Traveling from Washington D.C.

I packed up my photography equipment and boarded my plane at Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. and headed to Austin, Texas to capture the lovely team behind Marion Matrimony Events. Cillia Marion is a wedding planner and florist that heads up a team that services the San Antonio, Austin, & Houston areas of Texas. 

Working closely with a sales manager

Cillia and I were introduced by her sales manager, Sarah Mae Dickinson, who I work with very closely on many mutual clients (check out her sessions here and here). As the sales manager, Sarah understands what visuals would really help the Marion Events team sell their services. Sarah’s knowledge of the sales process and Cillia’s business was integral in creating the shot list for our brand session. 

Goals of this florist brand session

The main goal of this session was to take clients behind the scenes of Marion events on a wedding day to show what professionals the team really is. We wanted to concentrate on a few main events that happen on a typical wedding day from load out, to building arrangements on site, the tools they use throughout the process, and how they interact with clients and fellow wedding vendors. We wanted to distinguish what sets them apart & the knowledge that comes from a professional and their value on the day of a wedding. 

On site on an actual wedding day for a working brand session

I like to call these kinds of brand sessions Working Sessions because there’s really nothing scripted that we’re trying to replicate. This was the real deal–a real wedding day, a real venue, and real florals that would be used during the ceremony & reception later that day. 

I’ve previously worked at Messina Inn on a styled shoot day, but today was different, my job was to act as a fly on the wall and allow the team to work for their client. There were times that I asked a team member to look at me for a second, but other than that, I tried not to interrupt the work that needed to be done.  

Floral brand session shot list

Our session shot list included many of the natural moments throughout Marion Events’ normal workflow on a wedding day, but we wanted to ensure that the highlights to accomplish our session goals were captured. 

Here is a link to the Google Doc shot list that was created weeks prior to me traveling to Texas. It includes our key shots, props that would be needed, clothing that the team would wear, locations that specific events would take place at the venue, notes, and inspiration shots gathered from other sources.

Due to the working nature of this florist brand session, many of their props were already going to be on hand and weren’t explicitly listed in the shot list. 

Headshots & team images for the Marion Events Team

Following the wedding day set up, we gathered the team together and created headshots for each individual as well as a shot of the entire team. This would allow Cillia to update her website with each team member, what role they served in her business, what region of Texas they served, and a bio.

Sessions mentioned in this post: