Editorial: The Garden Wedding Styled Event

Earlier this year, Alexis Lunsford and I put together an editorial-like, stylized luxury Garden Party Wedding at the Thompson House & Gardens, now known as The Garden! We designed this hands-on workshop for some fellow photographers that we’d been mentoring to become the best versions of themselves for their future clients. Being a wedding photographer is about knowing the ins and outs of your craft. No new wedding venue, no difficult client, no surprise weather disruption can throw a seasoned wedding photographer off their game if they’re grounded in the basics.

What better way to remove the pressure of a wedding day than to throw a fake one? Bringing together a group of vendors to flex their muscles on a chosen theme let all them knock it out of the park. Who doesn’t love a little portfolio refresh where everything is in your control? What better way to learn than hands-on? What better way to meet fellow vendors? In many ways, the wedding industry—while vast—is also hyper localized. Every local wedding planner does in fact have their secret (or maybe not so secret) favorite photographer, their preferred florist or DJ, a recommendation for paper goods or cake baker. You have to be professional for your clients in the moment and aware that your paths will cross again inevitably. These are choppy waters to navigate as a new vendor entering the arena.

Creating The Perfect Luxe Garden Party Wedding

Danielle Swindle of Oakwood Lace and Co. is one of the best doing it in the game. She oversaw a magnificent team of vendors who took the theme and sprinted with it! When establishing the design, it was important that the decor and details magnified the dainty, feminine nature of the garden. One of Danielle’s strengths is florals. I’ve seen her match a bride’s vision every single time. When preparing a literal garden party, florals are the cornerstone of completing the visual designscape. R&R Secret Flowers provided some magnificent blooms!

a stylized luxury garden wedding editorial photography session at the garden outside athens, georgia formerly known as the thompson house and garden by sarah folsom photography, alexis lunsford photography, and oakwood lace and co

Kayla Walters is a hair and make-up rockstar. The morning of this stylized event she was on location with a bride on her wedding day. The professionalism is fantastic, but the willingness to give back to the local wedding community is truly inspiring! And her work? Chef’s kiss! The curls were absolutely to die for!

We dressed our beautiful models in a fantastic gown from Sakred Bridal and a tuxedo from Generation Tux! Sara Duchovnay Hilley decked her out in stunning vintage jewelry and we completed the look with gorgeous heels from Bella Belle Shoes!

Cake Envy is one of the best in our state. I mean, look at this masterpiece!

Of course, some of the chaos of a wedding day is in the blood pumping, life pulsing, music blasting perfection of the reception. That’s not something you can stage. But, every wedding always has a unique vendor that provides a fun opportunity. To add that surprise unique vendor vibe into our event, we brought in the wonderful live painter Caelan Hall Studios!

Capturing The Perfect Luxe Garden Party Wedding

I led the part of the workshop that focused on capturing the hard work these vendors put in. As a wedding photographer, my number one client is always my bride. But I am always aware that the vendors who are in the work I capture will also benefit from my work. In part, that’s why I’m always so quick to shout out everyone’s work in every single blog. Anytime one of my fellow vendors need a website refresh or an Instagram post, I’m sending them that perfect photo. In selling my product, I am also selling theirs. I never want to claim work as my own when every wedding is a conglomerate of amazing people that I see five or six Saturdays a year.

We spent time focusing on posing, composition, lighting, flat lays (shout out to Elysian Market, my go-to flat lay background!), and all the little detail moments that elevate a wedding portfolio from in the moment to forever timeless.

Speaking of elevated, check out this amazing stationary work done by Tiger Lily Invitations!

Selling The Perfect Luxe Garden Party Wedding

Alexis did a wonderful job presenting on how to approach publications and magazines with your work. One of the scariest moments of any photographer’s career is the first moment we submit our work for publication. No one likes being rejected. Everyone harbors that secret fear that maybe our work isn’t good enough. Knowing how to put your best foot forward is the quickest way to remove some of these fears.

Keep scrolling to see even more favorites from this luscious, luxurious day in the garden!