Romantic Red Rose Picnic Elopement

ElopeNC and Green Wedding Guild partnered to sponsor a Green Elopements styled shoot challenge in April 2022, and each team of vendors put their heads together to create a design full of inspiration for couples wanting an intimate wedding.

“I worked with an amazing team to put together our Red Rose Romance Elopement,” Brenda of Con Amor by Sucetty said. “I helped plan & coordinate the event, ensuring we have a cohesive experience for our couple while always staying true to everyone’s talent. I particularly really enjoyed the opportunity of bringing in some fairly new (to the industry) vendors to work on this with me. It was just awesome seeing it all come together, and everyone’s joy in learning together and building our community.”

Hannah of Southern Belle Photography said, “I photographed the shoot and also found our model bride & groom, a sweet Indian couple who had been following my work on Instagram. Brenda found most of our vendors for the shoot.”

Brenda says, “I really liked the challenge of creating an eco-friendly experience; that was a brand-new concept and approach to planning and designing an elopement. I was able to include a luxury picnic experience for the couple & guests + puppy and create an intimate elopement filled with joy & love. During our styled shoot, my goal was to execute an elopement that incites ROMANCE. I knew that I wanted to use the story of red roses to create the romance for our couple. My favorite part was the bride’s red rose crown.”

Betts Family Kitchen provided a 3-tiered semi-naked cake with fresh flower garland. The cake flavor was Rosemary Lemon Olive Oil, with a fresh Blueberry Filling, & Rose Buttercream. Cake boards were made with recycled cardboard and dowel rods were reusable. All fruit & dairy in the cake were organic and locally sourced.

“Green weddings are still something new for me,” Hannah said, “so trying to brainstorm how we could make the shoot ‘green’ was a bit challenging at first. Once I was more familiar with the concept, it became obvious that any wedding or elopement could easily be green with a little thought. I think our intimate romantic picnic set-up is something a lot of couples can draw inspiration from. It is a memorable and fun way for couples to involve their closest friends or family and enjoy some time together talking and eating after vows are made. The picnic set-up Brenda made could be set-up anywhere from a mountaintop meadow to the Carolina coast.”

“Stephanie of Elope NC invited me to join,” Hannah said, “and since I had the day available, I felt it would be a great opportunity to network with other Elope NC vendors and also learn more about green elopements. I liked making new vendor friends and seeing people in person. I don’t always get a chance to network with bakers, bridal shops, etc. on a wedding day so being able to do so is wonderful. I also enjoy styled shoots where I am the sole photographer because I can take my time and direct the models to my vision. They also allow me to create opportunities to experiment, something I feel is important for creatives to do so their work doesn’t feel ‘cookie cutter.'”

“Our model couple had a puppy they didn’t want to leave at home so they took him along in the car,” Hannah shared. “When I realized they had brought their brown lab, I insisted he join the shoot! I love it when couples involve their furry babies so while it wasn’t planned, I feel including their pup was a fun, unique touch. Elopements are small enough that couples can include their animals and it totally be doable! It’s all about what makes them happy & relaxed as a couple so if that means bringing their dog, they should do it!”

Florist Adanna of 1 Blossom 2 Bloom used a reusable and eco-friendly source for her design mechanics, which she says was really exciting, and “included locally sourced and seasonal florals that actually out shined the more traditional florals. This shoot focused on being a green wedding but it didn’t sacrifice the element of elegance that a bride may be looking for. I loved the idea of something small where only the people who truly love you are in your wedding – to me it gave more focus to the genuine love of the couple.”

“I think having a clear vision of your day and committing to it will facilitate the communication between your vendor team to ensure that all your priorities are celebrated your way,” Brenda tells couples. “The officiant did a beautiful job tying it all together by sharing the history of flowers and the meaning of the wedding arch. Our photographer heightened red lighting tones in some of the couple portraits, the cake & floral decor just married beautifully on our set… literally it was all the little details that memorialized this special day. This was due to really good communication and understanding of the ‘couple’s’ vision & priorities. Go Team!”

The model groom said, “It was a great experience being a part of the shoot today. My favorite part was cake I guess 🙂 The way things were setup was great. There was a lot of hard work put into this, loved every part of it.”