Royal Coral

April 19, 2019

Our lead planner Julia worked together with Maria Stecklair Photography to bring inspiration from Pantone's 2019 color of the year, Living Coral, and the Royal Wedding together into one beautifully styled wedding. The Residence at Baldwin was the perfect backdrop for such a grand aesthetic, and with unbelievable florals from B's Floral Design, we watched the magic of this shoot unfold.

Julia was able to cultivate a group of vendors and a real-life couple that together brought her vision to life. From the florals all the way down to the groom's tie, Living Coral was perfectly captured in every detail. She and I worked together on a beautiful laser-cut invitation suite on pearlized paper and complete with a velvet ribbon and wax seal. Mariya hand-painted a coral canvas backdrop that served as a perfect styling tool. At AER Weddings, we never want our couples to forget the small details of their day — that's why we take the time during our couples' getting-ready hours to curate a styling kit just for them and lay out their jewelry, stationery, shoes, and other items that are most important and too often forgotten. So much time and careful selection is put into picking out these little things, and we want to dedicate that same time to the artistry of styling them for photographs you will treasure forever. With florals this alluring and our bold color palette, working with these details was an absolute dream.

The Baldwin School has a breathtaking grand staircase that Mariya and Julia knew they needed to utilize to the fullest. Though the colors used throughout this shoot are more modern, the timelessness of the royal wedding and the old architecture of the building itself called for some vintage elements. Antique books and gold votives adorned the staircase, intertwined with vivid blooms and greenery. The same style carried over into a beautiful sweetheart table design in front of the stone fireplace. Bridget at B's worked on-site to create a masterpiece of a floral installation above that captivated us all. Every detail of this photoshoot was carefully planned and executed, all the way down to the classic desserts from Lysa's Caketique. Even the gown provided by Lizelle's Bridal mimicked the traditional look of Meghan Markle's wedding dress, but with the unique modern twist of pockets. Every piece united in a graceful dance of then and now.

Our real-life couple, Jenny & Wenda, stunned us all with their chemistry and poise. Posing these two in this set felt so natural, and we were so happy that they had volunteered to model. We love to use actual couples in all of our shoots — hiring models can certainly make things easier from a logistical standpoint, but nothing compares when there is real love in front of the camera. Jenny was absolutely gorgeous in the soft white gown, and her hair and makeup from Top Knots by Aimee and Lacey Heist looked impeccable. Wenda rocked his coral tie, and the two of them fit into set like the missing puzzle pieces needed to complete the day. Each vendor put so much effort into this shoot, and the end result is a true testament to that. Julia did amazing work coordinating every vendor and detail, creating a design plan that encompassed what was important to both the photographer and the venue while giving her own personal touch. We are so excited to have her on the AER Weddings team.