Benefits of arranging a styled shoot

You maybe wondering what some of the key benefits are of organising a styled shoot are. So let’s explore what they are; 

Build your portfolio

Arranging your own styling shoots is particularly good if you are just starting out in the industry and need to get professional images for your website, blog or social media. It will give you a lot of quality images you can start using to help you promote what you offer. 

Showcase your style and brand

Not every wedding you take on especially at the start of your career will reflect your signature style and your brand, so styled shoots allow you to build up the kind of work that you want to do. If you want to attract your ideal dream couples doing a styled shoot will help target them. 

Develop your skills 

It’s a chance grow your creative muscle and practice your skills. It’s good to challenge yourself and try out new ideas that you wouldn’t want to try out on a real wedding. It’s also fun to test out new trends to show your couples that you like to keep things fresh and up to date.

Drive traffic to your website 

Styled shoots can help you with your seo as you can blog about them or add them to your portfolio page. You may even get your styled shoot published on another wedding blog therefore get back links to your website which will be bring you more leads. 

Boost social media presence 

After a styled shoot all the team of suppliers will be tagging you in the photos that are shared. This is great exposure for your social media presence and great for getting some engagement.

Connect with local suppliers & venues 

Styled shoots are fantastic for meeting and working with like minded creatives. You can build some solid relationships through styled shoots which is lovely and you may even get referrals which is an effective way to get more business. 

Build authority

If you have got published in a wedding magazine or on a wedding blog don’t forgot to share the badges you receive on the main page of your website. This proves to couples that you are talented and an industry expert in your field. 

Gives you content to share 

We all know how hard it is to create content to help you market your wedding business especially in peak season, so this is the perfect excuse to create a lot in one go. You’ll receive a folder full of professional photos after as well as anything else you capture on shoot day such as mini videos and photos of your own. You can even record your process on the lead to share behind the scenes footage. 

Photo by Danny Inwood Photography

Of course like anything there are some cons of planning one, so let’s look at those too, as it’s important you know what they are, so you can understand how you can overcome them as well. 

They can be expensive 

Depending on what you’re designing will determine how much you need to spend to create your vision. Things can soon start to add up, so maybe set a budget before you start as it’s easy to get carried away. Most suppliers offer their services or products for free in return for the images and exposure. Florists may ask for a contribution, as we all know flowers are expensive and professional models will want a fee. It’s a good idea to find out the costs from the start so you can all split the bill which is only fair for anything like this, as you are all benefiting from the shoot. 

Time consuming 

They do take some time to plan and the more you put in, the more you will get out of it. There’s a lot to organise from creating your vision, reaching out to suppliers, creating a styled shoot schedule, a photo shot list, to completing checklists to stay organised. In my digital styled shoot guide I am helping saving a ton of time by guiding you through the actual process. 

No guarantee 

Even if you create a styled shoot there's no guarantee you’ll get published on a wedding blog or a wedding magazine, if that’s you goal for the shoot. This isn’t the end of the world though as it will still be good for your business. It will still give you great learning experience for when you're ready to do your next one. 

Big Responsible 

Managing the team of suppliers is a big responsibility to take on as you are in charge of lots of moving parts. It’s up to you to find the perfect suppliers to bring the whole vision to life making sure you have everything and everyone you need. It’s important to let your team have the creative freedom they need, but to also make sure that they follow the design brief you have put forward to them, so that everything works well together. 

Ok, so now let's get to the juicy bits of planning a styled shoot...

Define your Goal

Spend time getting to the root of your why

Before you get into the planning stages of your styled shoot, it's super important to take some time to consider your goal(s) for the shoot. Ask yourself... What's your end goal? Want to do want out of the shoot? Establishing your goal at the beginning will not only give you a clear guide to follow throughout, it will make the process of planning it so much easier, especially when you start involving other wedding suppliers, and when decisions need to be made. (as they'll be lots of them!)

There are many reasons why styled shoots are amazing for your business, from building a portfolio, to attracting your ideal couples, to featuring in a wedding magazine. So when creating a styled shoot, you need to keep this top of mind, as each reason will require a different approach. I go into more of a deep dive into defining your 'why' in my digital styled shoot guide for wedding pros, to ensure you make a success out of all the hard work you put into it. You can download the guide here >>

It will ensure you get out what you put in!

Photo Credit Leanne Donohue Photography

Choose ONE Idea

How to stop going round in circles

Easier said then done right?! Choosing an idea for a styled shoot concept may seem easy, but for many wedding suppliers who work in a creative industry, this can be the thing that holds us back the most. AND I MEAN BIG TIME! Endless Possibilities, equals decision paralysis, equals overwhelm!

