This was the first (and so far the only) styled shoot I’ve photographed! A styled shoot is a collaborative event where wedding industry professionals get together to create portfolio content, and get creative! There are tons of beautiful styled shoots out there but I’ve always been wary of relying too heavily on styled shoots for content. When I heard about a local wedding planner who wanted to create a styled shoot that highlighted beautiful Catholic wedding details and network with primarily Catholic wedding vendors, I had to sign up!

This beautiful spring styled shoot was also a chance for me to practice using my film camera without the pressure of a real wedding day. I loved being able to take the chance to slow down and get creative with my film camera. I photographed most of the shoot on my normal digital camera gear, but took out my Canon AE-1 loaded with Kodak Portra 400 film and I love the colors and grain it added to these images. It was so much fun to capture beautiful wedding day images on film and I’m hopeful that after I get a little more comfortable behind the film camera I can use it on real wedding days!

My favorite detail to photograph from the styled shoot was the flatlays. The prayer cards, rosaries, and church imagery made the flatlays so unique from what every other styled shoot may offer and I hope it can serve as beautiful inspiration for my Catholic brides who want to incorporate their faith into their wedding day beyond just having a religious ceremony.

As a Northern Virginia Wedding Photographer, I loved having the opportunity to visit Annapolis for the styled shoot.  St. Mary’s Parish is a gorgeous church right in downtown Annapolis, and it would be a dream to photograph a real wedding there! The waterfront area was so charming and I wish I’d been able to spend more time exploring after the shoot.

I hope the images from this blog post can be a beautiful inspiration for future Catholic brides and grooms!

Hosts: Cana Wedding Co and By Sarah Kay

Venue: The Lightbox Studio and St. Mary’s Parish

Planning & Design: Cana Wedding Co

HMUA: Handcrafted by Hannah

Jewelry: Stella & Tide

Invitation Suite: Pieta Paperie

Signage: By Kelly Kathleen

Rosaries: HandmaidRosariesCo

Rentals: Honeywood Rentals

Bride Models: Emily Faze and Cindy Ennis

Film Scans: The FIND Lab

Suggested Blog Posts:

Intimate Wedding at The Sun Room – Washington, DC – Brianne and Kevin

Romantic Fall Wedding at Fleetwood Farm Winery – Leesburg, Virginia- Kasia and Matt