Have you ever worked with a new vendor and about ten minutes in realize you're a match made in heaven? Collaborating is effortless, you're always on the same page, and you're basically long lost best friends? Well, that's exactly what happened with Nicole Clarey.
For those of you that don't know the story behind our workshop photographer, I'll give you the quick rundown. We were first connected with Nicole for our Cleveland workshop (she currently lives in Dayton, OH) and really enjoyed working with her that day. She was laid back, friendly, and we loved her photos of the workshop. So instead of going with our original plan of hiring a local photographer for each workshop, we decided to take a leap of faith and asked her to join us for the remainder of the tour! Seven workshops later, Nicole has become an honorary member of the Mayesh family and a great friend, both professionally and personally to all of us. She hustles, she pitches in without being asked (set-up & strike is a pain y'all - all hands on deck) and most importantly, she keeps us laughing the entire time.
Why am I telling you all of this? Well, I just wanted to set the stage for this blog post, and show you why we got so lucky.
Our final workshop of 2017 was in Detroit (driving distance for Nicole) and she was finally able to bring her car and take home a couple buckets filled with our leftover flowers. Well, instead of just bringing home the flowers to use around her house, she called up some of her favorite vendors in Ohio and set up an impromptu styled shoot the day after the workshop.
Nicole first reached out to her favorite local florist and friend, Heather of Evergreen Flower Co. "Can you put together a bouquet with whatever extra product I'm able to pull together from the workshop?!" is how I imagine their conversation went. From there, they reached out to some other local vendors, and set out to make a little magic.
I think one of my favorite parts about this industry is watching creatives from different fields come together to collaborate on projects that aren't necessarily something they were hired for, but are doing either for fun, to help out a fellow vendor, or are purely for themselves. Sometimes a spontaneous day of designing and shooting can be just the thing to remind ourselves why we do what we do, and get the creative juices flowing.
So thank you to all the vendors who jumped in head first when Nicole called, and helped put together this beautiful styled shoot with our leftover product. Leftovers never looked so good, wouldn't you agree?
And BTW, is anyone else obsessed with the colors of these backdrops? Deep dusky blue or desert peach... which is your favorite? I can't decide!
Photography: Nicole Clarey Photography | @nicoleclareyphoto
Concept + Styling: Events Held Dear | @eventshelddear
Studio: Zurie Studio | @zuriestudio
Florist: Evergreen Flower Co. | @evergreenflowerco
Hair, MU: The Bride Bar | @thebridebar -- hair: @cassadishirk + MU: @angiewarrenartistry
Model: Karina Sauder | @karinasauder
Dress: B.Loved Bridal Boutique | @blovedbridal
Dress Designer: Tara Lauren | @tara_lauren