This shoot was a crazy mix of emotions for me. I had been dreaming of a gorgeous winter wonderland since we moved to Reno last summer. I planned and prepped… then we canceled (twice!) because it has yet to snow this winter in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I envisioned a snowy field and sadly there has been nothing white on the ground. We finally decided to go ahead with the shoot and I am so happy we did. Most of my original ideas were scratched but what came out instead was this wonderful story of friends, happiness and celebration, styled mostly on the spot… No snow needed! You can read the editorial story in our newest issue of Styled. magazine.

I wanted the day to be casual but also a seated event so we created a simple and pretty table filled with “snow” which was white tissue confetti and paper white bulbs potted inside miniature vintage copper cake pans. Simple striped paper napkins were brought into the celebration with a small amount of spray adhesive and sequins. The champagne was also coated in sequins to add a dash of celebratory color to our otherwise white table.

The inexpensive store purchased glass plates were gussied up with hand drawn gold triangles on the back side. I love using glass plates for custom designs, they are easy to personalize without needing to make your paint or markers food safe.

For the shoot we served vegetable shish kabobs blackened on personal table top grills (see the tutorial here) and enjoyed rich chocolate on the deck for dessert.

This was such a fun shoot for me to style!

Thanks to our wonderful photographers, Pictilio. Look for their special series contribution coming up in our next issue.

Thanks also to our models who came up from San Fransisco for the day; Konrad and Loma Miller, Jennifer Marshall, Kimberly Wolyn, Anthony Arata. A special thanks for Melanie Porter Meyer for doing all the hair and makeup, along with her husband John Meyer who shot our front page “better together” video.

blessings.