Last week, I had the complete honor of attending Kat of Dear Sweetheart Events‘ first styling workshop in Harrisonburg, Virginia! I mentioned it earlier & have been so, so excited for this workshop to happen. I have been following Kat and her wedding planning business as it has grown, and I find her demeanor, outlook, and business so inspiring. Meeting her in person was something I really wanted to do, and believe it or not, she is even sweeter and kinder in person! The entire afternoon was filled with so much goodness, and I learned a plethora of new things.

I loved meeting so many other creatives – such a fun, welcoming, sweet bunch of ladies (and one gent!). I also loved how we were a diverse bunch (some photographers, some wedding planners, etc) and that we were all in varying stages of our businesses. We were greeted with gorgeous welcome baskets from Marigold & Grey filled to the brim with goodies and lots of eye-candy, too. Thank you so all those who contributed such amazing things into the welcome baskets! We even had the opportunity to challenge ourselves to style all of the contents of our welcome baskets, snapping pictures (and Instagramming them, of course) to our hearts content. So fun!

Kat shared so many great tips and a wealth of information about styling, wedding design, styled shoots, and collaborating with others. I couldn’t stop taking notes (mental ones, too!) and soaking up as much great information as possible. The latter part of the afternoon was spent styling two different shoots: one bridal shoot with lots of blush, silver, gray, and white & one bright and bold Kate Spade-esque girly shoot. I loved the dichotomy of the two, as they inserted different challenges and looks!

Working as a team of twelve, we styled the tabletops, details, cake tables, looks, and everything else as we saw fit. It was fun having so many different (and great!) opinions and trying to think outside of the box to create something truly unique. Kat gave us great direction, helpful tips, and really let us take the lead on how these shoots both came about. I loved that there were so many amazing photographers there to take pictures of the two shoots and all of their gorgeousness (be on the lookout for their professional photos sometime soon!).

A huge thank you to Kat for this amazing afternoon, and I love being real-life friends now!! Such a gem in this industry, for sure.

And tons of thanks to:

Paisley & Jade, Sincerely Amy Designs, Handspun Cinema, Wish Upon Frosting, Lauren Heim Celebrates, Kimberly Florence Photography, Shannon Joy Paperie, Appetite Paper, Katherine Elizabeth Bridal, Ann Marie Swift Photography, & Dear Sweetheart Events

All photos are my own iPhone snaps/sneak peeks! Be on the lookout for gorgeous professional photos soon!