My sister, Melissa, at Paper Truly is truly rolling out some one-of-a-kind invitations this year, and I’m agog because I get to be her product photographer! First up is so fitting given my ease of access to Disney: the Fairytale Wedding Invitation. Remember the giant storybook which invited us to the classic Disney fairytale films? This piece is designed to replicate that nostalgia and draw in fantasy-loving literary types who just love that experience. Now anyone can truly have a fairytale wedding, starting with the magical experience your guests will have when they flip through your own story.
Designing this product shoot was entirely too much fun. Melissa’s color and theme inspiration was the original Cinderella (1950), modernized to a silver and mint color palette. Minding my reference images, color motifs and pixie dust trajectories, I approached Magic Kingdom scouting for “kingdomy” spots to photograph a wedding invitation, which proved challenging. How do you photograph a hand-sized item and still incorporate the wonder, majesty and scale of Cinderella’s castle? (I know you’re wondering, and yes I did get permission from a Disney representative to shoot this subject matter.)
The product spreads were shot over that perfect looking courtyard AstroTurf. Melissa liked the medieval look of the castle door as a backdrop. Then we had this conversation:
“Can we get Cinderella to hold it?”
“I can meet her… can’t take lights in there, and my time with her would be very limited…”
A follow up with Cinderella’s agent, some figuring on how best to shoot this in available [terribly spot-lit interior] lighting, and we got a Cinderella cover shot. I had a line of children behind me and literally less than a minute to pull it off. Cinderella was flattered to see her fairytale turned into a wedding invitation. Some fine Photoshoppery brought her out into “daylight” to hold the product with the castle in the background.
Read more about Melissa’s inspiration and her design journey with the Fairytale Wedding Invitation here. You can actually buy it here!
