It’s been a week since our cover shoot at 200 Peachtree and I’m just now getting around to this post. Apologies for the delay, but the AO headquarters are a bit crazy with our 1st Anniversary issue about to drop. And, let me be the first to tell you…..it’s going to be amazing. We’ve come a long way baby and this sneak peek into the our recent photo shoot is just the first, tiny glimpse you’ll see that proves it.
It all began when photographer, Ben Vigil, had an idea for a photo shoot. Months later, Tony Conway of A Legendary Event and I began brainstorming on the next cover concept of Occasions Magazine and then out popped 200 Peachtree and…. wham! We had a shoot. There were a lot more people than just the three of us on this project, in fact, we formed ourselves a little army of creative geniuses to put together what is going to be a 21, yes I said 21 page spread in the upcoming issue.
Creative Director, Steve Welsh and Floral Director Jeanna Graham of A Legendary Event were nothing but… legendary. They were the decor and over all ambiance authorities on the shoot and after handing over an inspiration board they ran with our idea of retro glam. A few funny stories… AO’s Lisa Alexander thought that I might need to get people’s attention during the shoot so she picked up the super cute bedazzled bell at Pier 1 on her way to the location. She is regretting the decision now, as I’m constantly abusing my bell privileges. Jimmy Choo and me…. ya we’re best buds now. Saks Fifth Avenue at Phipps was amazing to work with and we had over 10 pairs of outrageously gorgeous shoes to play dress up with. The above were my favorite.
Because Occasions Magazine is not just a wedding magazine, but so much more.. our models sported gowns for all special events. There’s a little gem of a dress shop in Buckhead called Susan Lee that we borrowed tons of gowns from and the above black Romona Keveza gown was straight from their selection. Sidenote, that gold and black netting headpiece was once the flair Cherry Blossom Creations had positioned on the top of her boxed invitations suite. We loved it so much we disassembled her artwork and put it on top of a model. Priceless.
Our army of event professionals consisted of just about every top wedding professional across the Metro Atlanta area. Above photographed are myself (in that awful orange shirt) with Tony Conway and Ashley Baber, Ben Vigil, David Caron and Lisa Alexander and Sharon Alexander of Sweet Sensations.
A world of thank yous go to Ben Vigil - photographer Extraordinaire, A Legendary Event for their Design & Floral expertise, Atlanta’s newest event venue 200 Peacthree, Magnum Lighting & Design for creating the ultimate mood, Event Drapery for softening the space, Event Rentals Unlimited for providing the bones of the shoot (tables and chairs), Cort Event Furnishings for the luxe white tufted banquette, BBJ Linens for the table coverings, Paces Paper for menu cards and place cards, Sweet Sensations for the most spectacular cake dripping with crystals (literally), Cherry Blossom Creations for the ultimate boxed invitation suite, The Ellis Hotel for the ultra comfortable accommodations and the nicest staff in town, Ashley Baber Weddings for their onsite support and coordination on the day of the shoot, Sean Thorndike for being our go-to guy of the day, Danny and David with Optimum Productions for capturing the entire shoot on video for us to relive over and over again, The Moore Agency for hair and makeup, Chaos Couture Bridal for the headpieces, Modern Romance for the haute gown accessories, Sakes Fifth Avenue at Phipps Plaza, Ann Roth Shoes, Bloomingdales at Lenox Mall, Susan Lee, Priscilla of Boston and the best yet…. the $300,000 worth of Jewelry Bulgari at Lenox let us borrow to add some icing to the models. Wow.
Our models Alicia, Chelsea and Jessica. Occasions staffers Lisa Alexander and Ashley Warren kept me half sane the entire two days!
And… the woman who made this post all possible (and more behind the scenes photo in our upcoming print issue), Nancy Jo McDaniel of NJM Photography.
Occasions Magazine is not an island. We would not be possible without the countless time, money and effort these people put into making this shoot possible. I hope you’ll be inspired by the final product available in bookstores July 1, 2010 and possibly seek their expertise for your own upcoming event.
Ciao!
Heather | May 28th, 2010 | See all posts by Heather
Looks like it is going to be fab. Can’t wait. Congrats.
[...] see it! Although we can’t show off the video footage yet, you can see a sneak peek over at Occasions Magazine’s Blog. Thank you to Heather from Occasions Magazine and Ben Vigil for the invitation. More to come as [...]
[...] out some behind the scenes into all of the work that went into the cover [...]