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I have such a big crush on this insanely lovely styled Indian shoot!  From the bright elegant colors to the phenomenal clothing all beautifully captured by Brian MacStay Photography!  When the team got together to craft this styled shoot, they took cues from the colors and flavors of India, saffron, curry, cardamom and indigo as well as the location for the shoot, one of San Francisco’s most iconic locations, the historic Julia Morgan Ballroom.  The Julia Morgan Ballroom is rich in texture and history with its deep Mahogany paneled wood walls, glamorous marble foyer, coffered ceilings and beveled mirrors.  Their goal was to highlight the deep, beautiful colors that are so entrenched in Indian culture. Taking the opportunity to play with everything from the jewelry by Reveti Jewelry Inc, to the bright florals.  The beautiful beaded dress, which was designed by Swati Couture was custom designed and intricately beaded.  Every piece to this well styled shoot is an explosion of color, texture and brilliance!

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What Storyboard Likes…

Bright Colors & Beautiful Clothes–  No matter who you are, its hard to deny how incredibly captivating the use of bold vibrant colors are within the Indian culture.  Like a proud peacock, striking hues are used in an unapologetic way, injected into every place possible.  In this technicolor vision, its hard to deny the gorgeous deep purples & popping turquoise nor do I think I have ever been as big of a fan of bright shining gold as I am right now.  The gorgeous clothing provided by Swati Couture is beautifully crafted and to be flatly honest, I want to wear this dress!  The beautiful models, Sonia Kakkar and Houman Abouei, do a brilliant job of selling me on the entire shoot, and damned if they along with the entire setup, dont make me want to be there too!

Cakes As Art– I have a board on Pinterest solely dedicated to collecting the most gorgeous cakes around called Cakes As Art.  Let’s be honest here, to be able to do the things that these brilliant bakers are doing, a certainly level of artistry must be put forth by these amazing bakers.  Sure they aren’t using oil pants, watercolors & metal working, but they are making art all same, simply with sugar & flour as their medium.  The absolutely gorgeous cake made by Patisserie Angelica is perfection on so many levels.  From a design standpoint, whether you realize it or not, the overall design aesthetic hauntingly mirrors that of the beautiful Indian attire with its beaded work that at times resembles quilting.  The intricate fondant cut outs mimic that of the gorgeous pattern work often found in traditional Indian linens while florishes to the cutouts that were finished off by hand. What one might take for granted is the precision & carefulness to which this work was done.  The overall effect is a gorgeously precise & flawless cake, which might sound like boring words used to describe, but in truth, it couldn’t be a bigger compliment to the hand that created it.

Beautiful Spaces– Ok, you got me.  I am totally on board with Julia Morgan Ballroom at the Merchants Exchange being one stunning venue.  If you’re on board with a darker feel to your fete {I mean this as a good thing} then allow yourself to be swallowed up in the dark Mahogany wood walls, embraced by an air of old school.  The venue describes it’s space so beautifully: The 15th Floor, which houses the grand Ballroom, Lounge, Bar, and anterooms, was recently refurbished. A stunning Deco foyer greets you, before a 27-foot curved mahogany bar in the Lounge sweeps you towards the majestic Ballroom, which is 4,300 square feet of pure elegance. Light flows in through a wall of floor-to-ceiling arched windows, overhead is a honeycombed ceiling of mahogany octagonals, and a 20-foot palatial fireplace commands the southern wall.  Between the giant windows that allow daylight to pour in, to the complimenting symmetry of the wall to wall geometric carpeting against the honey combed ceiling, its easy to see how enchanting this space can be and did I mention, Fireplace!?

Vendor Love

Venue: Julia Morgan Ballroom at the Merchants ExchangeDress Designer: Swati CoutureJewelry: Reveti Jewelry IncHair & Makeup Artist: A Beautiful One Hair and Make UpFloral: Greenworks Floral DesignBaker: Patisserie AngelicaRentals: Wine Country Party RentalsChairs: Blueprint StudiosEvent Design: Tamara J EventsCinema & Video: Epic Studios | Second Shooters: Jennifer Bagwell Photography, John H Wright Photography |Photographer: Brian MacStay Photography