This collaborative feature photographed by Heather Payne for the Team Flower Workshop, embodies the very essence I long to see more of in wedding inspiration - a reliance on natural elements and elegant materials as well as strong design, styling and photographic skills. The Team Flower Workshop which took place in the Grandfather Mountains of North Carolina, saw a host of floral designers working together on this shoot, including Canada's own Lauren Wiebe of Stonehouse Creative based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Lauren and a team of florists collaborated to put together a rich, dramatic feature, conceptualized by Kelly Perry of Philosophy Flowers, the host of the Team Flower Workshop. I wanted to include both her description of the concept for this shoot as well as Lauren's personal thoughts on designing a vision for one's wedding day. Below are words from both Kelly and Lauren...

"Waiting. This word typically brings negative feelings to mind, but peel back those initial layers and beneath you'll find that waiting brings forth loveliness in its purest form. In the ancient Hebrew culture when a bride and groom were engaged, there was a time of separation, of waiting. Rather than planning every detail of their wedding day together, the groom was required to leave his bride at her home and go to his father’s house to build a room for he and his bride to live in when they married. She never knew exactly when her groom would return, but she trusted him and waited, which brought peace and rest to her mind. During that time she prepared herself for his arrival, fully confident that he would return at just the right time.

I began imagining this bride patiently preparing for her groom against the ethereal backdrop of the mountains -- running through the hillsides in her flowing, heirloom gown to see if it was him coming around the bend. She gracefully gathers freshly cut flowers, the perfume of each one making her sweeter. Every night she keeps her lamp burning — anticipating his return. And while she waits, her love and longing for him grows stronger producing a rich charm and elegance in her eye, one that only comes through waiting."

-- Kelly Perry of Philosophy Flowers

I tell you, it does not get more romantic than that!

The key to turning a concept into a strong reality however, is ensuring that every member of the design and styling team understands the concept and works meticulously towards that vision. And for the bride just starting out on the journey to designing and planning her wedding day? Lauren Wiebe of Stonehouse Creative has a few words of encouragement for you:

"I encourage you to forget about trends while you're planning your wedding. Rather, interpret your setting, your personalities, and your love to create a day as breathtaking as this gorgeous editorial. Being a farmer's daughter, I crave dusky summer nights with a palette of golden wheat and dusty wildflower purples, accompanied by simply and intentionally designed details. Take a look around you: what inspires you?" --Lauren Wiebe of Stonehouse Creative

Essentially Lauren is emphasizing that a cohesive look for one's wedding day should start with garnering inspiration from one's surroundings as opposed to picking a palette of assorted colours, or mashing together a selection of DIY details. Start with your surroundings, develop a vision, select your palette and decide on your most important elements after establishing your baseline. Find a photographer, florist, and stylist (someone who can help craft the overall aesthetic experience -- could be a professional stylist, or the planner herself, a photographer, florist, or even an artist friend) to help you put together these essential elements in a way that is visually rich and aesthetically cohesive. Every other visual detail is either gravy or is non-essential and can be omitted. Just remember: Setting, Style, Simplicity.