Mari Foster 10/23/18 Mari Foster 10/23/18

Autumn Inspiration | Oh The Heart

When Ashley, the editor of Oh The Heart , approached me about participating in a styled shoot for fall trends on her new bridal blog for Central Ohio, I jumped at the chance! The team she put together was full of some of Ohio’s most talented vendors and it was an honor to be included among them. You can’t tell int he images but it was an incredibly hot day (hard to get in the fall mood in 90 degree heat!) But I’m still imagining a crisp breeze and the smell of a bonfire when I look at these images.

Images via Pinterest, Celia Grace, Vivian Kammel, Mole Hollow Candles, Miesh Photography, CELINE CHHUON — Images via Pinterest, Celia Grace, Vivian Kammel, Mole Hollow Candles, *Miesh Photography*, CELINE CHHUON

For any design, I always first create a mood board to get the feel and color palette all together in one place. Often I will include images of pieces I know we’ll be using!

Tip: When putting together a idea board for your wedding, try looking for inspiration images NOT related to weddings! Look to art, architecture, food, gardens, landscape photographers for imagery that captures the atmosphere and feel you want rather than just images of someone else’s wedding. This way you are more likely to have a more unique design overall and less likely to be copy-pasting from 10 other brides weddings with no knowledge of when they happened, what their budget was or what their vendor team looked like.

The first thing we chose for the shoot was the dress (a Celia Grace design hand printed with marigold petals from temples in India! Styled by Alex Perry, HMUA Beauty By JLou.) I also had an image of some the paper we’d be using in the stationery suite by Vivian Kammel and was able to use both as a jumping off point to build the design of the shoot. Vivian designed a beautifully minimalist menu and stationery set for this shoot, complete with wax seals of her own design!

I foraged some mushrooms right on site that made their way into the flat lays and centerpieces! I love finding natural treasures at shoots that help tie everything together and feel rich and organic.

We had the privilege of working at the stunning Warwick Farm in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and there were so many perfect and photogenic spots it was hard to choose where to set up! We settled on a spot in the gardens in front of the most beautiful hen house you ever saw, with families of ducks waddling around the grounds and doves landing on the top windowsill, it was like we walked into a dream!

We set up our reliable farm table and even made matching benches for this shoot (now available to rent!) Beeswax taper candles and minimal floral centerpieces by Katie from Old Slate Farm in Bombabird handmade ceramic vessels helped accent a feasting table. Wool gauze runners and napkins hand dyed by Kate from The Lesser Bear in Columbus added a soft touch to the wood table. Vivian’s romantic but cleanly designed menus perched on top of our Heirloom dishes, and our new wine bottle glassware and vintage amber goblets provided a variety of vessels for drinking. Our new black flatware added a modern touch to the romantic place settings.

Earlier this year I started including food at every styled shoot and I will never do another without it! Having food of any kind in a styled tablescape adds a level of authenticity, texture and visual interest that you don’t get with an empty table set. My favorite things to add are interesting breads and fruits with lots of texture and range in color. I used some vintage Chapati boards and wooden bowls to display the breads and cheeses and to add warmth and character to the table.

Katie from Old Slate Farm had an idea to press flowers to put onto the cake, and resulted in a perfectly imperfect natural look! She also put together a gorgeous foraged installation in the field completely self standing!