If you think back to 2020, one of the huge color trends within the wedding industry was using shades of blue. Particularly, the dusty tones took off; dusty blue, rose, mauve, sage. All of those inviting colors that look a bit vintage when you see them being used. Erin, the owner of Rhea Lee Event wanted to put together a bridal photoshoot to showcase a new way to use dusty blue – by mixing it with navy and copper. By introducing the metallic and darker tones alongside dusty blue, she was able to create a modern color palette that feels a bit industrial. 

As Erin put together her vision, she reached out to local vendors to see if they wanted to be part of this photoshoot and was able to secure the perfect venue in downtown Elkin, NC; Coley Hall at the Liberty. If you have never been to Elkin, NC, it is a small town nestled into the foothills with an active train system still running on the Yadkin Valley Railroad. Tall brick buildings fill the streets and lots of revitalization has happened over recent years. One of those revitalization projects was Coley Hall, which has the best rustic industrial vibe. Exposed beams, original brick and wooden floors fill the space and it was the perfect backdrop for this photoshoot.

We were asked to create a set of custom wedding invitations and day of stationery for the styled photoshoot and we couldn’t say no. As a native of Yadkin County, I was thrilled to be working with vendors from the areas surrounding my hometown and couldn’t wait to see everything come together. My team and I decided that we wanted to create something unique that we hadn’t put together before, which is really the driving force behind working a styled shoot. We were looking to create something that a typical couple may not ask for; something that breaks the mold of the regularly requested invitations. 

We came up with a watercolor inspired, multi-layered invitation with pops of metallic copper. The invitation is two layers: a vellum backing, adorned with a blue watercolor print and hand gilded copper, and a smaller white card that contains all of the wedding day details. We designed a coordinating rsvp card and matching envelopes to complete the invitation suite. Once the invites were done, we moved onto the day of stationery as we created a dinner and drink menu and placecards for each guest. We were able to carry over the materials from the invitation into these products as well; using cardstock for the dinner menu and attached place card, while the drink menus were printed on vellum. We even added more gilded copper onto the place cards, for that little bit of shine at each place setting.

We worked with an amazing team of vendors as everything came together that January. One of my personal favorite moments of a styled shoot is when the cake and invitations match up so perfectly; and boy did they do it for this photoshoot. Rustic Charm Confections provided the killer cake and it complimented the invitations and decor perfectly. Every detail was so well thought out and it really goes to show what a beautiful event can be created when we work so closely together.

Check out the team who put this together: