Behind the scenes Heili Bridal photoshoot at Hotelli Punkaharju
The first big photoshoot for Heili Bridal during the spring 2019 was held at the Hotel Punkaharju, a blush colored boutique hotel run by a Finnish top model Saimi Hoyer. In this blog post we’ll take a peek at our shooting day with Piirto Photography and show you how does it look when we do a fashion shoot at a location.
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Hotelli Punkaharju – out of a dream
If you have seen the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson, Hotelli Punkaharju might intrigue you. The blush colored romantic building on top of a steep hill which is part of bigger ridge is like a movie location. The hotel is located at Punkaharju in Eastern Finland which is well known for it’s breathtaking scenery and clear lakes. The hotel is full of exciting nooks and it even has its own tower.
The place itself is the oldest still working lodging place in Finland. It has continuously offered accommodations since mid 19th century for people coming to admire the beautiful nature of the area. In 2016 one of the Finland’s best know fashion models Saimi Hoyer bought the hotel and since then the place has reborn as one of the most interesting design hotels in Finland.
Fashion Shoot at a Historical Location
For us Hotel Punkaharju has been a bucket list shooting location since we started our business because of it’s beautiful interior and romantic feel. We were beyond thrilled when we got a chance to have our wedding fashion shoot there this spring! The best thing of all is, that the hotel is just 30 minutes drive from where we currently live. We got to use the hotel in Monday when it’s normally closed. It was surreal to spend a day at otherwise silent hotel – only Saimi popping in from time to time to call out something encouraging. There was lot of laughter during the day.
Green and White Flowers
The theme colors for Hotel Punkaharju shoot were white and green according the rooms we used at the hotel. We used for example ranunculus, roses, sweet williams and baby’s breath, all in white of course. The exciting addition to flowers and greenery was common reed. Instead of using imported or cultivated pampas grass we opted for this local wild reed with fluffy plumes which is common lakeside plant here. As usual we did all the flowers by ourselves, this time aiming for natural and airy looks.
Piirto Photography
We have been unbelievably lucky when it comes to finding partners and friends in business. Sirpa from Piirto Photography is one of those moments of luck. After moving Heili Bridal’s work studio to Kerimäki late in the year 2018 it felt like a blink of an eye before Sirpa contacted us. She runs her own photography studio at Kerimäki and does primary wedding and family photography. The photoshoot at Hotelli Punkaharju was our first project together and we’re beyond thrilled to see the finished pictures!
The White Porch
The white porch must be one of my very favorite spots at Hotelli Punkaharju. It’s a space surrounded by windows on two sides and a sweetest little library nook on one side. Normally this airy and white room is filled with rocking chairs and woolen quilts for hotel guests to enjoy at sunny mornings or rainy afternoons, but we emptied the space and embraced the cool nordic light that filled it. Can you resist that gorgeous white floor? It even creaks in certain corners like a real old wooden floor should.
Green Lounge
The green lounge was something that we absolutely wanted to use! It’s actually quite dark space with dark forest green paneled walls and tons of plush chairs and sofas. The deep green looked dreamy when combined with white wedding dresses. The lounge is fitted with lovely light fixtures made of colored glass which hang low above the sofa tables made of different woods. One of us had to hold them up and away at all times during the shooting because otherwise we would have had a lamp right in the front of the model’s head in every picture. That was one though job!
Thank you for our lovely models Linda and Inka who spend the Monday with us. You looked absolutely beautiful and shining! Now we wait for the photographs and start planning the next shoot. In the meantime you can continue reading our other blog posts: Paris Fashion Week – Behind The Scenes With Heili Bridal, Vintage Valentine’s Day Wedding Inspiration In Blush and Pink and 5 Ways to Style Infinity Dress with Accessories.
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Love,
Iida
Iida Silvennoinen
Designer, author, blogger
Iida is a bridal designer at Heili Bridal and her passion is to help brides feel special in their big day. She grew up in the middle of wedding dresses and has been dressing brides in all shapes and sizes for years. She loves gardening and relaxed evenings at home.
Iida Silvennoinen is the author of The Wedding Dress Book in which she walks the bride through the wedding dress searching and shopping.
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