This issue’s cover shoot was a collaborative effort with Vegas Bride Magazine and wedding planner Cicely Hoffman of Graceful Gatherings. Hoffman conceptualized a stunner – teeming with moody romance, ethereal florals, and a little old money flair. Guiding this talent-packed roster, her vision came to life in hanging florals and soft textures that created an elegant and refined space. Embossed stationery, antique platters, and plenty of bows completed the look.
The backdrop for this styled shoot couldn’t be more perfect. As Las Vegas’ newest gaming resort, Durango Resort is crisp, like a freshly pressed shirt. Its interiors are chic and sophisticated, untarnished by time, with modern amenities at every turn. The penthouse suite set the stage, offering ample space and pristine furnishings to create dreamy magic.
The florals, created by Of the Desert Flor’s Roshanda Taylor, brought a garden feel to the structure of the room. Taylor achieved the look by focusing on an organic, natural flowing formation in the flowers. She added vertical interest by creating a hanging structure that was used in the ceremony space as well as over the reception table. The color palette was just shy of moody, using multiple shades of greenery along with a lighter, muted pink palette to achieve the look. “
Pro tip: Repurposing floral pieces is a great way to stretch your budget and get elevated looks in both ceremony and reception spaces
Angie Kelly, modern minister and owner of Peachy Keen Unions, was brought in to help curate an authentic vow reading with our couple. “Professional officiants aren’t just great public speakers; they’re masters of ceremony flow,” Kelly said. “The best wedding photos happen when you’re fully present with each other. Forget the audience for a second; just focus on each other’s comfort and energy. Once you feel centered,
you’ll naturally engage with your officiant and guests without looking staged, and, voila, natural expressions will emerge.” For more
tips from Angie, check out her tips on writing authentic vows on page 21. making an impact. “Always opt for a smaller two-tier cake over a single
tier,” Albert said. There is more detail that you can add, and it looks so much bigger without costing a lot more.” A cute moment was when the couple decided to cut the cake using champagne flutes instead of a traditional knife. They both plunged the glasses into the bottom tier at the same time, allowing them to equally participate, like in a cake cutting, but without the awkward stiff posing and teamwork of a traditional knife cutting. The pictures say it all! Nowadays, no celebration would be complete without champagne.
When designing the tabletop, there was one objective in mind: dramatic candlelight. Every other element was created keeping the candlelight in mind. “Lighting is so important when trying to achieve the look you want”, Taylor said. “Just dimming the lights and adding candlelight gave the florals a more dramatic look.” The center of the table was filled with vintage gold candlesticks from Modern-Vintage Rentals, each one tied with a satin bow. Menus, created by Belle Azalee, featured a ribbon accent that tied the look together. Belle Azalee also created a stationary suite to compliment the style. “The most prominent element we added to this suite was embossing. Although a black and white invitation suite is as classic as it gets, we do love giving timeless looks a modern twist,” said Kenzie Garcia, owner of Belle Azalee.
A two-tier cake made up of a scalloped-designed base with a classic smooth top tier, sat perfectly on an antique stand from Modern Vintage Rentals, nestled inside a meadow of florals to give the appearance that the cake was floating in flowers.. “I wanted to give interest to the cake but still keep it clean and sophisticated,” said Kristen Albert of Let Them Eat Kake. “The scalloped tier is a little bit playful but still classic enough that it could work in a lot of different settings,” she added.
The size of the cake was perfect for an intimate wedding while still tower. “Champagne towers have a long-standing tradition of elegance and celebration, which is why we’ve seen a resurgence in trend of this sophisticated aesthetic at weddings,” said Jessica Ruddy, who owns Modern-Vintage rentals alongside her mother, Lorelei.
For this intimate setting, we decided on the tiniest of towers. Made up of 4 coupes atop a vintage tray, the tower was easy to manage and just enough to get the best images. The champagne bucket added to the aesthetic and brought a little vintage culture to the set.
The styled shoot was captured by Brandi Falconer of Wander and Dusk, whose moody, yet true to color style was the perfect compliment to the elements. “I wanted to shoot in a way that embraced the intimacy of the moment,” Falconer said. “It’s the small moments that I love to capture – little kisses, snuggles in the candlelight, the humor of cutting the cake together.” Falconer said she especially loves when grooms show up to match the energy of the bride. “It’s always more fun when the grooms are excited to be dressed up and in the moment.”
Content for the shoot was created by Rochelle Heikkila of My Cherry Amore. Content creation has become wildly popular with couples who embrace social media. “We live in a world where many of us want to share our lives with those close to us, almost instantaneously,” Heikkila said. Adding that lots of the unedited, unscripted, raw and authentic material can be easily downloaded directly to the couples’ phones before the night even ends.
Three different bridal styles from Perla Bridal were showcased. Kristen oozed classic romance for the ceremony in a Wona strapless A-line satin dress and pearl-embellished veil. She slipped into a low-back pearl-lined dress from Milla Nova for her second, sleek look. The showstopping Milla Nova mini dress was the perfect outfit for our party bride Angelyne. The removable Milla Nova overskirt, made from dozens of organza layers handcrafted into volumetric ruffles, added so much drama and movement, making it the perfect way to change the look from formal to fun.
“In this shoot, we wanted to showcase two distinct bridal beauty looks that captured both timeless elegance and playful glam. For Angelyne, I created voluminous, waterfall glam waves in a half-up, half-down style paired with a sultry, neutral-toned smokey eye and sculpted, glowing skin. This look was all about adding drama and playful glamour to match the movement and texture of her gorgeous Milla Nova mini dress and skirt.
For our bride in the couple, we opted for a chic, ballerina bun with soft, natural makeup. The goal was to enhance her natural beauty while keeping the look super fresh and effortlessly elegant. The subtle glam allowed her features to shine, complementing the sophisticated vibe of the Durango Resort setting.
It was a joy to bring both styles to life, blending modern trends with bridal beauty classics to add the perfect touch to this romantic and luxurious aesthetic. ”- Tracy Shelor, founder of GlamPro Artistry.
Natasha, a classic 1975 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Limo, made a special appearance and, quite frankly, stole the show for a bit. Classic car rentals are wildly popular for Las Vegas weddings, but as an eye-catching way to get around town, but also because they look so good in photos and create a memorable experience.
Pro Tip: ask your photographer to ride in the car with you to get candid shots on the road.
Vendors Credits:
Planning & Design – Cicely – @gracefulgatheringslv
Venue – Lydia – @durangoresort
Photo Lead – Brandi – @wanderanddusk
Publication – Tracy – @vegasbridemagazine
Content – Rochelle – @mycherrehamore
Floral – Roshanda – @ofthedesertflor
Rentals – Jessica – @modernvintagerentalslv
Officiant – Angie – @peachy_keen_unions
Dessert – Kristen – @let_them_eat_kake
Beauty – Tracy – @tracyshelorbridal
Gowns – Sona – @perlabridal_lasvegas
Transportation – Sam – @royalridesvegas
Stationary – Kenzie – @lovebelleazalee
Spray Tan – Gabby – @auraglow
Couple Models- Zach & Kristen
Fashion Model – Angelyne – @angelyne.be