Detroit Industrial Harvest Styled Shoot

From Stefanie Russo Photography: “The vendors and I decided to call this shoot an ‘industrial harvest’ because it was just that. We did the shoot the week of Thanksgiving and had all the warm, harvest tones to go with it, as well as harvest-like produce. The venue is an old Packard Proving Ground in Metro Detroit. They still have a bunch of rare Packard cars on site and were more than happy to bring one into the building for us to use! I love that there is history in the venue. I took photos of small details around the venue that have been there since the grounds opened in 1927. The shoot has a little bit of a vintage feel to it with Kari’s hair, makeup, earrings and dress as well as the way Vaughn carries himself. It felt like they were made to be in that car!”

An autumn industrial harvest styled shoot in Shelby Township, MI

The place settings were each unique because they were handmade by a local ceramics artist. The A-frame arch was handmade by the wedding coordinator/planner and her husband. We had the arch secured by cinder blocks because we felt it was appropriate for the type of shoot we were doing. The dress was from Detroit Bridal House by Daughters of Simone. It was the perfect style to tie our theme together. The one detail that stood out to me the most on the dress was the little tassel ties for straps. Also made by hand were the veil, cake, florals, invitations and earrings. I got to take the whole cake home afterwards and my family ate it for a whole week… I wish there was an easy way for you to get a piece of that cake, because it’s to die for! A favorite detail of mine of the florals were the fall leaves. Robin went out in her backyard and collected some greenery and fallen leaves to add to the harvest vibe of the shoot! My husband even helped out with the styled shoot. He supplied all the fruits from his family produce company that were used on the table and in the floral arrangements. His family business has been located in Detroit Produce Terminal since 1957! The one thing that I loved most about the whole planning process and the day of the shoot was how laid back we all were! You could just tell we were all in our element… enjoying our passion. That was one of the main reasons why I wanted to keep it local. I wanted it to be more of a “Made in Detroit” shoot, so we could all hang out together and bond… “community over competition!” I shared my vision with everyone and gave them complete freedom so they could shine, and I am in love with how everything turned out! Everything in our shoot is completely obtainable for a bride on a budget.