A “Pretend” Wedding

By Sarah Lord – Owner of Makeup by Sarah Lord, Newburyport

So, you’ve found your forever person and it’s time to celebrate with an overflowing champagne tower, delicious bites, a beautiful sparkly gown (or suit), and all the dreamy details from stationery to signage — BUT instead of flowers as bouquets, you go with puppies. Puppies? Yep!

Seacoast Bark was swooning when they heard the news of this editorial styled photoshoot which took place at Willowdale Estate in the fall of 2022. I, the host ( Makeup by Sarah Lord ), have executed numerous styled photoshoots and really had some creative fun with this one by incorporating puppies from Sweet Paws Rescue . While typically bridesmaids/bridesmen hold flowers, here they’re holding puppies; and no one is complaining about this adorable deviation from tradition.

So what is a styled photoshoot? Well, this is essentially a “fake” wedding put together by wedding vendors to have a little creative freedom. These shoots are then ticketed to photographers who can snap away at all the wedding content at their own pace. This not only gives the participating vendors some beautiful images to share, but also gives the photographers an opportunity to work with venues and creatives they have been eyeing.

These images from Rachel Dampolo of Dampolo Photography perfectly capture how much fun was had that day. Some of the details included custom “pup of honor” name tags, puppy-sized floral collars, a paw print detailed cake, a biscuit bar (for the dogs) and an invitation suite with an ode to 101 Dalmatians.

All of the proceeds from this shoot were donated to Sweet Paws Rescue. The founder, Cynthia Sweet, and one of her many terrific team members, Melissa Hackmeister, were on site to not only bring four adorable puppies but to watch the magic unfold into beautiful images captured by the seven photographers in attendance. We even heard that the staff at Willowdale Estate took a quick break to come down and play with the puppies in their floralcovered courtyard. The end result of this shoot? Some gorgeous images, a successful creative collaboration and, of course, a benefit for Sweet Paws Rescue.

If you’re currently in the wedding planning trenches but not able to incorporate puppies into your big day, an alternative is ditching the favors and donating to one of your favorite animal rescue groups! And if you’re on the hunt for some fantastic local vendors, feel free to look over the ones who generously donated their time and talents for this shoot via Instagram.

@finishingtoucheventsne @makeupbysarah.lord @stylesbycallie @willowdaleestate @sageandoakcreative @shopbellasera @mmfloraldesigns @sweetcheeksbyrenee @dampolophotography (SweetPawsRescue.org) (MakeupBySarahLord.com) (DampoloPhotography.com)