Modèle Weddings thanks Kristin Banta of Kristin Banta Events and Laura Grier of Beautiful Day Photography for producing such a gorgeous shoot.  See it in print nationwide at Barnes & Noble.

“Staged in Hicksville, a “TRAILER PALACE” hidden deep in the desert scrub near Joshua Tree, miles from the paved road…it was here that we created the set for what was designed to be an all American scene, staged in a “POST APOCALYPTIC” desert setting (think Mercury, Nevada bomb test site), styled as retro-glam in hyper-color.

As the scratchy old radio played Loretta Lynn on repeat, the set echoed an over-saturated, cloying, over-the-top 1957 scene. The bride is celebrating her perfect day, her perfect husband, her perfect fantasy life.

Heavy-handed, blown out hues – you can almost taste the saccharine cherry pie and intentionally cliched props setting the stage for our protagonist to celebrate her dream moment.

Oblivious to her surroundings, she poses in exaggerated domesticity while around her time and life has been shattered. It’s Mad Max 30 years earlier and she’s the last hold out of a forgotten life. She serves and preens, desperate to fulfill the role.

Slowly she winds towards emancipation. The fantasy starts to unravel. The idealism fractures, and by the end of our story she casts off the foisted role. Screw him. Screw this.

She tears off her chains to the obligations of the past, turns to face the future and realizes it’s too late.

“Life is not perfect. We are unapologetically imperfect women in imperfect times still in pursuit of our perfect unions.”

Created, Art Directed, Designed and Narrated by: Kristin Banta

Kristin Banta With an extensive background in fashion, entertainment, and international event production, as well as experience in catering and interior design, Kristin creates unforgettable celebrations while bringing a fresh perspective to the mix. Her events, from society weddings in exclusive locations to film and music industry soirees are as unique and diversified as her clientele, which range from Fortune 500′s to multi-platinum recording artists. A frequent contributor for many of the leading wedding and event publications, Kristin’s work has been featured in InStyle Weddings, Modele, Bespoke, California Wedding Day, Southern California Weddings, Los Angeles Weddings Magazine, The Knot, Modern Bride Southern California, Brides Southern California, Southern Living, Your Wedding Day Magazine, LA Times, Real Simple Weddings, Inside Weddings, Life & Style, Style Me Pretty, Junebug, Green Wedding Shoes, MSN Living, Bravo’s The Dish, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, Bride Finds, AOL and Punk Rock Confidential, among others. Featured on the Mark Burnett/DreamWorks series for TNT, “Wedding Day,” she can also be seen throughout the third season of Bravo’s “Millionaire Matchmaker” as the wedding designer and planner for host Patti Stanger. Kristin was featured as one of Los Angeles’ top event designers in the book “The Art of Celebration” released last November 2010, in addition to the forthcoming “Southern California Weddings” both published by Panache Partners. Kristin was most recently featured on her own Bravo special “The Ringleader” which premiered on Valentine’s Day, 2012 showcasing her signature out-of-the-box style, revolutionizing the way couples look at their special day. The show reaired for an encore Bravo presentation as “The Wedding Party” throughout the summer of 2012. Kristin also recently appeared as correspondent on KTLA for a holiday segment and will soon be featured on the new season of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County.

Laura Grier With a dual degree from Syracuse University in both photojournalism and art photography, Laura Grier has always blended the two genres of photography to create a unique, conceptual style that allows her work to stand alone.

By age 18, Laura obtained secret clearance with a government agency working in their photo imaging department. She then went on to work in London for the rock and roll-themed magazine, Mixmag. Two years later she understudied with National Geographic photographer, Ed Kashi, in Florence Italy.

Since then, her photography has taken her to six continents. She has worked freelance for a variety of media giants like Warner Bros. Studios, CBS Studios, National Geographic, FM2 LLC, Wire Image, Jive Records, and Spence Studios. Having such an eclectic background in photography, Laura has easily transitioned her style to create powerful images in a wide array of disciplines, including travel, wedding, commercial, music, celebrity and fashion photography. Notably, she has photographed and was featured on VH1s “My Fair Brady Wedding”, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Traveler Magazine, Destination Weddings and Honeymoons Magazine, Destination I DO! Magazine, Modele Weddings Magazine, For the Bride Magazine, The Style Network and won the Nationwide photo contest in American Photo Magazine for the Top Ten Best Wedding Photos of the Year.  Recently, one of Laura’s photos won the World Wide National Geographic Traveler Contest for the Top Ten Best Travel Photos of 2011 and her photos from the HyperColor Retro Glam Shoot have won the 2013 Top Knots photo contest appearing in PDN Magazine in April.

Presently, Laura is a Los Angeles based Photojournalist, and the founder and present owner of Beautiful Day Photography (www.beautifuldayphotography.com) one of LA’s most highly regarded wedding companies specializing in Destination Weddings.  During the year, she can be seen overseas shooting weddings, balancing language books in one hand and camera in another.

Laura’s ability to channel her storytelling into a chic, vibrant perspective, has made her a veteran International photographer, shooting weddings around the globe. While on these trips, she has been inspired to create her own travel portraiture and art on the side, satiating her inner Wanderlust. She felt an overwhelming need to tell the stories of the people and experiences she has gathered along the way through her lens. This desire sparked the creation of “Wanderlust by Laura Grier”, a personal blog focusing on Travel, Portraiture and Fine Art, highlighting the behind-the-scenes of her photography and personal stories while jet-setting around the world.

Modèle Weddings acknowledges and thanks the following talented vendors for their contributions to Retro-Glam in Hyper Color:

Makeup – Tara Dowburd-Luftman of Make-Up Therapy

Hair – Stephanie Ovalle of Make-Up Therapy

Florals – Carly Cylinder with Flour LA

Chairs and Props – Archive Vintage Rentals

Tabletop Rentals – Casa de Perrin

Linens – La Tavola

Cake – The Butterend Bakery

Pies – Porch Pies

Dress – Dolly Couture

Dress Alterations – Leah Bauer

Apron – Two Design Divas

Mannequin – Bob Gail Special Events

Model – Pauline Van Valin