Planning content days isn’t an easy thing. I have had many people come up to me saying how easy it must be to have these photographer events. How we just got to plan these things last minute and go with it. That’s not the case, actually that the complete OPPOSITE of the matter. Planning content days is a lot like planning mini weddings. You come up with a theme, brainstorm on Pinterest some ideas, find your dresses, your vendors, your venue, and then… you have to think about the photographer aspect. Photographers come to content days to fill their portfolios to reach THEIR clients! This is serious business here! So everything has to be perfect! We need beautiful unique items for detail shots of rings, the stationary suite, the table needs to be magazine worthy, the models have to be fun and outgoing, there is so much that goes into planning!
A few months ago I posted in a Facebook group that I was looking for a venue to host our fourth content day at. I found many venues but one stuck out to me and it was about two hours away from me. Worth the drive? Completely, as a photographer I am already used to 2+ hour car rides before a long day of capturing a wedding. The photos I was sent from the venue owner did not do the venue justice. I knew this venue was going to be magnificent and I said YES! The venue was called The Enchanted Gables and boy… was it enchanted.
I got there first and then Kayla and Taylor came. I remember driving in the beautiful gates and I was in awe of the size of the barn. This was not your average barn venue, this was the biggest venue building I have ever seen. I came through back doors where I parked and my jaw dropped. The first thing I noticed was the HUGE chandeliers that were MASSIVE!! They were absolutely beautiful, sparkling in the light that was perfectly shining through the windows making the venue light up from the morning sun. It was about 10:00 and I just wandered around in shock that this is where we were having our day at. I kept saying “I knew this venue would be amazing but I didn’t expect this”. The decorations were absolutely amazing. Every Pinterest worthy candle holder, boho macrame wall hanger, table runners, decor, it was straight out of a magazine. The tables were custom built maple tables that could seat 300 people. The furniture was antique victorian furniture that were made of the most gorgeous velvet. Everything was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Taylor and Kayla came shortly and they couldn’t believe it. This was a real enchanted dream. We set up as the vendors came and the models got ready. We made a welcome table with name tags, snacks, drinks, and some good ole hand sanitizer of course! This event was very safe for our attendees and ourselves as we made sure everyone wore a mask, social distanced when possible and out of staters got a negative test beforehand. Everything was so smooth it was great. We split up into two groups between Taylor and I and Kayla zipped between the two groups to make sure everything was all set.
My group was first to go outside with the horses. I LOVE animals and I was so excited I got to cross something off my bucket list… a bride with a horse! It was a freezing day, one of the coldest of the year but we all bundled up and our poor model, Tia, was so brave in the cold. I usually hate shooting in mid day but with the horses being adorable as they were, the model as beautiful as she is, the property glistening in the sun, I got amazing shots. Looking through the attendees shots from my group I was absolutely amazed. All of the photographers were so talented and captured the most beautiful photos. Everyone shot the same poses and photos bu somehow each of them have their own style and touches on them that none of them looked slightly alike. I was so stunned by the talent we had during Enchanted Dreams Content Day.
The horses, Magic and Boogie were so sweet. They were very well trained and didn’t get spooked at all. With 10 people crowded all around them they were so calm and let us pet them. Magic and Boogie had so much personality it really made me want a horse one day. They are so intelligent and well behaved I have never seen anything like it.
After freezing outside for about 30 minutes we headed inside the large heated barn and took our model around the venue. We posed her on the antique furniture, in the 1000 square feet bridal suite, and explored the venue. The group all got along well and everyone had a chance to get some close up shots and got to pose her as they liked.
We took a break during the switch between the two groups. We got to network and meet each other, eat some snacks, and discuss what we love… PHOTOGRAPHY! As the photographers were mingling Kayla, Taylor and I got ready for our next sets and discussed the plan for the rest of the day.
My group got to work with our couple Issiah and Mariah. They were recently married and Taylor shot their wedding! They were so sweet and absolutely beautiful. Mariah was so calm and sweet someone in my group asked her if she was as calm as she was during her actual wedding and her response was “Yes, and it was the best day ever!!” They brought their puppy they got that morning 5 hours away and made it to model at 10am! Talk about dedication!
We posed Mariah and Isaiah in the perfect light coming through the giant windows in the afternoon. The venue has the most beautiful lighting and as a wedding photographer it is sometimes so hard to find a venue with good lighting. We had them cut the cake, sit at the sweetheart table, the antique carriage in the room and much more!
At the end we took a group photo together. We said our goodbyes to the most talented people. We were so sad it ended we kept saying to each other “I don’t want this day to end”. After everyone left we spent about two hours cleaning up and packing our cars for the ride back home. Enchanted Dreams Content Day was one of my favorite parts of being a photographer. Networking, seeing connections being made, seeing my instagram feed be 90% photos from the day we planned is all the best feelings in the world. I couldn’t be more grateful for our vendors, our models, the venue and everyone who came. I am so grateful for our dream team, Kayla, Taylor and I because I have never met two ladies I have loved to work with as much as I do with them. Until the next content day…
~ Anastasia Creaser ~
