The idea of doing an entire mock wedding photo shoot with toddlers came to me at a recent wedding, when I saw an incredibly cute flower girl spinning in her dress.  She was so full of life and joy, it just made me smile.  My wife and I do not have any kids, so the initial idea seemed like a fun and easy shoot to arrange.  What could be easer then arranging ten toddlers  for a mock wedding ceremony?  (Those of you with toddlers are no doubt laughing at this point, and you would be right to do so!)

Thanks to an incredible team of wedding vendors, friends, parents and awesome vertically challenged models, the shoot really was a joy to do.  I first presented my idea to friend and fellow wedding vendor, Christine Wheat (Christine Wheat Special Events Firm).  She LOVED the idea, agreed to help plan it, and suggested bringing in Jaimee Willcoxon; not only for her adorable kids, but for her outstanding styling skills with children’s fashion.  There is no question Jaimee put more energy into this project then anyone else, she spent dozens of hours researching styles, going to different children’s boutiques, etc.  She also brought together a group of models that worked perfect for the project.

I am not going to lie, the day of the shoot was a mixture of chaos, laughter, tears and a few temper tantrums; and that was just from my team :-)  Thanks to Anthony Commisso (Tuxego) our models had a large box of cookies to provide a much needed blood sugar boost to make it through the entire shoot unscathed.  (Athony’s son, Tony also did a fantastic job as our officiant).  I would also like to thank the amazing David Michael Schmidt, (Renaissance Floral Design) for providing all of the bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages and decor elements, they came out beautifully!

When Christine and I sat down to figure out the right venue to use for this shoot, The Pruyn House in Latham was the perfect choice: its mix of the gardens, barns and the old Pruyn House itself made for a perfect backdrop for the vintage look that Christine and I were looking for.  Special thanks to Diane Morgan & Pamela Rowley for their help in this project!

Final thank you goes out to the clothing sponsors for helping to make these kids look so adorable.  At the top of that list must be the amazingly talented Kourtney DiGesare (Cup Runneth Over Baby Boutique) who custom made the bride’s gown just for this shoot!  The detail and the time she put into that dress blows me away.  THANK YOU.  We also need to thank Double M Western Store for providing the boots, North Eastern Fine Jewelry for providing all the girls jewelry and Ziddy for providing the girls bathrobes for the “bridal prep scene.”  Thank you all!

Thanks to all the amazing people that all came together to make this shoot possible!  Keep an eye out for the rest of the images from this amazing project.

– Sincerely, Dave Bigler

Thanks to everyone that contributed:

Master “child wrangler” and clothing stylist: Jaimee Willcoxon
Planning and coordination: Christine Wheat Special Events Firm
Flowers and Decor: David Michael Schmidt, Renaissance Floral Design
Custom Bridal Gown Design: Kourtney DiGesare (Cup Runneth Over Baby Boutique)
Hair / Make-up: Rene’ Pardi
Venue: The Pruyn House Diane Morgan (Curator), Pam Rowley (Assistent Curator)
Officiant : Tony Commisso (clothed by, Tuxego)
Various Clothing Sponsors:
Double M Western Store
North Eastern Fine Jewelry
Ziddy
Concept, Photography, Videography: Dave Bigler Photos & Films