Something you don't see often in styled shoots is a real couple. Usually it's models, or two strangers doing their best to look like they're in love, and more often than not you can tell. Mia and Ivan are actually together, and honestly, it showed in every frame.

We shot this at Hotel Amadria Park in Opatija last September. That late-summer light Croatia gets, like the air itself knows summer's wrapping up. The whole concept was built around slowing down: flowers, soft textures, nothing rushed. The kind of shoot where you're not chasing anything, just letting it happen.

The flowers

The florals deserve their own moment. Cvjecarnica Lotus put together arrangements that felt genuinely abundant, not in a maximalist, over-styled way, but in the way that the most beautiful late summer gardens actually look when everything is still going. Warm tones, something almost wild about it. I found myself coming back to the flowers again and again while filming, which I think says something.

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot I took.

What a styled shoot is, and why it matters

For anyone who hasn't come across the term before: a styled shoot is a creative collaboration between wedding vendors - a chance to try something intentional together, outside the unpredictability of an actual wedding day. No schedule pressure, no guests to manage, just the work.

For me, it's a way to explore a particular mood or aesthetic in a more deliberate way than a wedding usually allows. Everything on this shoot was chosen carefully - the setting, the flowers, the dress, the details, and the result is a film I'm proud of in a different way than I'm proud of wedding films. It shows a vision, fully realised.

The team

This shoot was brought together by Mandorla Weddings, who handled organisation and made sure all the moving parts actually moved in the right direction. Collaborating with vendors who care this much about how things look and feel makes the whole process genuinely enjoyable.

The full vendor team:

Organisation: Mandorla Weddings
Decoration & florals: Cvjecarnica Lotus
Photography: Andrea Gržičić
Video: Nives Batistić - that's me
Makeup: Bridal Artist Agency
Hair: Frizerski Salon Domino
Wedding dress: Vjenčanice Biba
Content: Dora Ivezić
Venue: Hotel Amadria Park Opatija
Couple: Mia & Ivan Lesica

Opatija as a wedding backdrop

Opatija is on the Kvarner coast - quieter than Dubrovnik or Split, but not any less stunning. Hotel Amadria Park has this grand, old-European feel to it: tall trees, elegant architecture, the sea just nearby. It films beautifully, which honestly didn't surprise me.

If you're getting married on the Opatija Riviera and want to see more of this coast, check out my stories section.