Romantic Whimsy at the Grand Rapids Public Museum | Styled Shoot

I cannot believe I am finally getting to post this styled shoot. Not because it happened forever ago, but because the *idea* for this romantic whimsy at the Grand Rapids Public Museum styled shoot came about 3 years ago, and it finally came to fruition last month!! It shouldn’t be a secret by now that the museum is one of my favorite venues in the Grand Rapids area. After being a part of this incredible planetarium wedding, I knew I had to get on their preferred vendors list! After many, many emails, a few different museum event directors, and of course Covid delays, I got the OK to assemble a dream team of vendors to highlight the Meijer theater! I had to start with the amazing Brittany with 1945 Event Co. You won’t want to miss the magic we created!

There were so many parts that almost miraculously fell into place. You might recognize the model from this steamy session! Jessica & Chad live in Texas, but just so happened to be coming up to Michigan like TWO DAYS before our session! I was SO excited she agreed to model!!

Jasmine from Rosehand Art & Co. lent her talents on makeup, while Lauren from Lauren Suzanne Salon worked the hair!

The absolutely insane genius Alex Nazar did not hold back on this one!! We decided to use our limited budget entirely on florals, and she blew us out of the water!!

Due to the upcoming downtown river walk project, the museum has lost the use of their beautiful lawn, which was used for outdoor ceremonies. The purpose of this styled wedding was to show off their indoor space!

My initial vision included lots of florals and color, so this dress from Bella Bridesmaids fit the bill nicely! Unfortunately, since the sample size was vastly different than our model’s size, we were only able to grab a few images with it.

Alex’s use of color was exactly what I was looking for!

The theater has these side panels which was perfect for adding some personality throughout the space!

We then switched Jessica into this mind-blowing Iris Bridal Gown by Sassi Holford from White of Dublin.

Katy, the events manager for the museum, also wanted to focus on other areas around their exhibits as well! First stop was the biplane!

The lighting right here was peeerfffect so we hung out here for a bit!

Fate was on our side, because this dress was much closer to my original vision, but I couldn’t find anything like it in Grand Rapids. I was scrolling through Instagram Reels, when the algorithm blessed me with this dress! I emailed the boutique located in Ohio, and they agreed to send it to me! Still pinching myself on that one!

The blue jacket our handsome groom is wearing was provided by Dunhill Tuxedos!

I also need to point out a trend I’ve been seeing this year that I am in LOVE with – pocket boutonnieres!! 1) No one knows how to properly pin a boutonniere except for the florists, who are usually gone by the time they get applied. 2) I could fill an entire gallery with images of groomsmen YouTubing videos on how to fold a pocket square. This fixes both of those problems!

Alex created these super cool suspended pieces that were both impressive-looking and lightweight!

See that tall dude on the left? I’m super excited he was able to come along. That is a cousin of mine (if you’ve been following my blog, yeah, I have a big family), and while he is fresh out of high school, he already has an insane amount of talent with videography! I can’t wait to see where it takes him 🙂

This is hands down one of my favorite images of the day. Since I’ve worked with Alex a few times now, when I laid down on the ground she said “it’s not a Jessie Silva shoot until she’s on the floor!” I also may have forgotten we were in a public place and made very loud noises. Sorry not sorry to whoever thought I was having a medical episode.

Another feature Katy wanted to show off was this map in their current Fashion! exhibit. We were all pointing out where our houses were 🙂

You can’t visit the museum without strolling through the Streets of Old Grand Rapids!

Last and definitely not least (in fact, I’d say maybe saving the best for last?) The number 1 must see thing in the museum is their newly renovated 1928 Spillman Carousel!

They were still fixing some electrical bugs, so we couldn’t get any moving shots with the lights on, but I’d say this is my second favorite shot of the day 🙂

Ok wait, I lied. The very last shot HAD to include the massive bluefin whale skeleton that hangs over the main floor gallery!

Thanks for checking out this absolute dream, the romantic whimsy at the Grand Rapids Public Museum styled shoot! Make sure to follow Jessie Silva on Facebook and Instagram for more!

Have fun!

Vendor List

Photography: Jessie Silva
Coordination & Planning: 1945 Event Co.
Florist: Alex Nazar Floral LLC
Venue: Grand Rapids Public Museum
Blush Gown: Bella Bridesmaids
White Gown: White of Dublin by Sassi Holford
Blue Jacket: Dunhill Tuxedos
Makeup: Rosehand Art & Co.
Hair: Lauren Suzanne Salon
Videography: L.J. Films
Models: Chad & Jessica Wade