Elopement Styled Shoot at the Desert Compass Inn

Real couple Kelly and Elizabeth modelled for our styled shoot at the Desert Compass Inn this past spring with travelling/elopement photographer, Erin Venable Photography.

The Desert Compass is a trendy vacation rental property in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It looks so cute and it would be a perfect wedding venue for any one of the boho dresses from my Southwest Bridal collection.

Kelly is wearing the Thunderbird gown and paired it with matching turquoise earrings and leather boots. Our model Kelly made the earrings she is modelling. They are campitos turquoise made with repurposed leather. Check out more of her work on Instagram @kellyhorriganhandmade

Fun Fact: The fringe on the Thunderbird gown has been updated with a brighter polyester fringe instead of the original cotton fringe that got too messy and wadded up after the first styled shoot. I love natural fibers just as much as anyone, but with dresses that are going to be worn multiple times, like my dresses for styled shoots, sometimes a manufactured fiber is the way to go to be time and cost-effective. With that being said, I absolutely recommend natural fibers (silk, cotton, linen) for your wedding day, since you are going to be only wearing them once and they are more luxurious.

Real Bride Ashley-Wedding Photos of Ashley and Beth

The Design

It was such a pleasure working with real bride Ashley on her custom-made bridal top, bridal pants, and bridal cape.

Since the lace was such a big part of this design, we spent some time searching for the perfect one. It’s a modern organic floral embroidery on tulle fabric from French Lace supplier, Imperial Lace.

We chose shiny ivory satin for the pants with a champagne tuxedo stripe and waistband. We also added pockets!

The matching cape was inspired by celebrity bride Solange’s wedding cape. My favorite part of the design is the last-minute lace applique we added to the inside of the cape!

The buttons down the back and the bustier-style bodice make this wedding top distinctive.

Wedding Day

Ashley and Beth got married on October 20, 2020, at the Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park.

Dallas Heritage Village is home to the largest and finest collection of 19th-century pioneer and Victorian homes and commercial buildings in Texas.

They were married in front of their masked friends and family during the 2020 pandemic.