So a couple weeks ago was probably one of the busiest and most stressful weeks of my life; even more so than when I was in college and working full time. I mean, it really tested my ability to work on minimal sleep. However, regardless of how crazy that week was, it finally produced a styled shoot that I just couldn’t wait for and is probably my most favorite one to date. Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE all of the shoots I’ve worked on, but this one just has a little something extra.
Perhaps because it’s Parisian/French themed? It’s a theme that’s near and dear to me…after all, my company name is The French Confection Co., so it seems like a no-brainer for me to do a shoot of this style and theme. I wanted to do something with lots of florals, and with a pretty pink, purple, and green color palette with a little bit of gold. The French seem to love their gold, so I had to throw it in there.
Of course, when this concept first came to mind, the first person I contacted was Aracely of Minted & Vintage and she was on board right away! She even specifically sourced amethyst cake stands and plates to use in this shoot. How amazing is she?! We decided on using all translucent pink and purple glass stands and plates for the table and it turned out beautifully. Speaking of the table, I am so in love with the vintage buffet we used, provided by Rainy of Circa Vintage Rentals. It really anchors the entire shoot, and it’s such a gorgeous table. And as always, I couldn’t wait to get my good friend and most favorite photographer Candace Boysen (of the newly formed Silence of the Lens <—how cool is that name?!) to shoot it all. Working with these ladies is an absolute dream and I am so looking forward to working with them again.
But seriously, if you’re ever in need of anything for a wedding or special event…this team has got you covered! Desserts from The French Confection Co., stands and display pieces from Minted & Vintage, furniture, props and more from Circa Vintage Rentals, and Silence of the Lens to capture it all. And we can all easily coordinate together to make sure that your event is exactly as you want. Just sayin’.
It was a little difficult to find the perfect location for this–obviously, I couldn’t actually go to Paris (as much as I would’ve LOVED to), so I needed to find the right background to incorporate an additional backdrop of Paris with a little computer magic. I luckily noticed the front yard of my lovely neighbors’ house, The Padillas, and loved their little gravel walkway in front of lush green bushes…and that was it! They graciously allowed me to hold my little shoot there, so I will always be thankful for their kindness.
On to the details…
I really wanted to only make more traditional French pastries for this one, the kind that you would see in a Parisian pâtisserie as you stroll through the city. So the table is filled with pink eclairs with sugar cherry blossoms, purple cream puffs (or choux à la crème as they are called in France) with purple roses (both accented with little gold leaves), purple traditional European nougat studded with all kinds of nuts and dried cherries, vanilla madeleines dusted with powdered sugar, and French fruit tarts topped with edible gold leaf. I love how the tarts are perfectly framed inside their glass domes. I had to add a few sugar cookies, and although not entirely French or European, I thought they’d fit in well, both with gold laurel wreaths, and with either a little sugar blossom or a pink rose petal. One of the biggest anchors of the table is the very tall, pink, purple, and green French macaron tower accented with lots of sugar blossoms. I really love how this one turned out; it kind of reminded me of the macaron towers that you’d see in the window displays of famous pâtisseries such as Ladurée. Swoon...
Lastly, I wanted to do two cakes; one topiary inspired cake and one Eiffel tower cake. I mean, I can’t do a Paris themed table without the Eiffel Tower being in there somewhere, right? The Eiffel Tower cake is hand painted and framed in gold leaves. I love the subtleness of the cake, but it really makes a statement. Every picture I have ever seen of Paris, whether a city street or some park, I’ve always seen topiaries of some kind…I mean, they’re everywhere! So doing a topiary cake to mimic boxwood was a must. Now what I hadn’t anticipated was how LONG it was going to take to make this darn cake. The center sphere has over 2,600 leaves alone! The little top sphere has about 500, I believe (I lost count). But all that hard work paid off because it’s exactly how I wanted. I also hand painted a few cherry blossom trees onto the bottom and top white tiers, just to add a little pink in there.
I hope one day to make it to Paris, but for now, this is my interpretation of what Springtime is like in The City of Light. The pictures I went through to get inspiration were so beyond mesmerizing; they almost didn’t seem real, that’s how magical they looked. Paris looks like a gorgeous city no matter what time of year, but if you Google “spring in Paris”– you’ll see exactly what I mean. There are literally flowers and blooms everywhere, and SO much green. It’s enchanting.
Anyway, I’m thrilled with how it turned out. I hope you are as well! Here ya’ go:
Of course, I’d love to know what you think!
‘Till next time…
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Wow. What a beautifully styled shoot. I wish I could smell all the pastries. I bet it smelled heavenly.