THE BLOG

  Gathered
     words.

categories

Our Very First Styled Shoot – Lilacs and Sunsets

We are taking it way back today, back to the beginning of our very first styled shoot in 2017…

I love looking back at the beginning. It’s a great reminder of how far we’ve come but also how hard we have worked. When we redid our website this year we weren’t able to incorporate a lot of the galleries that were there previously. So I wanted to highlight our very first styled shoot.

It wasn’t really a “styled shoot” it was more of an “I need pictures of the tent for the website” kind of shoot. But for lack of a better word, styled shoot it is!

outdoor wooden bar for weddings and events decorated with lilacs as wedding flowers

Our very first styled shoot…

outdoor wooden bar for weddings and events decorated with lilacs as wedding flowers

Never despise small beginnings…

The bible says never despise small beginnings and I love that. It reminds me to never take for granted the hard work and passion we put into getting everything up and running. Venturing out with a new project or business really is walking it out with blind faith. You often start small but with big vision and that is exactly what we did.

This shoot was a combination of creativity, using what you got and the talents of our dearest friend Jessica Crosariol.

We’ve since gone on the be featured in several magazines, large online publishings and hosted award-winning weddings. But there’s just something about these ole lilac photos that bring a warmth to my heart I cannot describe. It reminds me how important those small beginnings are and how hard work and dedication pay off. 

hanging white petunias in galvanized buckets hanging on a wood post
outdoor clear wedding tent and event space at the gathered in alberta
clear wedding tent in a prairie field with wooden tables and chairs at the gathered
outdoor wooden bar for weddings and events decorated with lilacs as wedding flowers
Fun Fact: This beautiful wood bar was built by my Father-in-law, it is still one of my favourite pieces. It was a little bit small to use in the tent so it now sits on our lower patio for cocktail hour snacks or a soft bar.
farm and country style lemonade with lilacs toppings
lilac lemonade a refreshing drink in the spring
lilac lemonade and drinking jars a refreshing drink in the spring
wooden outdoor bar with lilac lemonade and lilac flowers as decor thegathered.ca
lilac lemonade and drinking jars a refreshing drink in the spring
lilacs in a jar beside a drinking milk bottle jar
lilac lemonade with drinking jars and flavoured with lilacs https://www.thegathered.ca

Lilacs and Sunsets

clear tent with hanging globe lights in this prairie setting. Wood harvest tables and chairs decorated with lilacs - the perfect spring decor. www.thegathered.ca
a wood harvest table with lilac flowers in a galvanized buckets and rows of greenery on the tables.
clear tent with hanging globe lights in this prairie setting. Wood harvest tables and chairs line the tent with lilac floral center pieces . www.thegathered.ca
wood crossback tables and chairs at an outdoor wedding in the prairies with lilac flowers in galvanized buckets. www.thegathered.ca
clear tent with hanging globe lights in this prairie setting. Wood harvest tables and chairs decorated with lilacs - the perfect spring decor. www.thegathered.ca
wood crossback tables and chairs at an outdoor wedding in the prairies with lilac flowers in galvanized buckets. www.thegathered.ca

Lilac Love

As I said before, we desperately needed images for the website but we didn’t have the budget or the time to get a big shoot together. So using some ingenuity, we grabbed some lilacs that were growing in the backyard along with some Caragana branches (which quickly fried in the warm tent). What an impact it had in the large space of the tent.

That’s the thing about decor, sometimes the simplest decor can have the biggest impact. With the trend of foraging and even dried grasses it’s incredibly easy to create beautiful centrepieces – it just takes your time.

clear tent with hanging globe lights in this prairie setting. Wood harvest tables and chairs line the tent greenery, lilacs and candles makes for perfect simple decor. www.thegathered.ca
lilac decor with white plates, cutlery and glassware. www.thegathered.ca
lilac wedding florals in galvanized buckets make for the perfect center piece for any spring wedding. www.thegathered.ca
wood tables decorated with lilacs and greenery, great for lilac season! www.thegathered.ca

