So you want to plan a styled shoot I’m gonna share the 5 simple steps to planning your dream styled shoot.
First off, what is a styled shoot? A styled shoot is a staged wedding where vendors of the wedding industry come together & collaborate on a vision for a wedding. A styled shoot is a way for wedding vendors to have creative freedom & create something they normally wouldn’t have at a traditional wedding.
Step 1.
Create a vision/inspiration board. My go to is Pinterest! Finding the vibe of the styled shoot. There are so many rabbit holes you can fall into when planning a styled shoot. There are so many pretty things you can be inspired by, but try to do something you can’t find too much of or try to be realistic for your business! It’s hard to not plan something beautiful, but you need to have a goal for the styled shoot. Most of the time styled shoots are great for beginner photographers to build their portfolio at a styled shoot to start marketing their business as a wedding photographer. I definitely did this in my early days & this helped me gain wedding clients! But now as a seasoned wedding photographer my goal in styled shoots now is to get creative & go somewhere I want my couples to take me.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when you’re trying to find your vibe; Who are you trying to reach? Who is your target audience? What is your goal after the styled shoot? What will these photos be used for?
Creating a vision board is fun & great for finding a vibe, but don’t copy someone else’s work. Take inspiration from what you see on Pinterest & Instagram, but straight up copying someone else’s hard work isn’t the way to go about it.
Step 2.
Create a time frame. At this point you should already have the vibe for the shoot & now you gotta find a venue/location. When reaching out to venues give them a timeframe in your initial email to them, they won’t want to be the wedding planner for your styled shoot. You will want to have a time frame of when the styled shoot will be. When I plan styled shoots I plan the styled shoot about 2-3 months ahead of time. This will give you enough time to reach out to vendors & find a couple.
Step 3.
Finding Vendors to work with for your styled shoot. This is when you research & find like minded vendors for the actual styled shoot. This is a great way to create vendorships, did I make up this word I’m not sure, but let’s go with it. Having vendorships is great, because if you like working with them they will refer you to their clients! This works both ways.
I look for vendors to work with through Instagram, Facebook groups (you can find styled shoots groups in your area), Websites, Google, literally any way a bride would find their vendors. When I find vendors I look at their Instagram as a photographer I ask myself would they post my images to their feed. I’m not asking myself this, so I can get promotion, but because what’s the point for them to work with me if I don’t fit their niche & vibe. So, I try to find vendors with similar styles, someone I can actually get along with, & a vendor that I genuinely love their work.
Vendors to consider when planning a styled shoot; Venue, Florist, Hair & Makeup, Dress, Stationary, Cake, Tablescape (Rentals), Wedding Planner, Photo booth, etc the options are endless!!
Step 4.
Create a timeline for your styled shoot. If you’re working with a wedding planner, then they will most likely help with this. If you have all the vendors, then set up your styled shoot timeline how a actual wedding day would go. This timeline is what you should email all vendors apart of the day, so everyone knows what’s happening when!
Example Timeline; Stationary (Details), Getting ready shots, Bride & Groom Portraits, Tablescape, Cake, & Exit.
Step 5.
Day of the styled shoot!! Don’t forget anything & make sure to take it all in! This is another great way to get all the extra content for your social media! Take all the videos for reels & tik toks, this is a great way to reach brides across all platforms.
I hope this blog helps all y’all create a bomb ass styled shoot! I’m in need to do this myself!
-Emily O’Neil
