Whether creating content for a potential elopement location or dream wedding venue, I’m sharing how to plan a styled shoot that offers the chance to connect with vendors and couples alike!

Collaborating with local vendors offers the chance for future tried and true recommendations for clients (both yours and theirs!) Teaming up allows for experimental styling and the chance to learn along the way. What I might love most about directing a styled shoot is the chance to foster inspiration and community. For what you create together is more luminous than any one light can shine!

There is more than one way to plan a styled shoot, and I like to invite past #mintedbride and grooms to be real couple models. It’s a favorite way to keep serving clients well!

In celebration of a destination wedding collaboration published by Swooned Magazine, I’m sharing five steps behind planning it:

Step 1: Develop a styled shoot concept

Create a list of brands and elements to partner with to create a storyline. For this styled shoot, it started with the concept of all things sweet for a Valentine’s Day wedding in one of the most romantic cities around!

Step 2: Decide on location & set a shoot date

Having a tentative date/timeframe is essential before reaching out to vendors. Most venues are booked on weekends, so weekdays may be best. For this particular shoot I knew I’d be visiting Savannah, Georgia, in February and that I wanted it to be held at a venue not far from the beach (a favorite place for golden hour photos!) Tybee Island’s historic lighthouse made for a perfect location.

Step 3: Reach out to local vendors

Once you have your concept and location locked in, it’s time to collaborate with vendors. Reach out to local vendors along with the ones you dream of working with that offer something your clients (current or future) can incorporate into their weddings. Provide them with as much information as possible and share your hopes and vision for the shoot. Be upfront and clear on photo rights from the start, and let them know exactly what to expect and when to expect it. Wondering just how to write that request? Subscribe to the Something Minted Photography email list for go-to templates!

Step 4: Plan and keep organized

Create a shoot timeline and invite vendors to join come shoot day! This will not only ensure delivery of products when you need them, but offers the chance connect in person. It’s important to have a set time for all day-of events such as makeup, hair and the actual shooting time to utilize the best light. Another way to make for a fun behind the scenes experience is to offer sips and eats along with photos of them at work!

Step 5: Submit your styled shoot work

Putting yourself out there can be scary. Even as kindly as a magazine editor may decline your submission, it can still get you down. Don’t let it be a stop sign! Because someone, somewhere is looking for exactly what you have to offer. If you are genuine in your intentions and share the heart behind the storyline you’ve created, it won’t go unnoticed!

I hope you’ve found this helpful! Have you been a part of a styled shoot before? If so, what did you love most about it? Any challenges that you faced? Tell me in the comments below!