​One chilly, Autumn afternoon a group of Halloween-loving wedding vendors gathered in Benton Harbor, MI at Stonegate Manor. Their goal : create magic

Stonegate Manor is a magical place all on it's own. It's a gorgeous property, full of elegant touches and surrounded by nature. It honestly felt like a challenge to bring darkness to this normally light and lavish venue. As a photographer, I obsess over the little details the most. I spent a lot of time trying to pick the right colors, the right trinkets and décor, and of course the right vendors to help me make it all happen. This session brought a dream to life, for me and for our team. October and Halloween are special to me, and I know a lot of the vendors on this project feel the same way.
​We are beyond excited to share this with you! 
"I LOVED how creative everyone was, being able to do a non-traditional shoot allowed us all to contribute and add our own touches. And everyone showed up wearing their best spookyware."  - Jennifer Marren of Stonegate Manor
Luckily the team included a true dessert magician, Mandy Krause of Love and Macs. She pulled out all of the stops to give the session the best Beetle Juice vibes.
The dessert table was stocked full with her signature tricks and treats, including a tower of macarons and of course, homemade apple poptarts! 
Kimy Battista Art added her flare with hand-written potion bottles, marking the flavors of each goody on the table. She also killed it with the welcome sign and decorative signage, including a mirror with a quote from the Adam's Family, "When we're together darling, every night is Halloween."
We also incorporated Beetle Juice yet again with the name tags!
"Normally Halloween weddings aren't on my radar but now I have a little spook in my portfolio." - Kimy Battista
The stunning florals were provided by Country Florist & Gifts of South Bend, IN. They gave the shoot the perfect Fall feeling with each yellow and orange. Every piece screams October, from the hair piece to the bouquet.
The models Devin and Jules were complete strangers before this shoot so they really had to take on new roles and find their inner Gomez and Morticia. They both fell in love with the snake. Though neither had ever held a snake before, they rocked it.
​It was a bit chilly on this creepy Fall day and Tex, the snake was feeling cuddly with our model's back for most of the shoot. Shooting with animals is always a bit precarious because they don't take direction like human models do but I was pretty impressed by how sweet and cooperative little Tex was.
The GORGEOUS Maggie Sottero Gown is from Memories Bridal & Evening Wear in Kalamazoo. The selection at that store is overwhelmingly beautiful, deciding on a dress seemed impossible. This one fit the model like a glove and allowed our spooky session to remain bridal despite the darkness we would be bringing with other details.
Ashlea Dubar Harrison created this incredible hair style. She came prepared for curls with her gold irons and got to work with teasing. She went beyond expectations and gave the bride a look that fit so perfectly with the floral hair piece. Makeup was done by the wonderful Deanna Lane, who also assisted in almost every other aspect of the shoot as Photographer's assistant, dress fixer, pumpkin transporter, snake holder and posing expert.
"It's really awesome that a big group of women were able to create different things on their own
​and then somehow when we brought it all together it just fit." - Deanna Lane
We hope our chilling bridal shoot leaves you feeling haunted. Thank you again to everyone who helped bring our ghostly vision to life and of course thank you to all of our viewers and clients, past and future. We wouldn't be able to do this without you!

STAY SPOOKY

The Team : 

Models : Devin Kromer & Jules Russell

Photographer - Emmie Taylor Photography - Benton Harbor, MI
​www.emmietaylorphoto.com

Venue : Stonegate Manor - Benton Harbor, MI
www.stonegatemanorevents.com

Florist : Country Florist & Gifts - South Bend, IN
www.countryfloristandgift.net

​Dress + Tux : Memories Bridal - Kalamazoo, MI
www.dresslikeyou.com

Desserts : Love and Macs by Mandy Krause - South Bend, IN + SW MI
www.loveandmacarons.com

Signage : Kimy Battista Art - Saint Joseph, MI
www.kimybattista.wixsite.com/kdotb

Hair : Ashlea Dubar Harrison - Saint Joseph, MI
​© Emmie Taylor Photography