Creative direction and styling: Tahnee Sanders
MUAH:  Frantzeska Koukoula
Dress: Free People
Location: Olivegrove in Pílos, Messinia, Greece

This engagement shoot with the lovely Alex and Catherine was shot in Pílos in Messinia, Greece. It was styled by Tahnee Sanders and inspired by the Greek goddess Gaia, the goddess of the earth. She is the personification of mother nature and is connected to nurturing, devotion and unconditional love. The essence of this shoot wasn’t about a lot of props and an abundance of styling but a connection to the earth and each other. This is emphasized by the couples bare feet but also in the location. This engagement shoot took place in an olive grove which has a lot of significance in Greece. Many families have their own olive groves in their village. It is not unusual for these groves to have been in the family for 5 or more generations. In fact there are more olive trees than people in Greece. Approximately 130 million olive trees compared to 11 million people. Olive trees can live up to at least 600 years.

Stylist Tahnee Sanders: ‘Greek philosopher Plotinus taught that beauty was not perceived with the outer sense, but with an internal or moral sense which upholds the good; that human reason and human soul are beautiful beyond any object. We need not break something down into parts to analyse its beauty, but rather see beauty in unity and simplicity. As a stylist it's tempting to use "things" to help tell a story. But our subjects have beautiful stories all of their own. It's our job to help them tell that story, not write one for them.’