Summer Camp Friend Shoot {Featured on Every Last Detail}

My favorite styled shoots are those that we come up with organically, naturally and on a whim. This summer camp friend shoot was one of those... last summer up late with our closest friends hanging out on the porch with what we like to call the "porch family" and we were talking about how excited we were to be going to "adult summer camp" (Camp No Counselors) and were watching Wet Hot American Summer. And with that, the seed was planted and a few weeks later we made this fun shoot happen that was centered around not only summer camp but our amazing group of friends, including Wendy of Apt B Photography who captured every last detail. The entire shoot was up on Every Last Detail and we are so excited with how it turned out!! Click here to check it out or scroll down to read all about the shoot! 

While watching probably the funniest movie about summer camp, Wet Hot American Summer, we started brainstorming all the elements that we wanted to incorporate into the shoot ~ friendship bracelets (duh), whistles, paper chains, gingham, scavenger hunts, pocket squares, s'mores, suspenders, bowties and a color war (that slightly failed but was still super fun.) Along with that we wanted to incorporate some details from a more sophisticated summer camp movie, Moonrise Kingdom. While on the topic, if you haven't watched the TV show remake of Wet Hot American Summer I would highly recommend it even though it is slightly stupid...

The color palette was inspired by Wes Anderson's movies ~ evergreen, mustard yellow, toasty brown, a dusty blue, pale dusty lavender and tan. For the bouquet I wanted something with mostly greenery but pops of the color palette and something not feminine but more playful. We finished it off with a wrap of friendship bracelets. Our bride (Allie), wore Sarah Seven Amour, which flowed so beautifully and glistened in the sun.  Our groom (Andrew), wore a gingham shirt, Chubbie's shorts (obviously), a bowtie, suspenders, a boutonniere made with a whistle (had to happen), and Moonrise Kingdom buttons from Big Button Boy. Together they rocked a fun laid-back summer camp inspired look. 

That one time we were foraging greenery in the woods and Nic saw a snake and hyperventilated and rocked back and forth having a panic attack and we had no clue what was wrong. The fear is real...

Despite the little mishap with Nic & the snake... we were able to forage enough greenery to make a tousled organic garland for the tablescape. The laid back vibe of summer camp calls for something lush, natural and messy, which is exactly what we did for our centerpiece. The cafe lights were the perfect addition by Advanced A/V Rentals. 

Kaitlin Slattery from Forever September made the funnest scavenger hunt cards for each place setting that have me wishing I could attend this wedding in real life... Watermelon cocktails, a scavenger hunt, what better way to entertain guests during cocktail hour?! 

For the food we had s'mores of course, cheese & cracker platters and mini sliders. The perfect light & scrumptious summer wedding nibbles provided by Thrive Catering and the cake was styled to look like a tree trunk made by KM Cake Design. A Moonrise Kingdom button added the perfect little touch. 

The most fun part about this shoot? The fact that we didn't have any real models, just us friends having fun, which meant we got to rock the Tattly temporary animal tattoos that I am obsessed with. Adrienna, Nic and I were the bridesmaids along with our friend, Gini, and we rocked Free People dresses in fun prints and patterns with wedges. The groomsmen (our friends Pete, Mark and Daniel) rocked Chubbie's just like the groom with fun suspenders & bowties from The Tie Bar. 

The way a Sarah Seven gown glows in the sunlight is seriously magical. And what's a summer camp without some archery!?!?!? We didn't get to play with this bad boy, but I love how it looked in this shot of Allie during sunset. 

Last but not least, we attempted & failed at a color war, but it still was so worth it and so much fun... oh and love this video by Vitor Lindo capturing all the fun!!!! 

Huge thank you to Lauren at Every Last Detail for featuring our fun summer camp friend shoot on her site! And thank you to all our friends who "modeled" for us and all the vendors who made this shoot come to life!!!!! xoxo, n

{Vendor Credits} Design, Flowers and Wedding Dress: Ivory + Beau // Dress: Sarah Seven // Photography by: Apt B Photography // Video:Vitor Lindo // Vintage Rentals: Savannah Vintage Rentals // Hair and Makeup: Michelle Royal // Food and Beverage: Thrive// Stationery: Kaitlin Slattery // Cake: KM Cake Design // Signs: J Leslie Decor // Lighting: Advanced AV Lighting // Ties + Suspenders: The Tie Bar // Tattoos: Tattly // Napkins: Dot and Army // Tableware: World Market