Inspiration | Strange Company: A Wedding, Out of this World

Every year around award's season, I start feeling that familiar feeling of not quite fitting in. I’ve built my brand around that notion, yet every year without fail, I sense some quiet resentment toward myself for not being able to produce the work I see dominating the industry. It feels lonely, and it’s similar to how I felt as a bride. There are snappy cute names for it: whimsical, anti-bride, alternative, edgy. It all feels like a polite way of saying I’m weird. Amidst this yearly existential crisis, while blasting Chapelle Roan’s Ultra Modern Super Graphic, the concept for Strange Company was born.

I wanted to create a shoot that embraced the absurdity of the wedding day; how strange and unusual it feels and how unique it can be for each couple. I harnessed my own ‘out of place-ness’ as an alternative photographer working in a hyper-traditional industry, and created a narrative about two humans getting married, with a little twist; aliens are throwing the wedding, and they’re doing it badly. I created four additional sci-fi guest characters, each with their own unique personality and role. These roles were loosely based on the types of guests I encounter at weddings, and are open to personal interpretation. I even placed a character in the narrative that represented myself in some ways. With a dark and edgy appearance at distance, the Moon Monster harbors a certain forebodingness from the shadows, yet up close has a clumsy B Movie appearance. This is much like myself: dark and moody in theory, but a huge awkward dork when I start talking.

Bringing this shoot to life was quite a feat. I wanted to push the envelope in almost every aspect, and called upon many of my close industry friends who I thought would trust my vision to take part. I cannot thank each and every person who made this shoot possible enough! They are truly the best. (Hire them!) Dana in particular really brought this concept to life. On our vision board she summarized the concept with the following statement:

We are embarking on a visionary editorial to create a thought-provoking commentary on contemporary wedding trends. The primary objective of this editorial is to challenge traditional notions of weddings by infusing them with futuristic elements and our curiosity of the unknown, thereby sparking conversations about the intersection of technology, culture, and the event industry.

I truly couldn’t have said it better myself.

V E N D O R S
publication (print): Rock N Roll Bride, Issue 59
venue: Campbell Dome House
planning: Dana Ashley Events
photography: Juliana Noelle Jumper
videography: Her Third Eye
production assistant: Riley Mortenson
rentals: Good Stuff China
floral design: Solstice Floral Studio
cotton candy: Sugar & Sky
bartending: Erin Cook Bartending
veils: Veronica Couture
wardrobe styling: Catherine Mangan
hmua: White Carpet Bride
guest pig: Kansas City Reindeer
model (bride): Leslie Hacker
model (groom): Jaylan Adlam
model (celestial may queen): Rachel Eames
model (planet girl): Catherine Mangan
model (space cowboy): Eric Hibbeler
model (moon monster): Brittany Anderson