planned the shoot, we of course needed people to model for us, and after a bunny trail of connections and emails, Lisa Davis brought us Jenn Powell! Now, as a photographer in town I have known Jenn for quite some time. She is a woman who wears many hats and has many talents, one of them being a photographer herself. But she also happens to be quite the fitness inspiration, as well as very photogenic. 😉 When Jenn met us at Vocelles to find a dress to wear, she mentioned that the following week was her 15th wedding anniversary with her husband, Russ. I told her how Ryan and I had just done a vow renewal the previous year for our 10th, and she said she had always wanted to do that, but ran out of time to plan something.
Now, if you know me, you know I adore a good surprise. So the wheels started turning pretty quickly, and I ran the idea past my lovely crew of vendors – “Would you want to plan a surprise vow renewal for Jenn and Russ when they come to model?” Because I was working with the best ladies in the world, they gave a resounding ‘YES!’, and I started reaching out to more people. Everyone I asked said yes, without hesitation. It was truly something beautiful, and the best was yet to come.
Jenn had to be in on the surprise, but we kept it a secret from her husband. Meanwhile Jenn is sending an invitation to her closest friends, buying a pretty pink dress for her daughter Charley Rae, and trying not to spill the beans. When they arrived we had them in the upstairs room (Innovation Hall) and took a bunch of cute portraits of them, knowing that their friends and family would soon arrive downstairs on the lawn overlooking Cascades Park. Sara Michaels of Saramonies graciously agreed to come perform their ceremony, and after Jenn and Russ walked out to see everyone, Sara dove right in. I didn’t give her much time at all to plan, but she delivered the most touching words – but doesn’t she always? I even threw this at Krisha Singh of Unique Video Creations, and despite their crazy busy spring wedding season, he came to film the whole thing! (can’t wait to see that, but video takes longer than stills so we are being patient!)
This was truly a labor of love, and I thought we were maybe a little crazy for taking on something so big (after already shooting 4 other models all day). But as it all unfolded, I had tears in my eyes because I knew we did an awesome thing. It was a privilege to work with such beautiful and GIVING people. The Tallahassee wedding scene is an awesome one!! Tons of vendors listed/linked below. Go check them all out!
Venue: The Edison (Onsite coordinator with the Edison is the wonderful Kate Biel!)
Coordinating & design: Diane Bardhi of Sweet Tea Events
Florals and design (these two ladies own separate businesses, but worked together so beautifully): Tangy Williams of Posh Stems, and Kristi Sanders of At Last Florals
Cake Artist: Maria Streety of Artistic Confections
Rentals: EP Luxe (which is owned by Tangy and her business partner, Frankie)
Bridal Gown: Vocelles | The Bridal Shoppe, designed by Essense of Australia
Videographer: Krishna Singh of Unique Video Creations
Officiant: Sara Michaels of Saramonies
Makeup Artist: Image by Lisa
Hair Stylist: Chelsea Fleck of Salon 6
Uplighting: Amplify Entertainment
Linens: BBJ Linen
Our real bride: Jenn Powell Fit
Realizing the surprise he was walking into:
I love that Sara brought up their kids, Fisher and Charley Rae:
Thank you Sara!
A little behind the scenes look at the fun!
