Give Thanks, Get Married-A Moody, Thanksgiving-Themed Styled Shoot in Stillwater, MN

Your wedding vendors can make or break your wedding day, and the same can be said for styled shoots. This fall, I was lucky enough to work with a dream team of vendors on a Thanksgiving-themed styled shoot at JX Event Venue in Stillwater, MN. The whole day was an absolute blast and we walked away with jaw-droppingly beautiful photos that are the perfect inspiration for a romantic, intimate, moody, boho November wedding. I’m so excited to share photos from this event, as well as feature some of the amazing vendors that brought our inspiration to life!

The Vision Come to Life

Mikelle Larson of Fersk Floral Artistry and I have known each other for awhile. And when I say awhile, I mean since diapers. I’ve been so lucky to have such a fun, creative, thoughtful and caring friend and I’ve been even luckier to call her a colleague these last few years as we’ve both found ourselves working in the wedding industry. We’ve been the dream team in planning and design since we were putting on Barbie pageants, but our work has certainly gotten more sophisticated! Give Thanks, Get Married was a styled shoot dream of Mikelle’s ever since she did florals for a wedding at JX Event Venue and fell in love with the space. The moody colors of Mikelle’s floral design inspired the vision for the rest of the event and the gorgeous rental pieces, simply elegant calligraphy and wow-factor drapery helped it come to life. To top it all off, JX Event Venue was the perfect backdrop, with its historical, industrial charm, high ceilings and plenty of natural light filtering into the space.

The Couple

Real couple, Idris & Pearla served as our models for this shoot, and they are gorgeous human beings, inside and out. To give you a picture of their dedication and generosity, they modeled for our styled shoot just FOUR DAYS before their own wedding! It was such a fun way to celebrate them and kick off their wedding week in style.

Although I’m convinced Pearla & Idris would look good wearing garbage bags, the bridalwear and groomswear highlighted their natural beauty and lent to the simple elegance of the shoot. The beaded details in the Justin Alexander gown reminded us of wheat, fall and harvest and we loved the soft, full romantic flow of the train. And I’ll admit, I was skeptical when I first heard about a bridal ponytail, but I love how it feels relaxed without being casual! I love this option for brides who want their hair out of their face without the super formal feeling of an updo.

The Food

It wouldn’t be a Thanksgiving-themed shoot without fantastic food, and who knew food styling could be such a work of art! Instead of the traditional “head table”, we went with a sweetheart table for this shoot. Couples are stepping outside of the box more and more to adjust for Covid safety, but the sweetheart table has ALWAYS been one of my favorite ideas. What a great way to have an intimate celebration, even inside a giant party! And what better way to step the sweetheart table up a notch than by making it a grazing table?! Just look at this amazing charcuterie spread!

For our dessert table, we featured a mulled wine bar and some of the most beautiful pies I’ve ever seen. People can be really picky when it comes to dessert food, and I’m here to tell you that you don’t HAVE to have a cake for your wedding! Cutting a pie is just as symbolic, and some may argue, more delicious. To all you November brides out there… I hope your celebration is a chance to give thanks, get married and if you’re lucky, eat some dang good pie.