“If music be the food of love, play on.” Shakespeare wrote these now famous words in his play Twelfth Night, and they have always inspired me. Coming from a musical family, music has been a huge presence in my life since I was tiny (I play the violin and sing – the violin in these photos is my  personal instrument). Often called the universal language, music contains such beauty and power to communicate across boundaries, cultures, and languages. Because of my fondness for it, I wanted to see if I could merge my two loves of music and wedding photography together in an inspirational shoot with the very talented Jennifer Horsley of Habitat Events. We came up with this elegant wedding symphony inspiration shoot to inspire those getting married who appreciate and love music as much as I do. This collaboration was recently featured on Style Me Pretty. See the feature on their Little Black Book blog.

When music is incorporated into wedding design, I feel it’s often taken too literally and can come across as kitschy. As I began to conceptualize this shoot, I started envisioning the couple who would have the kind of wedding I was dreaming up. In my imagination, I brought to life a bride and groom who might both be members of a major symphony in a metropolitan city. The bride is possibly the first-chair violinist in the New York Philharmonic and perhaps the groom is in the brass section. Surrounded by the culture in a city such as New York, their taste is exquisite and refined. Although they love the city, they want to go far away for their wedding, perhaps to a European chateau. The couple wishes to include small touches of their mutual love of music, but nothing blatantly obvious.

I explained this all to Jennifer, who then brought my whole dream to life in such a magnificent, tasteful way. Subtle nods to my imaginary couple’s passion for music were incorporated in the table, where a little horn was discretely placed within lavish greenery and flowers that wove around it, almost hiding it from view. I found a collection of antique piano composition books we used to style with, as well as an heirloom music stand Jennifer styled with an overflowing symphony of flowers. One of my favorite parts of the day was when Jennifer created an absolutely breathtaking living chandelier of greenery and flowers that cascaded down from an arch above and encircled the glowing couple.

Floral Design: Habitat Events | Wedding Dress: Rosa Clara From Velvet Bride | Bride’s Shoes: Alice & Olivia | Ring: Jewelry Studio | Hair And Makeup: Sarah Ashley | Groom’s Shoes: Allen Edmonds | Groom’s Suit: J. Crew | Bespoke Bridal Headpiece: Lacielle Roselle | Calligraphy & Invitations: Cast Calligraphy | Desserts: La Chatelaine Chocolate Co. | Table, Chairs, China & Flatware: Montana Party Rentals | Wedding Venue: Le Petit Chateau

Elegant Wedding Inspiration | Fine Art Photography | Orange Photographie