A Styled Shoot at Greystone Castle
A cold front, a transmission failure, a couple of Clydesdales, and an honest look at why photographers do styled shoots in the first place.
GREYSTONE CASTLE, BOULDER · MAY 2026 · DIGITAL + 35MM FILM
I want to get something out of the way before this post goes anywhere else.
This was a styled shoot. Not a real wedding. Indya and Cameron, the two beautiful people in the bridal attire on the Greystone Castle grounds, aren't married to each other. They're models. I'm telling you all of this up front because the wedding industry has a quiet habit of letting styled shoots get presented as if they were real weddings. Vendors do it. Photographers do it. Wedding blogs do it. It's annoying and sets unrealistic expectations, so I don't want to do it.
This post is going to tell you what this day was, why I went, what happened, and what came out of it. If you've ever wondered what photographers are doing on the days they aren't shooting actual clients, this is your answer.
So what's a styled shoot, actually?
A styled shoot is a coordinated day where vendors and photographers come together to create images of a fake wedding (or engagement, or elopement) for everyone's portfolios. There are no real clients, no timeline pressure, and no actual marriage happening at the end of it.
Photographers go for several reasons:
Creative freedom On a real wedding day, the timeline runs everything. A styled shoot gives you time to actually slow down, try a frame three different ways, and make work you wouldn't otherwise have the time for.
Vendor relationships Most wedding photography happens in collaboration with florists, planners, hair and makeup artists, and venue staff. Styled shoots are how we meet each other, work alongside each other, and figure out who we want to recommend to our actual couples.
Helping vendors get portfolio work Everyone in the wedding industry needs photos for the websites, instagrams, and advertising. On real-wedding days, photographers focus on the couples, only getting a few detail shots here and there. These vendors often need more than that. A styled shoot is how those vendors get the images they need to grow their businesses.
Trying out new locations Working in a venue you haven't shot before, with no clients to be responsible for, is one of the best ways to get to know it. You get a chance to explore, finding the light, experimenting with backgrounds, and figuring out any quirks or issues the venue may have so that when a real couple books it, you already know everything you need to know.
Editorial-style portfolio work Real weddings produce real wedding photos. Styled shoots produce editorial-feeling work. This isn’t to say that you can’t have editorial style photos on your actual wedding day, but these types of images take time that most couples don’t want to spend on photos. That’s why I offer studio bridal sessions. Get the real wedding photos on your actual day, and capture the editorial shots that make you feel like a modal ahead of time.
So yes. We get paid nothing for these days (in fact, we usually pay to help support the costs of the vendors). But pay-off is worth it, especially the relationships, which are the reason I can confidently send my couples to a florist or a hair stylist I trust.
The shoot itself
Colorado weather in early May is, to use a technical meteorological term, all over the place. Most of the week had been warm. Then the day before the shoot a front rolled in, dropped the temperature about twenty degrees, and started spitting rain by morning. The next day, that same system dropped a foot of snow above the Boulder foothills.
While most things about styled shoots are controlled, this is evidence that no matter how much you plan, Colorado will always throw you a curveball. So we adapted. Our table scape moved inside, portraits took place between rain showers, and the cloudy grey skies provided the ultimate soft box.
The transmission incident
Around the time we were supposed to start shooting the groom side of things, we got a message from Cameron. He was driving up Flagstaff Mountain. Or, more accurately, he was attempting to drive up Flagstaff Mountain. His car had decided to give up on the steep and windy road that leads up to Greystone Castle.
The shoot went on a hold. One of the other photographers on the team volunteered to drive down the mountain, pick him up, and bring him back. This wasn't a small ask. The rescue mission took about an hour round trip. Cameron got to the castle approximately two hours late, looking remarkably composed for a man whose car had just betrayed him on a Colorado mountain road in the rain.
The Clydesdales
Greystone Castle has Clydesdales on the property. If you don't know what a Clydesdale looks like up close, the answer is enormous. They're the horses from the beer commercials. They're draft horses bred for pulling, with feathered hooves and necks the size of a kitchen counter. They're very calm but also very large.
At some point during the shoot the Clydesdales wandered close enough to the action that we made the obvious decision and asked if Indya could pet one of them. The answer was yes. She did and they loved it. True to any wedding day, this was a moment that wasn’t planned, but that really stood out as a highlight of the day. As a photographer, it’s my job to make sure I capture it.
The cake (obviously my favorite part)
I am a certified cake fiend. I love cake. Maybe that’s why I joined the wedding industry. (Only kidding! Kind of…) At styled shoots the cakes aren’t usually for eating. They’re styrofoam layers covered in real frosting used to fake cake cutting photos. This is industry-standard practice and it's fine. (I guess.)
However, to my absolute delight, the cake at this shoot, from Deleon Queens Cakes, was a real cake. Basic vanilla. Nothing flashy about the flavor on paper, but very flashy on my taste buds. It was delicious.
I bring this up because cake makers don't get enough credit. They show up to weddings, they execute someone else's vision, and most of the time the photo of the cake gets posted with a caption about the couple. All that to say, I’m here to give a shout out to my favorite vendor category on any wedding day: the bakers. I love you.
The film touch
I shot this day on 35mm film alongside digital. Styled shoots are a great time to be a little more deliberate with film, because the timeline isn't running my life. Film worked exceptionally well at this Venue as well. The historic feeling of the castle with the soft light of the rainy day really let the film shine in the way that only film can.
If you want more on why I keep shooting film in 2026, there's a longer piece on that here.
What I took home from this day
At the end of the day I drove away with two rolls of film that I’m incredibly excited about, a handful of editorial-style shots that keep me inspired, connections with several vendors and other photographers I’d be happy to work with again, and an understanding of Greystone Castle as a venue. Oh, and most importantly, a piece of cake from Deleon Queens that may or may not have survived the drive home.
This is what styled shoots actually produce; not a fake wedding, but a working day with other creatives that helps me grow and improve.
THE TEAM
HOST + PLANNER: Jordan Vaughan @jordanvaughanphotography
VENUE: Greystone Castle @greystonecastleboulder
BRIDE MODEL: Indya @indy.sade
GROOM MODEL: Cameron @flvkko
BRIDESMAIDS: Rachel @rachelinframe, Tionna @tionnabadakai, Laura @lanolastudio
HAIR + MAKEUP: C Hair and Makeup Artistry @c.hairandmakeupartistry
FLORALS: Fearless Florals @fearlessflorals_
CAKE: Deleon Queens Cakes @deleonqueenscakes
TABLE RENTALS: The Wildflower Denver @thewildflowerdenver
PHOTOGRAPHY: SolPine Studios (35mm film + digital)
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