This Wes Anderson-Themed Wedding Shoot Will Inspire Hip Brides Everywhere
There are people who like Wes Anderson, and then there are people who LOVE Wes Anderson (we’re looking at you, whimsical Airbnb guests). The latter group is sure to fall head-over-heels, Futura-over-yellow-background in love with this incredible wedding shoot by New York-based “alternative event planning company” Modern Rebel. A collaboration between three Brooklyn-based creative ladies and a real-life couple, the images are the stuff that film dreams are made of. And true to its inspiration, no detail is overlooked. From the picture-perfect invites to the signature yellow floral arrangements and the symmetrical shots by Karen Obrist, this is a project that indie-darling brides will be talking about for ages.
“I was dying to play with a Wes Anderson theme,” Lead Planner and Creative Director Amy Shackelford tells Brit + Co. “I’m such a big fan of his work and haven’t had a great venue opportunity to explore it.” The shoot took place at Brooklyn space Berg’n, which set the scene for the quirky photos. “Berg’n seemed like the perfect place with the opportunity for a color seamless backdrop and Patina furniture rentals at our disposal,” she says.
Little nods to Wes Anderson movies abound throughout, like the “book” invitations authored by R.M. Tenenbaum. “I’m really proud of the invitations we sourced from the amazing designer who does WesAnderson paper goods. We worked on the wording together and they looked so good,” says Shackelford.
Shackelford ended up working with something of a dream team on the project. “I’m really proud of how progressive our amazing vendors are, from our florist who sources sustainably in NYC to our baker who literally bakes cakes to enact social change,” she says. “I built out a planning timeline, put together a dream list of vendor collaborators, and began digging into WesAnderson movies to find some inspiration.”
Florals, designed by IndyFaso, stuck to a theme of signature Wes Anderson yellow, while the hand-lettered sign was a clever twist on a classic. “I adore the welcome signage language we landed on: another WesAnderson quote that’s perfect for a total love party,” notes Shackelford.
Of course, the baked goods were key. In addition to the Mendl’s-inspired cream puffs, the cake was a true masterwork. “I was going nuts trying to find a pair of affordable yellow binoculars a la Moonrise Kingdom,” explains Shackelford. “The funny thing is that when we finally locked in our baker for the shoot, she drew out this amazing cake with these yellow binoculars on top. All that searching and they landed in my lap… with icing.”
An unexpected snowstorm threatened to curtail the day’s activities but actually ended up working perfectly with the playful look of the shoot. “I think the snow ended up being my favorite detail,” says Shackelford. “It was SO WesAnderson the way the fluffy snowflakes were falling down in Brooklyn. It somehow captured the magic a little bit more,” she explains.
Real-life couple O’Dalis and Da’ja stole the show. “[My rule for staged shoots is that they’ve] got to feature a real couple. It’s so fun to see a real-life couple in sync playing off each other in a shoot,” she explains. Da’ja, in particular, was impressed with how much attention went into every detail to create the vibe. “I didn’t expect to have a florist and the most adorable and flavorful wedding cake!” she says. (And yes, the whole team got to eat it afterward.)
Shackelford even invited on-set poets to plunk out a few words for the occasion: “The Haiku Guys + Gals who do on-site poetry at events bring art wherever they go,” she says. “It was such an incredible team to work with!”
Imagining an indie film-inspired wedding of your own? Tell us @BritandCo!
(Images via Karen Obrist)