Sometimes I forget how many things we built that first year. Our tables, benches, small kitchen, the bar, arbour, the list honestly felt endless. We worked so incredibly hard getting everything prepared to host weddings.

lilac decor with white plates, cutlery and glassware. www.thegathered.ca
lilacs in galvanized buckets with rows of greenery decorate wood tables for this outdoor wedding.
simple spring wedding decor, lilacs in buckets and mason jars. A simple budget friendly floral centrepiece
wood cross back chair on a grassy lawn with a single lilac placed on the chair
outdoor clear tent wedding - wood tables and chairs all placed in a open prairie field www.thegathered.ca
lilac decor with white plates, cutlery and glassware. www.thegathered.ca
when the sunsets it casts a warm glow on these lilac centrepieces at this outdoor wedding. www.thegathered.ca
clear tent with hanging globe lights in this prairie setting. Wood harvest tables and chairs decorated with lilacs - the perfect spring decor. www.thegathered.ca
lilac wedding florals in galvanized buckets make for the perfect center piece for any spring wedding. www.thegathered.ca
spring lilacs are the best smelling flowers ever.

I might be biased but Jess is one of my favourite photographers. The way she brings colours to life, the warmth and brightness in her photos is a unique style not seen as often these days – but it’s something I am always drawn to. It represents the tent well because in the prairies there is always a warm glowing sunset to be seen.

lilac decor with white plates, cutlery and glassware. www.thegathered.ca
outside a clear tent venue in southern Alberta www.thegathered.ca
lilac wedding florals in galvanized buckets make for the perfect center piece for any spring wedding. www.thegathered.ca
lilac decor with white plates, cutlery and glassware in this outdoor clear wedding tent in a prairie field. www.thegathered.ca
a beautiful close up shot of purple lilacs in a tin bucket makes a show stopping centrepiece www.thegathered.ca

Our very first styled shoot was taken in June 2017. Thankfully Lilacs were available!

clear tent with hanging globe lights in this prairie setting. Wood harvest tables and chairs decorated with lilacs - the perfect spring decor. www.thegathered.ca
wood crossback tables and chairs at an outdoor wedding in the prairies with lilac flowers in galvanized buckets. www.thegathered.ca
wood crossback tables and chairs at an outdoor wedding in the prairies with lilac flowers in galvanized buckets. www.thegathered.ca
long wooden tables covered in lilac florals decorated with white plates and glassware. www.thegathered.ca
Can you spot the real grass! It blows my mind that we used to manage real grass inside the tent. The following year we put in synthetic lawn and we still love it to this day.
clear tent in a golden prairie field surrounded by large trees. www.thegathered.ca
clear tent in a golden prairie field surrounded by large trees. www.thegathered.ca
outdoor tent in a prairie field with the sun setting and large trees mingling about

No kitchen! The tent stood on its own until we built a small kitchen (now the cottage) in the spot our large one now sits.

outside clear tent with large tree hanging over
outdoor clear wedding tent and event space at the gathered in alberta
outdoor clear wedding tent and event space at the gathered in alberta
gathered sign
tree ceremony space with white lacy curtain arbor and wood benches

We no longer use benches but I still love the look of them.

arbor decorated with white lace curtains and galvanized buckets with lilacs inside.
wood arbor decorated with white lace curtains and lilacs

These curtains were $5 at Ikea, again simple items make a lovely display.

roof of a clear transparent tent where you can see through to the trees, black chandeliers and globe lights hang inside the tent.
gathered sign
wood sign that says Gathered on it
trees line a driveway

Thank you so much for taking a walk down memory lane with me! I hope this inspires you to “use what you got” to get your dream started.

WEDDING INSPIRATION

CATEGORY

2/26/2021

POSTED

Our Very First Styled Shoot – Lilacs and Sunsets

FILED IN:

SHARE ON:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

welcome

to our little corner of the internet

follow along

GATHERED Copyright 2023 

follow us

At the Gathered our desire is to offer a place of peace and hope. We believe in serving our community through purposeful life-giving events. Our heart is to create room at the table for everyone's story. 

about us