Marie Antoinette Inspired Shoot

Channeling Marie Antoinette and her regal beauty and the high elegance of French royalty, a collaborative effort was made to design an inspiration to reality shoot that would be fascinatingly gorgeous and filled with ideas appropriate for the modern bride.

Since Marie Antoinette was an avid equestrian and her mother adored the painting of her in her riding uniform, we were inspired to choose décor straight from the outdoors. Interior designers Debbie Basnett and Dana Hookassian of Vintage Scout Interiors staged the expansive grounds, keeping scale and proportion in mind to make each scene visually pleasing and electrifying.

Our lovely bride and groom, who were recently married, became the stars of the day. Alan Leonard of Square One Hair Salon & Day Spa piled the bride’s brunette lush locks in an intricate up-do, a la Marie Antoinette, that was dramatic, but ultimately flattering for her fine features. “In the up-do, I used different shades of hair extensions and a foam ball wrapped with hair, positioned it and started pinning it together". Pin Me Up Couture provided the beautiful hand beaded hair fascinators and the vintage inspired garter.





Michelle Drake Richardson, A Vogue Idea, styled the makeup to evoke feminine allure by accenting Ashley’s lips and eyes. The effect was stunning, as Michelle created custom blends of different colors, including peaches, pinks and reds.

The veritable feast on a rustic table included French cheeses, artisan breads, fruits, vegetables and delectable sweets. For a tongue-in-cheek nod to the famous quote often attributed to Marie Antoinette, “Let them eat cake,” we included Hostess cupcakes. The gorgeous Spingerlie cookies were hand pressed and provided by Queen City Cookies.

The designers pulled out some interior accents to enhance the natural setting. Fifi brought out her formidable collection of transferware and silver for the table settings. Vintage jewels provided by Vintage Scouts were used to adorn parts of the table and Perez, the famous white peacock. The centerpiece was created using an old log, succulents, heads of cabbage, mushrooms and moss. Vintage pewter cups paired with thin crystal glasses adorned the place settings. The napkins were repurposed from vintage lace curtains. The effect? Rustic, handmade and decadent.








The bride’s own strapless Pronovias gown and her Christian Louboutin shoes were the perfect wardrobe for our rustic-gone-glam look. The extended A-Line gown with a sweetheart neckline, pearl-and-crystal-encrusted bodice, and a ruffled skirt instantly brought modern elegance. The bouquet was made using hypercium berries, white alstromeria and baby’s breath, with a common weed as an unexpected accent.









The invitations were designed with a nod to the outdoors by using elements of wood. The design was completely hand-cut and affixed to the wood before printing. All of the pieces rest in the gorgeous coordinating box. The beautiful flowers and logs you see affixed to the invitation were hand cut using a precision tool and lots of time and concentration. The cheese tags, too, were created using the same wood paper and were backed with the coordinating paper and antiqued.

Overall, this inspiration-to-reality shoot was a huge success and so perfectly vogue. We encourage brides to constantly use images as inspiration to create something totally their own. Here we have taken something so classic and have given it a whole new unexpected twist.

Photography: Pictures by Tracy http://www.picturesbytracy.com/
Event Planning, Flower,Invitations and Design: Hand in Hand Bridal http://www.handinhandbridal.com/
Hair Style: Alan Leonard, Square One Salon http://www.squareonesalon.com/
Makeup: Michelle Richardson, A Vogue Idea http://www.avogueidea.com/
Hair Fascinators: Pin Me Up Couture http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinmeupcouture Interior Design Team:Vintage Scouts www.vintagescout.com/
Cinematography: Impact Video Productions http://www.impactvideoproductions.org/
Shoes: Christian Louboutin www.us.christianlouboutin.com
Dress: Pronovias www.pronovias.com/
Sweets: Queen City Cookies https://www.queencitycookies.com/index.htm
Location: Private Residence Kettering, OH