Whimsical Boho Elopement: Green Wedding Styled Shoot Challenge 2020

On September 26th, 2020, the Green Wedding Guild held their first Sustainable Wedding Styled Shoot Challenge at Windy Hill Farm in North Carolina. We had four teams participating, each led by a Guild planner who created a wedding style while keeping to a set of sustainable guidelines. The guidelines were as follows:

• Flowers must be sourced locally and seasonally, and no floral foam may be used.

• No “new” items may be purchased for this shoot. Decor may be rented, borrowed, or thrifted.

• Attire & accessories may be pre-loved, from a rental company, or from a sustainable designer.

• Food (if used) should be seasonally & locally inspired.

• Stationery (if used) should contain recycled content, be sourced from sustainably managed forests, or in some other way promote sustainability (eg: seed paper, bamboo paper, etc.).

Each team created a beautiful and unique look, and we were blown away by each design! In this series of posts we want to share the styles created by each team, and some of the decisions our planners made to accomplish their look.

Boho Style by KayMae Designs

Photography by Rose Trail Images

2020 has been a wonderful time of solitude and quiet space due to the pandemic. It's also been excruciating for those of us with wanderlust. I typically travel to and from Montreal several times a year, I just simply love the French feel of that beautiful place... it's like getting a taste of Europe without the extensive airplane ride. As I thought about creating a unique vision for our styled shoot, the idea of boho meets travel meets France came to mind. Art is never an exact thing for me, so I kept these few themes in my mind's eye as we approached the shoot. The final product was a beautiful space that certainly reminded me of the beauty I find in Montreal. 

We worked alongside Bowerbird Apothecary for florals. Diane and her daughter created a gorgeous bouquet from local wild grasses and a simple flower crown for our flower girl. In this case, I chose a variety of dried and preserved stems. I had never worked with dried flowers before, but when I arrived at their shop in Durham to see the array of dried stems available I knew I had to have them. As I wondered about their shop, I discovered a unique piece of pottery from a local potter. This was a plate with a dome shape in the center. The dome consisted of many openings to hold flower stems. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. I purchased this piece to host the rainbow of dried flowers I purchased. Our final look was unique, textural, and stunning. 

We chose to hire as local as possible, working with vendors in and around the Chapel Hill area. Our dress for the shoot was a borrowed gown available for rent through our photographer, Rose Trail Images. Our intention for sustainability here was to source reusable items only, nothing was brand new. Even our dried flowers were reusable! 

I loved having the freedom to choose any location on the property to set up our shoot. The farm was so naturally gorgeous it was difficult to imagine disturbing the landscape with a styled shoot, but in the end, we chose to set up at the base of a large, old tree. 

Vendor Team

Venue: Windy Hill Farm

Planner: KayMae Design

Photographer: Rose Trail Images

Rentals: Southern Vintage Table, American Party Rentals

Flowers: Bowerbird Flowers & Apothecary

Gown: Rose Trail Images

Hair & Makeup: Perfection by Patricia

Macarons: Sage & Swift

Stationary: The UPS Store 5596

Rings: Kay Jewelers