Whimsical Wellesley Shoot by Summer Street Photography + Whim Events

 Click here for the FULL photo shoot gallery

From Whim Events… Almost every little girl falls desperately in love with tales of Happily Ever After. Our goal for this inspiration shoot was to evoke those same childhood dreams for today’s bride, with a whimsical but modern twist on a fairy tale romance. Many of our brides come to us with dreams of a fairy tale wedding, but don’t want things to be too formal, common or forced. So, we worked to keep the elements enchantingly beautiful, yet seemingly natural. As if in an enchanted forest of a storybook, we created a natural & woodsy tone, with sweet, yet unexpected vintage elements. We wanted to inspire a magical storybook day, without going over the top.

As we began to think about what elements our storybook bride would love to have spun throughout her big day, our imagination was sparked by classic fairy tales. We found fantastic stationary by Jody Worthington (for Minted) called “Story Book”, to tell a romantic tale for guests from the moment they got their invitation. The teal and purple color pallet was inspired by the cover of the book The Secret Garden and set a whimsical tone for the design. We added birds into the mix (they did help put together Cinderella’s dress, didn’t they?!) by incorporating love birds on the tablescape, in the guest book concept and by using hand-designed birdhouse escort cards. The guest book concept was a Rapunzal tree-twine ladder for guests to leave notes, and favors were wrapped in little Alice in Wonderland-like gift boxes.

Most of our brides never want inspiration to be forced or cheesy, so we tried to use many of the elements within the garden to naturally enhance the storybook theme. And we always try to tie in elements that are special to our bride and groom (in this case, books, a locket or hand-mirror passed down from the bride’s grandmother). But, what was honestly so amazing about creating this dreamy storybook shoot was how it came to life naturally…like magic. And isn’t that what happy endings are all about?

Photography: Summer Street Photography / Coordination, Styling & Floral Design: Whim Events /
Venue: The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the Gardens at Elm Bank / Hair & Make-Up: Ashley Brecken Hair Styling & Make-up Artistry / Wedding Dress: Designer, Coren Moore, the “Reese”, available at Flair BridesMaids, Boston / Hair Accessories: Flair BridesMaids Boston / Flower Girl Dress: Flair BridesMaids Boston / Junior Bridesmaid Dress & Fur Cape: Nordstrom / Invitations: Designed by Jody Worthington, exclusively for Minted / Birdhouse Escort Card Design: Jill Hoy