Last week I was so excited for our Wonderland Tea Party Styleshoot to finally be published on United with Love!! I love seeing my work on websites other then my own! This was a more nerve wracking submission then most because I had partnered with so many wonderful vendors and I didn’t want to let them down. So head over to United with Love and see what they had to say and what photos they chose and them come back here to see even more photos from our fabulous shoot!!
Welcome to a Wonderland Tea Party!
Ever since Amanda Apple, from Anthomanic Florals, and I met we have talked about doing a styleshoot together. Amanda is currently planning her fall wedding at Disney World so we wanted to bring some Disney magic to our shoot! Inspired by the eclectic and vibrant tea party scene from the Alice and Wonderland books we wanted to create something that was elegant but inspiring for brides. Knowing that we didn’t have the coordination skills to bring it all together we enlisted the help of Ashley Alphin of C & A Events! Ashley was the perfect person for the job and took our vision and made it a reality. I love how she created a tablescape in soft pastels with mis-matched china and glass vases. Amanda added in the pops of color with her simple but vibrant arrangements! Between the three of us we pulled almost all the props from our homes. I love that they include my great-grandmothers china and cakestand and Ashley’s mother-in-laws china. This is a simple look that brides can re-create and it includes family history.
Our backdrop was the beautiful grounds of Stevenson Ridge, we were able to create that “set in the woods” look. Not to mention the beautiful antiques they let us borrow like the amazing head of the table chairs! The cake was a stunning elegant creation from Fat Girl Cakes that reminded me of the hats worn in Alice in Wonderland. I.K. Catering sent over our tea party sandwiches and scones which were delicious! Elizabeth from The Cordial Cricket created all our signage for the table. I loved her menu complete with Turtle Soup!
Amanda and her fiancé Robbie were our models and she found the perfect dress at David’s Bridal that made her feel like a cupcake with its organza folds. Robbie’s suit was from Express Men. Jewelry was provided by our Stella & Dot consultant Brandi Whyte. She brought over a ton of jewelry for us to pick from for the shoot and we loved the thick chunky necklace! Hair and makeup were done by the girls from GoGo Gorgeous and they gave Amanda a dramatic eye look that really popped.
We think the shoot turned out perfect!
Photographer: Melissa Arlena Photography
Coordinator: C & A Events
Florist: Anthomanic
Invitations: The Cordial Cricket
Venue: Stevenson Ridge
Catering: I.K. Catering
Cake: Fat Girl Cakes
Hair & Makeup: GoGo Gorgeous
Linens: Classic Party Rentals of VA
Peach Dress: Formal Envy
Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal
Groom’s Attire: Express Men
Jewelry: Stella & Dot
Melissa Arlena is an award winning lifestyle newborn photographer in Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia who has earned her Master Photographer Certification from NAPCP in maternity, newborn and family photography. Her natural and simple work has been featured in magazines and online blogs worldwide. She has been named Best Maternity and Newborn Photographer in Richmond and Charlottesville, VA in 2024.
