When Minnetrista approached me to photograph their first styled shoot, I jumped at the opportunity. The vendor team was made up of some of Muncie’s best. We were also lucky to work with an actual engaged couple, Kyla and Brooke!

Minnetrista

Kacie Morgan, the venue coordinator with Minnetrista led the design and came up with a very cool mix of industrial and boho. The shoot highlighted the venue’s many options for ceremony and reception sites. Even though we had three ceremony altar options and a reception setup, we didn’t even cover all of Minnetrista’s 40 acres of options. Minnetrista is seriously one of Muncie’s most beautiful assets and I’m happy I can offer it as an option for portrait sessions. It was a treat to be able to take our couple around the property, getting so much variety in settings.

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Styling the couple

As I mentioned, our vendor team was made up of some of Muncie’s best. Redhead Salon Boutique is my own hair salon, and they totally knocked it out of the park with the girls’ hair. They went with simple, natural curls for Kyla and an intricate fishtail braid for Brooke. I think the combination really pulled the boho vibe together for them both. Paired with a fun, lacey dress from Rose Gate Bridal and the perfect floral headband from Dandelion’s Flowers and Gifts – Kyla’s look felt free spirited but put together at the same time. Meanwhile, Brooke’s outfit nicely contrasted Kyla’s with an all-white suit. Dandelion’s also created a floral necktie for Brooke, helping both outfits feel cohesive.

Design

Having somewhat of a blank canvas inside Minnetrista’s gallery space, Kacie came up with a design that pulled rich jewel tones and texture. I loved how this look was totally unique from what you typically see. Dandelion’s wasn’t afraid to use unexpected blooms and pops of color. Then, with KLS Digital’s expert uplighting, the design was brought to life. design was fun and brought to life with KLS Digital’s expert uplighting. Uplighting is something that can often be overlooked for the impact it can give to a space. You can see how it totally transforms the vibe of the room especially after we switched back to the track lighting in the space. The setup in the gallery is a great idea if you need a rain plan or just want something simpler for your ceremony.

Golden Hour Portraits

While most of the day had a strong focus on the designs created by the vendor team, we ended the day with golden hour portraits. This was my favorite part of the day. At this point I had spent most of the day with Kyla and Brooke. We were in a good rhythm. I just wanted them to have a chance to be themselves without having to pose around setups.

We started near the Orchard Shop and ended in the Nature Area. Going down the winding trail through the woods and ending in the tall grasses, the light was definitely in our favor. I loved finding light coming through the trees and then having the golden tones from the tall grass as our backgrounds. But more than that, I loved how genuine Kyla and Brooke were with each other. They weren’t afraid to show affection or laugh, which made for some of my favorite portraits I took last year.

Vendor Team

Venue/Planner: Minnetrista, Kacie Morgan
Photographer: Cassie Dunmyer Photography
Floral Designer: Dandelions Flowers and Gifts
Cake: Brett Ellison
Dress: Rose Gate Bridal
Linen: Linen Hero
Hair: Redhead Salon Boutique
Uplighting: KLS Digital 
Couple: Brooke Terry & Kyla Hairston