What is the Hybrid Collective?

The Hybrid Collective is an annual days long event that started in 2016 as a response to film photographers’ frustration with trade shows. Every year, The Hybrid Collective brings top experts in the photography and wedding industries to lecture, teach classes, and host creative sessions. It brings hundreds of photographers (digital and film) together. This year the Hybrid Collective took place at Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs, Texas. Next year it will be in San Diego.

You’re a florist. Why were you there?

The Hybrid Collective offers attendees the opportunity to add creative sessions into their agenda. For each of these sessions, a planner or designer organizes various wedding scenes for the photographers to shoot in order for the photographers to add quality content to their portfolios. It may seem weird to have 25 photographers taking images of the same faux wedding, but their styles and their audiences are usually so different, it doesn’t show awkward in the online space.
Imagine being the florist (me) who suddenly has 25 photographers taking photos and sharing images of her work instead of the usual one photographer!

I’ve always wanted to be involved in the Hybrid Collective but previously, traveling was not feasible. A few months ago, when I realized Hybrid was going to take place near Austin, TX, I looked up the mood boards for the styled wedding shoots and began to reach out to the planners that I admired and whose shoots aligned with the kind of work I enjoy doing.

A traveling event florist?!

I think many would be surprised at how doable it is to travel as an event florist. I’ve prepared for events in above garage apartments, dining rooms with the chandeliers zipped tied out of the way, precarious mountain cabins, friends’ back houses, and studio spaces rented from local florists (my preference by far). Details that take extra time to source and coordinate when I travel for a wedding include travel, lodging, work space, local help, hard good rentals, and product. It’s more work than designing for local events out of my own studio, but I love working through the logistics, discovering new flower sources, and meeting new flower friends. In fact, the most difficult part of traveling for events is preparing our three kids and our home for my absence. This includes meal planning, meal prepping, coordinating childcare with drop offs and pick ups, and leaving detailed instructions for each day to make things as easy as possible without the primary homemaker (me) to coordinate it all.
I should do a separate post series on this.
But on to the good stuff!

I’ve included these photos of my floral designs from the Hybrid Collective at Camp Lucy so that you can see a little of the resulting work. There will be many more.

Organic Opulence

Designer and producer: Detailed Touch Events
Florist: Emily Emily Kaye Floral Atelier
HMU: Melissa B Beauty
Cake: Lilac Sugar Cakes
Rentals: Design to Flourish
Location and Rentals: Camp Lucy
Models: The Block Agency

The following images are by Laura Rose.

House of Gucci

Producer: Type A Society
Gowns: Oscar De La Renta and Elie Saab (pulled by Lauren Martens)
Suit: Friar Tux
Flowers: Emily Kaye Floral Atelier
Cake: Olive and Aries
HMU: Luna Beauty Bridal
Shoes: Gucci
Invitation: The Letterist
Location and Rentals: Camp Lucy
Plates: Christian la Croix Maison

The following photos are by Katrina Mcardle. We met at the end of the session and spoke french together for a few rusty yet glorious minutes. I know this will not be the first time we work together! And I see a rendez-vous in Paris in our future…