Prepare yourselves for a pretty overload, as today we’re sharing a hugely swoon-worthy summer wedding styled shoot that has more pinks, petals and dreamy dresses than one could ever wish for.
Girly, gorgeous and romantic, this is the collaborative work of a talented group of wedding suppliers who pooled their skills working to a brief of ‘English Rose’ to create something so beautiful, it will blow your lace-trimmed socks off.
We’re totally in love with all the delightful detailing, from the table settings and blooms to the stationery and accessories. Not to mention the incredible dresses or that backdrop – I mean serious horticulture skills on show!
Here to tell us more is the wonderful Julieann Bird, who helped mastermind this piece of art and also supplied those stunning bridal accessories…
With images by Victoria Amrose Photography. Models Lottie Mai and Hannah Williams.
julieann says:
Through the shoot, we wanted to reflect an English garden in high summer, the borders bursting with flowers and the air laden with intoxicating scent – a fairy tale place to dream of weddings! To achieve this, we incorporated soft, classical and romantic fabrics and looks teamed with a feminine blush and pink floral colour scheme.
The stunning Goldstone Hall Hotel, in Shropshire, with its award-winning gardens provided the beautiful backdrop for the shoot, giving us a picture-perfect setting for our ‘English Rose’ wedding theme.
We were blessed with fabulous summer weather; a gorgeous sunny day and a cloudless bright blue sky with the gentlest of soft breezes.
The famous gardens are opened during the summer on certain days as part of the National Garden Scheme raising money for charity. The double tiered herbaceous border which backs onto a mellow south facing brick wall, kitchen gardens and herbal walkway were at their height on the day of the shoot.
In terms of the styling, florals in soft pinks with peach accents were the theme running through all the details used on the shoot.
Stationery designer Jules O’Connor, of Paper Pea, said that when she was approached to design for the English Rose shoot, her mind immediately conjured up beautiful blooms, perfect pink hues and elegant calligraphy. When designing the stationery, she imagined the perfect setting for a romantic summer’s day. Modern, feminine and timeless, her stationery in the shoot oozes delicacy and dreaminess, all presented on a rustic, hammered texture, which gives the suite a soft, yet premium finish.
Florist Denise Purnell, of Ginger Lily Florist, chose flowers that depicted an elegant simplicity with roses as the main flower. Her highly scented floral palette consisted of peonies, roses (Quicksand blush rose, the deeper vintage pink Wild Look and the soft creamy Avalanche), cream freesias, dusky coloured astrantia, wax flowers, cream stocks and philadelphus. Foliage included silvery eucalyptus, alcemilla mollis, a burgundy cotinus and panicum (fountain grass) to give a romantic light look.
Two bridal bouquets, both with fashionable trailing ribbons were styled; a large, loose horizontal statement bouquet, which is very much on trend and looked stunning with the fuller skirted wedding gowns. The second smaller bouquet had feathery ferns added along with a peachy pink rose called Pearl Avalanche. It was framed by a rustic twig ruff in green and the bouquet was bound with hessian.
A statement rose bowl, button holes, candelabra, glass domed centrepiece and chair backs were all created from the same flowers to continue the floral theme.
Tammy Weaver, from TMS Events, used a variety of lace and silk coloured fabrics for the table cloths and chair backs, including lace drapes for the entrance to the outdoor barn at Goldstone Hall.
Fun elements were added too with vintage teacups, antique books, parasols, cocktails in Party-Ring-topped mini milk bottles and a large balloon.
Six very different wedding dresses were selected for the shoot by Melanie, owner of Muse Bridal, and teamed with handmade accessories created by me, Julieann Bird.
We shot four Ronald Joyce gowns:
Rylee – this princess style gown offers drama in the full skirt with silvery lace appliqués giving a traditional feel. The sumptuous warm colour offers a modern twist which lends itself to the two very different and dramatic looks created by the accessories; firstly, a luscious blush pearl floral hair vine and then a soft pink mesh ribbon floral two-piece with pearl swags.
Jodie – a timeless Mikado dress with an on-trend collar neckline and an exquisite pearl and diamante belt. Timeless elegance, this gown is simply adorable, a modern take on classic Hollywood style contrasting with the exuberance of the florals and shrubs in the backdrop.
Oxford – a gorgeous satin wedding dress with a fitted fishtail an unusual double embellished low V-back. The exquisite detailing was echoed with a selection of dainty hair vines and pins, finished with delicate pearl jewellery.
Jacenia – this romantic gown has an elegant lace bodice and full floaty organza skirt with a row of pearl and diamante buttons that run the entire length of the back including the train.
The two other wedding dresses were from the 2017 La Sposa collection by Pronovias:
Hadrea – a delicate fine lace wedding dress with sleeves and edged in eye lash lace. This romantic gown gives a vintage feel for a traditional English country garden. Worn with the ethereal Collette tiara; featuring Clematis-like flowers formed from unusual stick pearls with delicate pearl stamen centres.
Hasina – a soft draping crepe dress with warm golds, diamante and amber stone beaded embellishment to the low back. This gown’s simplicity and elegance contrasts with the colours and depth of the packed flower beds and shrubbery in the gardens. This was teamed with a stunning bespoke silk flower headpiece. The flowers in rich coppery gold were colour matched to the gown and were handmade from botanically dyed silk ribbons.
I’m finding that one of the hot trends for 2018 is horizontal design elements, with matching belts and headbands being the latest ‘must haves’.
Hair and makeup-wise, our model bride Hannah had makeup applied so that she would look like she had the perfect rose flush with a silky diffused glow to her skin.
Makeup artist Rachel Savine used soft gold champagne, peach and warm caramel eye shadows for her eyes, adding depth and intensity to her lashes and thickening them with strip lashes. She also applied a wash of soft apricot blusher and a gold highlighter to the apples of Hannah’s cheeks helping to capture the light on her skin. To complete the look, she applied a high shine lipstick for a soft glossy finish.
Louise Price took care of the models’ hair. Hannah’s hair was parted to the side and elegantly swept up, framing her face perfectly. Parting the hair this way left plenty of scope to place the stunning hair accessories.
Our other model Lottie had two different wedding hairstyles. Her first look incorporated loose curls that were swept to the side in order to showcase the stunning low-cut back design of the Oxford bridal gown.
The second look was more structured. All of her hair was pinned up to suit the Bardot shoulder design of the Jodie dress. Small sections of hair looped and intertwined to create a rich, beautiful shape.
Lottie’s makeup look was created using a long wear liquid foundation to provide the perfect base and a soft diffused appearance to her skin. For her eyes, the eye shadow was kept soft but false lashes were used to draw attention to them, adding definition to the lash line and soft shaping to her brows.
Soft dusky pink blushers were added to her cheeks and a dusky pink high shine lipstick applied for understated glamour.
We first met to start planning this shoot on a frosty day six months beforehand. Meticulous organisation, regular meetings amongst the suppliers and lots of shared ideas meant that we were fully prepared and worked as one on the day of the shoot.
Many of the suppliers had worked together before on previous shoots and at weddings. We are a close bunch of friends who support each other and whilst shoots are a long day of hard work, they are also incredibly fun and inspirational.
