PRODUCT STYLING WORKSHOP FOR THE ENGAGE ACADEMY UAE
It’s no secret I’m a fan of pretty styling – there’s nothing that can’t be made better with a piece of ribbon or perfect bloom – and this year I’ve made it my mission to share my passion with others, teaching wedding pro’s my tips and tricks for creating beautiful product styling, shoots and editorial images. Earlier this month I was invited by Dubai-based blogger Rio from Bride Club ME to teach a Product Styling Workshop in Dubai as part of her Engage Academy programme, and I’m so thrilled to share the day with you.
With the wedding industry in Dubai, and infact the whole of the UAE, experiencing some mega-growth right now The Engage Academy was set up by to help this growing industry be the best it can be, a sort of UAE Flourish & Prosper if you like – so of course I was delighted to accept. It was exciting to meet 15 of the talented wedding pro’s that are making waves with couples based and getting married in the Middle East – and to make some new friends too! Adapting trends from the US, UK and Middle East to create a contemporary and fresh wedding style with a hint of Eastern style, these girls are definitely on my watch list for 2015!
As a blog editor recieving thousands of images each week, I’ve come to learn just how important styled images are to professionals wanting to get their work published. It’s heartbreaking to turn down a post or feature of a beautiful product that just hasn’t been showcased in the way it deserves – a dodgy iPhone snap just won’t do – so we were lucky to have talented photographer Maria Sundin on hand to capture our styling perfectly and share some of her own advice.
After a delicious lunch provided by our beautiful venue, Al Badia Golf Club, I hosted a hands on session with the attendees styling their own gorgeous products with the help of an array of pretty props kindly loaned by some amazing local suppliers including furniture from CATERTAINMENT, linens from Party Social, props from Lovely Styling and Mylist.ae’s partner stores O’de Rose, The White Company and Tavola, Sunny’s POP gold popcorn and buckets jam-packed with the most beautiful flowers from Firenze Flora. I was so impressed with the work they created – just have a look for yourselves!
This year I’ll also be teaching at the European Wedding Congress on 8-9th April, in Holland and at the Flourish & Prosper Styling Workshop at Aynhoe Park, Oxfordshire on 27th April. I’m also planning two more exciting workshop collaborations this Autumn in France and the UK; keep up to date with the latest announcements and workshop dates at www.louisebeukes.com
