Whimsical swing set wedding inspiration

This shoot was originally part of a two-sided project with two photographers and two planners! Hosted on a private residence outside of Philadelphia, we used all five acres to create a whimsical, eclectic vibe. When it came down to making a set for this shoot, I wanted to do a couple of projects that I thought would be fun decorations for a wedding, as opposed to a ceremony or reception space.

The swing is a popular prop with my clients—who doesn’t love the idea of being able to be a little silly on their wedding day? My father and I made the swing together—I had concerns that if I bought it from somewhere, that it might not hold together. It’s made from a stair tread and strung up with industrial-level rope. I also created a fun greenery chandelier. I’m not much of one for heights, so it was definitely an experiment for me.

When it came to casting, I went in my usual direction. One of the brides is actually a client of mine; I love her and her green hair so much, and she was completely open to modeling. The other bride, Camilla, is a marathon runner and pulls off the suit look well. And as you can see from the photos, she has a whole lot of personality. For a bridesmaid, I used Tamara, and she was willing to bring her son Evan to the shoot.

For colors, I went with a deep plum blouse for Camilla, and a burgundy on Tamara for a bridesmaids’ dress. I’m no florist, so I went with what was available locally to me at the time. I found burgundy flowers and a ton of greenery at Produce Junction, a farmer’s market type grocery store in the Philadelphia area. It’s a great inexpensive way to have flowers at your wedding without breaking your budget. The designer, Lillie Couturier, is a Philadelphia-based designer that creates a wide variety of designs. What I admire about her is that she always seems to catch the client’s personality in her work. —from the event planner, Events by Merida