Traveling alone for the first time since we were married, Nicole headed to from Florence down to Paducah, Kentucky for a Rustic Christmas themed style shoot at The Barn at McIntosh Road.  At first it was supposed to be a couple weekend getaway… but Ryan couldn’t get off work.

Nicole stayed at the adorable The 1857 hotel in the LowerTown Arts District.  The hotel was beautiful and chic.  The best part, the customer service was exceptional.   Being alone and arriving after dark, Nicole didn’t have an opportunity to explore the area.  So, what does a photographer do when hanging in a hotel room?  Take photos!

Nicole brought a dress she had with her… but had to head to Walmart to buy a hanger.  This dress just worked great with the decor.

The chandelier was modern and a perfect for the space. 

The next morning (after staying up way to late) Nicole headed to a Rustic Style Shoot with a Christmas theme hosted by a local photographer Sara, of Sara Warriner Photography.  A styled shoot is a great way to create portfolio work, network with other vendors, and practice/develop skills.

What is a styled shoot?  In short, it’s a collaborations of wedding vendors putting on a mock wedding with a theme or style.  For this session, it was a rustic theme held in at The Barn at McIntosh Road, with a Christmas feel.  The venue on the personal property and ran by Becky, who is retired.  This is her second career as she has turned her old horse barn into a wedding venue.  Normally, the venue is closed for the season in January as there is no heat.  However, Becky supplied us with heaters so we wouldn’t freeze since the temperature dropped to normal winter weather, oppose to the faux fall we experienced earlier than the week.  She did explain she would eventually like to install heat.  The venue has only been open for a couple of years and is a work in progress according to the owner.

The details of this cake were just breath taking!  The Cake Mom & Co did a fantastic job on creating and capturing the texture of an actual tree.   Not to diminish the the look of the cake, but O…M…Gosh the taste was delicious and moist. 

Thank you Shayna, of Shayna Johnson Photography, for styling the invitation suite from By Cuddles Custom Creations.  

Friday, Nicole worked with a wonderful model, Cassondra Marie.  She just relocated to Nashville from Oregon less than a year ago without knowing a soul.  Cassi enjoys traveling around for photo shoots and was even headed to Atlanta the next day for another.  She was a wonderful model and knew how to work it for the camera, so it was not a surprise she’s double booked for the weekend.  

As the dress was short sleeved and Cassi graciously agreed to head outside with us for some photos.  Becky, from The Barn at McIntosh Road brought down her fur coat for us to use during the session… can we say it went perfectly with the style!

Plus, can we give out a shout out to the wonder makeup artist/hair stylist Beauty by Knight for the amazing job on Cassi’s look!

After the shoot, a few us went to grab a late lunch and spent a few hours talking about many topics.   Often on a wedding day, we may have a few moments to have a quick conversation with other vendors, but this was an opportunity to really connect.  Before we ate, Cassie was willing to model for a few moments at The Coke Plant for us!  At least it was a lot warmer in there!

This image is one of Nicole’s faves…. honestly, looks like something out of a magazine!

This was an amazing venture and a wonderful time meeting other wedding vendors.  Hopefully next time Ryan will be able to join for a new venture.  Nicole left Paducah and headed back to Florence before the snow storm hit with some beautiful images and hopefully new professional friendships that continue to grow.

Have a Great Day,

Nicole & Ryan

Thanks to all the vendors who participating and help make this a wonderful shoot!

Venue: The Barn at McIntosh Road

Venue: The Coke Plant

Cake Artist: The Cake Mom & Co

Model: Cassondra Marie

MUA & Hairstylist: Beauty by Knight (Nicole Knight)

Dress Designer: Amazon

Paper Goods: By Cuddles Custom Creations

Photographer/Organizer: Sara Warriner

Participating Photographer: Shayna Johnson