You need to choose ONE idea to work on, which can feel unbelievable hard, because you're having to say no to all the other ideas you may have. (for now at least!) So how do you choose which one to work on? 

My advice is to choose the idea that you are most excited to bring to life right now and slay that sucker until it's done! Choose the idea that speaks volumes about your business, that starts attracting your dream couples to work with. By selecting one idea, it will help you stay focussed and on track. Then once you've got one idea under your belt, you can move onto the next one. In my digital guide I am sharing how you can create a really strong design concept for your styled shoot, so that you can easily reach your business goals and your potential. I am all about helping you work smarter not harder. Creating styled shoots that are going to be really effective for your business and work hard for over a long period of time is the aim. To get started asap you can order your copy of the guide here.

Create a Visual Aid

How to start building your vision

When looking for wedding suppliers to help you bring your styled shoot to life, you need to be able to communicate your vision to them when you reach out. There are a couple of ways to do this from creating a Pinterest board you can share with them with images, to my favourite tool to use which is a mood board. This is a collect of images that represent the overall vibe, style and colour scheme you are wanting to create. I find that Canva is my best friend here for making a collage, as it's so easy to upload your chosen images and use their drop and drag feature, making it super quick to pull together.

I actually have a mood board template in my digital shop here which is part of a style guide booklet that you can purchase. (Perfect for wedding stylists) You can just drop and drag your images into my template, change the colours in the palette easily and add any keywords by typing in the boxes to suit your own styled shoot concept. This will save you a ton of time messing around with the design, allowing your creative juices to flow and quickly putting your concept together. There's nothing worse than spending ages faffing around, so this will help you claw back precious time.

Find your Venue

Do your research before you commit

Once you have your vision sorted it's time to find the venue you want your styled shoot to take place at. Finding the perfect location can take some time, so try not to rush this step, as there's lots of factors to take into consideration. If you are creating a styled shoot for a wedding magazine feature you will be looking more closely at the backdrops the venue provides, so you can get the photos you desire. In this case it doesn't even have to be a wedding venue, as you would be taking a more editorial approach for a feature like this, so it could be anywhere really, like a warehouse, a loft, a garden or in the woods., which makes arranging this type of shoot even more exciting!

You may not be so concerned about the distance it is to travel either or collect any vital details about the venue itself. Where as if you are wanted to create a styled shoot to connect with a local venue so you can work there in the future, you may want to be looking at guests numbers, their prices & packages, what's included, as well as the aesthetics to make sure that YOU align with the couples they are attracting. The key to finding your perfect venue is to consider your overall goals and whether it works with your concept idea.

Photo Credit The Jasmine Cottage Studio

Find your dream team

Take the easy route to get your shoot off the ground

One of the biggest fears of organising a styled shoot yourself is asking other suppliers to take part in your idea. It's natural to be worried that they are going to say 'no', but in all honesty this couldn't be any further from the truth. Most wedding suppliers are flattered to be asked to be involved in a styled shoot. The only reason they may say no, is because they are un-available to do so. Receiving a no, is really not as bad as you think it's going to be. If you really wanted that supplier on board, you could just change the date of the shoot for them, or wait until your next styled shoot to work together.

When your planning your first one, I always say it's a good idea to start small, so that it feels manageable. You really don't need an army of suppliers to accomplish a successful styled shoot. Choose suppliers who you actually need there to bring the vision to life or you'll risk making it too complicated, because it may put you off for future projects.

I also think choosing suppliers that you already know helps massively. You may of met suppliers before at a wedding open day or at a networking event that you gelled really well with, so why not reach out to them first and combine your skills to create some magic. The aim is get your first styled shoot off the ground, so make it easy for yourself by pulling in suppliers you already know. Be sure to look closely at how they can help you as you may find many wedding suppliers are multi passionate and have several strings to their bow, which will help you keep your first team small. It's also something I love to champion seeing as I too bring my multi creative skills to my wedding business. Connecting with like minded creatives to bounce ideas off will be more valuable then you may first realise.

Photo Credit The Jasmine Cottage Studio

Prepare for shoot day

You can't prepare enough, it's all been leading to this

There's a lot to prepare before shoot day happens, so it's important to use the time you have wisely. The aim is to be as organised as possible so that shoot day can run smoothly and so that all the suppliers can enjoy it to it's fullest.

From making items ahead of time,  creating shot lists for your photographer to working out a styled shoot schedule, to thinking about any behind the scenes footage you want to capture, there's a lot to organise to ensure everyone knows what's happening, so that when you arrive on site, it's all systems go! In my digital styled shoot guide I am sharing everything you need to prepare ahead of time, so you can relax knowing you have it all under control.

Photo Credit The Jasmine Cottage Studio