This fine art bridal portrait inspiration comes straight from inside of an historic bank turned bridal salon. The Gatsby Era bank vault inside of Ava Laurénne Bride, adorned with an asymmetrical floral arbor, is the backdrop for these lovely bridals. The unique ceremony space combines the beauty of warm florals and flowing greenery with the cold metallics of the antique bank vault.
Ava Laurénne Bride is the premier bridal boutique in Virginia. It is also a new wedding ceremony space in the heart of historic Fredericksburg. The building was first built as a bank in 1927 and was since renovated with the original steel vault still in tact. Once Ava Laurénne became an intimate wedding venue as well, Wendy Rivera of Ava Laurénne Bride and Wendy Mercer of Gatherings by Mercer wanted to showcase the space as well as the possibilities for bridal portraits here. So we planned this hybrid inspirational shoot, photographed in both digital and film formats.
Wendy Mercer decorated the vault entrance with sprawling greens and lush florals and invited other local wedding professionals to contribute to the styled session. Inspired by romantic, warm tones with a hint of Prohibition Era rebellion, Wendy and I collaborated to bring the outdoors into this repurposed space. Everything from the antique ring boxes to the vintage inspired love letters reflects the character of the Gatsby 1920’s Era mingled with hints of modern romance.
Wendy created a flowing floral arbor over the vault with blooms that compliment the warm brick of the wall behind the vault. Jami of Noted Calligraphy created the love letters and place cards to add that special touch of romantic charm. The tiered cake with delicate floral details pairs perfectly with the full cascading Ava Laurénne private label wedding dress.
But we didn’t stop with just one gown. As Ava Laurénne Bride is a bridal boutique, we saw it fitting to have our model also don two more dresses to continue the look. The second dress from Justin Alexander brings out the allure of the Prohibition Era with stunning off the shoulder fringed-embellished details. The third dress (another private label gown from Ava Laurénne Bride), completes the session with a hint of a Cinderella charm as our model shows off the ceremony space at Ava Laurénne.
Everything works together in this intimate ceremony space/bridal salon to create a lovely bridal portrait vignette in this distinctly transformed historic space!
Thank you to these incredible wedding professionals who helped to make this so very special!
Venue: Ava Laurenne Bride | Florals: Gatherings by Mercer | Model: Charlotte Ballard | Flatware and Candlesticks: Bride and Joy | China and Cathcalls: The Globe | Jewelry and Hairpiece: Blushing Gold Brides | Rings: Coast Diamond | Film Lab: The Find Lab | Rentals: Bella Villa | Cake Artist: Cakes in Art | Make Up | Jordan Simpson | Hair: TDR Artistry | Wedding Gowns: Ava Laurenne Private Label and Justin Alexander| Stationery/Calligraphy: Noted Calligraphy | Photography: Lieb Photographic
To see more Bridal Portrait sessions, peruse HERE.
Michelle Lieb with Lieb Photographic is a Virginia Wedding Photographer, Charlottesville Wedding Photographer. She is also a Washington DC Wedding Photographer and a Film Photographer serving couples with weddings in all destinations.
