In the Studio with Couture Galia Lahav and Reem Acra Gowns
Sometimes, in the middle of the busiest month of wedding season when sleep is rare but flowers are abundant, you decide to create something wild and luscious just for fun. For fun, to create just for the sake of creating, to dream up something different and play around with color and texture and floral mechanics, and to connect and collaborate with industry friends. On this hot August day, we hauled bucket after bucket of summer blooms up a very tall set of stairs, along with the base, supports and wire for the flower wall backdrop, two stunning couture gowns, accessories, tools, water bottles, and who knows what else. We built this dreamy creation, and then not much later, hauled it all back down again. By the end, my legs were shaking and my car was so full of fluffy smokebush and other random petals, but my creative soul was nurtured and I went into the week’s wedding with a renewed spirit.
This editorial came together really quickly, with Allen Tsai first reaching out to see if I was available that day for a small shoot, for which he already had Jen Lagers, an amazing hair and makeup artist on board for, as well as a drop dead gorgeous model. Of course I said yes, and worked to source couture gowns from the Seattle area’s newest luxury bridal salon, Nyanza Bridal.
As far as the color palette and design was concerned, I knew I wanted to play with some bold colors, but other than that general feeling I didn’t have any idea or plan until I walked into the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market the morning of the shoot to buy flowers. Wandering through the luscious summer blooms, I kept finding myself drawn to the cool purple and warm coral color ranges, and that was that! I pulled dahlias, asters, scabiosa gomphrena, amaranthus, and added in foraged blooming smokebush and Japanese anemones from my yard. We built a frame of two upright posts with hog wire in between, and got to work filling out the wall in color blocked groupings of flowers. And when Jen finished Alexandria’s hair and makeup and she slipped into the gowns, the whole thing came together!
Would I do it again? I like to think I’d talk myself out of working so hard, spending a fair amount on flowers, hauling so many things up and down the stairs (while pregnant, at that), but realistically…with the right team, I’d do it again in a heartbeat! Sometimes the most rewarding things are the hardest!
Thank you to a rockstar vendor team that created magic for this shoot!
Photography: Allen Tsai Photography | Hair + Makeup: Jen Lagers | Bridal Boutique: Nyanza Bridal | Gowns: Galia Lahav + Reem Acra | Jewelry: Tiffany & Co. + Oscar de la Renta | Film Lab: Goodman Film Lab | Model: Alexandria Yamazaki
THE DESIGNER
Gather Design Company is a Seattle and destination floral design studio led by Amy Ly. Amy's designs are driven by a unique understanding of color and shape, and seek to balance the effortless feel of a garden with the refined nature of contemporary wedding design. She looks to the ever-changing seasons and sense of place to inform her designs, which are artful and unexpected. Gather Design Company travels for celebrations around the Pacific Northwest and worldwide. To learn more about working with Gather Design Company for your wedding, please get in touch here.