Orchard House Styled Elopement Shoot

A couple months ago, I came across an image on Pinterest of a couple in a wooded area. They were mostly surrounded by these tall, bare pine trees that I totally fell in love with and immediately knew I had to include in a shoot. I was wanting to market towards more intimate weddings and decided this was the perfect opportunity to design and photograph an elopement styled shoot!

This styled shoot was designed around tall, thin, pine trees. Everything was based on those trees, so the location was the most important factor. I went to my local photographer Facebook group and asked if anyone knew where I could find trees like that. Someone told me to try the Orchard House Bed and Breakfast in Granville. I went on their website, looked at their photos and mission, and I knew that it was the perfect venue for my shoot! I would never have found this place if it wasn’t for that fellow photographer.

I knew I wanted a really earthy feel, so I used natural tones like browns, blues, and greens. I didn’t have to do much because the Orchard House already has such an amazing ceremony site. The trees perfectly frame a white altar and are strung with twinkling lights down the aisle, with old church pews on either side. It’s a magical, private spot so I kept my props simple to enhance the beauty of all the natural elements.

Danielle from Dashing Designs took the colors from my mood board and created the perfect bouquet. AC Tuxedo was really great at helping me pick out the perfect tux. I chose to not include a coat because this was a more laid back, intimate setting and I didn’t want it to feel too formal. Weddings Etc. here in Lancaster helped me with the dress. It fit like a glove and went really well with the feel and colors of the shoot.

John and Ciara were my models and we had so much fun! They are actually one of my wedding couples this summer, so this gave them the chance to see how I shoot and what poses work best for them. Windi from Run to an Elopement “officiated” the ceremony. I’ve worked with Windi before and I knew she would be a great addition to our team of vendors.

Caitlin from Ampersand and Design wrote the vows for me. Since this was an elopement styled shoot, I couldn’t do traditional invitations. I decided to use personal vows instead. I love the shade of blue paper she used, and it tied in really well with the cake. The cake of course was made by Cakes by Kat Bakeshop. Kat captured the cake that I wanted perfectly! It was not only beautiful, but it tasted amazing too.

Hanna from Le’Reve Hair and Makeup LLC did Ciara’s hair and makeup. I know nothing about either one, so I gave Hanna free reign on both. She did a fantastic job! I love that the makeup was earthy tones, but still felt natural and not too dramatic. Ciara’s hair was in an elegant updo that helped show off the back of the dress. Swanky Wishes provided the table we used, and it’s actually made from an old door! It was a great rustic element to add to the shoot.

Bloomtastic Flowers created the flowers for the table. I love the look of the eucalyptus leaves and how they matched the dried eucalyptus in the bouquet. Joe Testa came and taped the whole shoot. I’m excited to see his final product. I also had my sister come as my assistant to help with behind the scenes photos. Keep an eye out for that post coming soon!

I’m so happy with how this elopement styled shoot turned out. I’m thankful for such a great team of vendors that really worked to bring this shoot together! I couldn’t have done it without them. I’m so glad I’m a part of a community where we work together to create art.