Children of the 80s, listen up! If you loved Lisa Frank, Zack Morris, side ponytails, and neon colors, you’re going to LOVE this styled shoot from some of Pittsburgh’s finest wedding talent. When tasked with using a box full of mystery ingredients to curate a wedding theme, Sandrachile and Devoted to You delivered. And I mean in an EPIC way. They enlisted the help of Fresh Cut Prints and Leafhopper Designs to bring this unique, throwback vibe to life. Vibrant colors like hot pink, purple, yellow, and turquoise looked striking against black and white accents and the blank slate-ness of the shoot location – The Union Hall at Bar Marco. With floral arrangements of varying sizes, styles, and textures, gold flatware, vegan Relish donuts garnished with fresh fruit, and confetti galore, the tablescape was playful and nostalgic. Because 80s music is the best music, subtle nods were thrown to classic jams with record place settings and bold fonts in the paper goods. Even the models looked the part with a custom tulle skirt made by Kata Banko Couture and bold, bold, BOLD hair and makeup by Colton DeLong. A rad, modern twist on the favorites of my childhood, this styled shoot will leave you both inspired and longing for those good ol’ days!
Some behind the scenes pics of the killer team in action, working to bring the whole vibe to life.
From the photographer…
In the middle of the December hecticness, I came across a post on Facebook inviting wedding vendors to participate in a contest that would put our talents to the test. The challenge was to style a fake wedding in one week. On top of the time constraint, we had to use the elements of a mystery box, and of course, we did not know what those elements were until receiving it.
Being the restless individual that I am, I signed up faster than light, putting together a team that I was confident would leave everything “on the field”. Every member of the team was very talented, yet very different from each other in terms of style. Our biggest challenge was to bring all these micro visions together cohesively, in a crunch time frame. Despite being all different from each other, we all have one common core – we are all SUPER passionate about our crafts. I named the team Confetti Unicorns, and together we put this styled shoot together in four days. On March 15th, while the women of the country marched for equality, we demanded equality by doing what we do best – we styled a killer wedding.
Our mystery box had papers, acrylic tags, and confetti; we knew exactly that our inspiration would be from the late 80’s and early 90’s…Saved by the Bell, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Paula Abdul, New Kids On The Block, Cindy Lauper, and Lisa Frank. We loved this era of so many icons, but we wanted to give it a contemporary modern twist.
We incorporated colors through our vegan donuts, which were iced and decorated with bright fruits. The bridal ensemble was a custom creation of the amazing Kata Banko Couture, who in only two days and without ever seeing the model came up with an amazing piece that included layered tulle, a statement of the early 90’s, yet it was a separate, which is a current trend. The flowers were different sizes, styles, and textures, bringing the color palette to a full swing. The bride’s hair incorporated a pop of color though extensions, and her makeup included a playful eye shadow. Since the 80’s and 90’s music was an underlying vibe, we emphasized it by upcycling records as place cards and in the stationery design.
And personally, as a photographer, I wanted to emphasize beauty beyond traditional stereotypes and standards by asking a non-model couple to be my model for a day. This couple added the perfect dose of empowerment and sexiness, which in the end made us the winners of the competition, showing everyone the incredible talent we have right here in the Burgh.
Vendors
Photography: Sandrachile | Stylist: Devoted to You | Accessories: Rosey West | Custom Dress: Kata Banko Couture | Desserts: Vegan donuts by Relish Co. | Flowers: Leafhopper Designs | Hair: Colton DeLong | Makeup: Colton DeLong | Menswear: The Groomsman Suit | Models: Kimmy Johnson and Jeffrey Robert | Neck Tie: Becoming | Shoes: Cinderella of Boston | Shoot Location: The Union Hall at Bar Marco | Stationery & Paper Goods: Fresh Cut Prints | Mystery Box Items: Curated by Color Pop Events | Contest Organizers: Catalyst Wedding Magazine | Paper Inspiration: Suite Smith Design | Acrylic Name Tags: California Lustre | Confetti: The Confetti Bar
Photography: Sandrachile | Custom Dress: Kata Banko Couture | Shoot Location: The Union Hall at Bar Marco | Stationery & Paper Goods: Fresh Cut Prints
