If you’ve been following my Instagram stories lately that you may have noticed that I was one busy elf in December. Christmas came early for me because my home will be featured in the December issue of Southern Living magazine next year, 2020! It was an absolute treat to see the team in action! It took about two days of shooting and styling to capture all of the images and I can’t wait to see the story in the actual pages of the magazine that I’ve been reading since I was a little girl! So exciting!

Since it took me roughly two weeks to get the house ‘magazine’ ready, I thought I would share a bit of the behind the scenes process! Luckily I had help from Kimberly Cheney with August Design for all things floral. She and her team popped by a few days before to set up the flowers for the tablescape, hang holiday greenery pretty much everywhere in the house and teach me how to tie gorgeous bows! A lot of the prepping actually happened in the kitchen where I was warming pies, baking Nana’s famous chocolate cake, trimming flowers and so much more.

Even though I can’t share the specific images and decor from the photo shoot, I took some behind the scenes photos a few days prior. I also answered the questions that I received via my Instagram messages. I hope that this is helpful to you!

What inspired your Christmas decor?

This year, I’ve been partnering with Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove to create more meaningful memories in my home by cooking fresh and seasonal dinners and bringing in family and friends to share in the process. As a result, a large part of my Christmas decor was about creating and sharing things are very meaningful to me. So you’ll see that a good portion of my decor includes family heirlooms, personal artwork and generational recipes.

How did Southern Living find out about you? How did this whole thing happen?

This is probably the question that I get asked the most. I actually formed a relationship with Southern Living Magazine years ago when I was writing for their former blog. I’ve kept in touch with their team over the years. Most recently, one of their home editors was in Savannah and I invited her over to tour my home. I then sent another two rounds of scouting images per their request and I guess my house was a good fit for their December 2020 issue! I was in New York City when I received they asked if they could shoot my home for the holidays and I was over the moon!

Since they’re featuring holiday decor, they shoot the content a year in advance. This actually makes it easier for me since I don’t have to decorate my home for the holidays in July. I couldn’t imagine sourcing holiday greenery and trees in the summer.

How did you prepare for this shoot?

The Inspiration Board. The SL editors asked for an inspiration board that outlined my aesthetic for this year’s decor. So I included images from Pinterest, products currently on the market and a color palette. I did this for my Double Parlor, Dining Room, Exterior and Kitchen. This ensured that my design wouldn’t be too similar to other homes featured in the same issue. This also helped keep me on track with sourcing items such as ribbon, greenery and more.

Once approved by the SL team, I immediately reached out to Kim with August Design. I shared the inspiration boards with her too and she helped source all of the greenery and flowers needed for the spaces. She was fabulous and such a pleasure to work with throughout the process.

Working with the SL Team. I worked closely with Southern Living’s Assistant Editor, Grace Haynes, for a few weeks to nail down the decor and identify the spaces to shoot. Because of the scouting images, they created a shot list that included specific angles and vignettes to shoot. So before I even started decorating, I knew exactly which angle and space the photographer would be shooting. It was very helpful as I didn’t have to decorate for every scenario possible! Then I hopped on a call with Executive Editor, Krissy Tiglias, Senior Homes Editor, Zoe Gowen and Grace Haynes to review the shot list as a team and answer any questions that I had. This was super helpful in my planning process.

Styling The Home. I styled as much as I could prior to the shoot including a holiday-inspired tablescape. I really wanted my style to be meaningful and personal to me. So I decided to bake Nana’s favorite chocolate cake that’s shared at every holiday gathering. Typically this family favorite cake is baked in a big bundt pan but I created mini ones for something a bit more playful. I think that this was my husband Casey’s favorite part of the shoot.

We also had just celebrated Thanksgiving in our new home and I had a variety of pies from Southern Baked Pie Company for my family to enjoy. I’m in love with their Chocolate Chess and Cherry Pies that I wanted to include a few of Amanda’s pies in my tablescape. These are also great gifts for family and friends and trust me they’re delicious. So the day before, I actually spent a few hours baking in my kitchen.

What was the actual photo shoot like?

Southern Living sent New York-based Photographer, Alison Gootee and Savannah-based Stylist Elizabeth Demos to my home for two days. We started at 9:00 am each morning and went through a very detailed shot list provided by Southern Living’s Photography Director. It was an incredible experience. I thought that I was familiar with photo shoots and styling but this was another level. Alison is incredibly talented and found shots that I never would’ve thought of even though I live in this house. She and her assistant also had so many resources and additional lighting options. It was something that I’ve never seen before!

I also loved working with Liz because she fully embraced my style and asked me for feedback as she was styling each shot. Even though she came fully prepared with loads of props, she mainly used items found around my home which made me happy, of course! I was truly grateful to have a talented and supportive all female team since the first day I was experiencing a bit of morning sickness with Baby Lavin due this spring.

When will the story be live?

The house feature will be live next December, 2020 in Southern Living Magazine. I’ll be sure to share on Lavin Label when it’s live.

Special thanks to photographer Alison Gootee, stylist Elizabeth Demos and the entire Southern Living Team. I’m so grateful for this incredible opportunity.