Combining the luxury, glamour, exuberance and glitz of the 1920s with a twist of emeralds, sapphire blues and a sprinkling of peacock feathers – we think you’re going to be head over heels about this art deco inspired shoot.
Wedding planner Sarah Bell, from Onyx Weddings and Events, coordinated the stylish shoot, keen to build her own networks, show off her creative styling skills and bring on-board plenty of talented, local suppliers. And the results are ever so pretty and bold.
The backdrop – The Crowne Plaza John Lennon Airport Hotel – is built within a converted terminal building and is brimming with striking art deco details, and even features vintage aircraft.
As you might expect – the gowns, hairstyling and makeup epitomise 1920s chic and it’s got us craving the fun and frolics of this high-spirited and iconic era! Here’s Sarah to tell all…
Models: Kyndall Perry and Harry Scott
With images by Anna Beth Photography
Inspiration
Sarah says
: My inspiration for this shoot came from the idea of the 1920/30s and art deco era being so glamorous and the epitome of opulence. It was also known as the golden 20s, so I decided to incorporate golds into the shoot. I didn’t want it all to be just blacks and golds though, so thought by adding flushes of peacocks into the colour palette it would bring a fabulous pop of colour to the photos.
Theme
On the tablescape I wanted it to exuberate glitz and Whitehouse Event Crockery were superb. The black plates looked striking against the gold chargers and framed with the gold cutlery, and with minimal decoration of golden palm trees and black ostrich feathers it was simple yet would not look out of place at a Great Gatsby party!
The ceremony décor had pops of bright sapphire blues and emerald greens of peacock feathers on the chairs with a glitzy brooch bouquet created by Maddison Rocks Floral Sculpture and the aisle was lined with candles. The talented Karen Scott from KRN Events helped bring the venue to life.
The beautiful LiRi Bridal Eva and Jess gowns gives our bride a glamorous romantic feel, with the V-necks and long sleeves of both gowns draped with a stunning faux fur stole from Helen Moore England. Our groom looks dapper in his plain black dinner suit, these two are on their way to a Great Gatsby party!
Location
The Crowne Plaza, John Lennon Airport hotel fitted the shoot perfectly, with all its art deco features. The hotel is built within the original Grade II listed art deco Liverpool Airport terminal and is scattered with art deco features – from bold geometric forms on the doors and floors to the vintage aircraft.
There is also a stunning clock tower and terraces overlooking the vintage aircraft – these featured in images full of screaming fans when the Beatles arrived into Liverpool Airport, back in the day!
The reception area had the most amazing art deco styled counter too, which was an amazing backdrop to our images.
Styling
The styling was inspired by Great Gatsby golds and blacks, but I wanted to add a little bit of something else to it. I got my inspiration from peacock feathers – the blues and greens would sit well against this palette.
The peacock theme was used to develop the brooch bouquet and buttonhole created by Maddison Rocks Floral Sculpture as well as the stationery – supplied by Sugar Crush Weddings – with hints of it in our ceremony décor.
The cake, supplied by Debbie Gillespie Cake Design, was glitzy and striking with its sapphire brooches and pluems. It sat perfectly on the art deco inspired cake stand by Bramble Sky.
To add some more opulence to the shoot we had a stunning sapphire diamond ring, from the London Victorian Ring Company, which matched the bouquet.
Attire
I chose two gowns from LiRi Bridal for the shoot, supplied by Claire Sugar at The Bridal Suite Cheshire. These gowns were befitting of the art deco style with their low V-necks and long sleeves.
The Eva gown is adorned with netted lace and amazing detail which gave a very glamorous look to the shoot. Meanwhile, the Jess gown is an off the shoulder dress and has a gorgeous layered tulle skirt, which gave more of a romantic edge.
For the groom, it had to be a classic tailored dinner suit in plain black from Whitfield & Ward, as this matched my theme and was also the main style of attire for men associated with parties in the roaring 20s.
Beauty
Our bride’s hair, styled by Jessica Bell from River Willow Hair Design, was swept back into a low curled bun and to the side, leaving the other side for our stunning handmade hair accessory, which was made specifically for our shoot by Heidi Reid from Glorious by Heidi.
The makeup, created by Kelly Ager Makeup, was typical 1920s with super strong smoky eyes, dark eyebrows and deep red lips. This look would be perfect for brides looking for a classic, vintage look.
Results
The shoot went really well. In fact, we even got finished earlier than scheduled. Everyone worked well as a team and produced an amazing set of images, I loved working with them all.
We were very lucky with the weather, which meant we got some fantastic images of the vintage aircraft and on the terraces under the clock tower.
My aim was to create an art deco inspired shoot but with a twist and I think all the images from the shoot show that we achieved this.
I am a relatively new planner, I have only been in business for a year, so arranging styled shoots has really helped me build up a fantastic network of suppliers, and also helps me show off my creative styling. When I came up with the idea of this shoot, I tried to select suppliers that would work well with the theme and I think I certainly achieved that. I also wanted to have local suppliers where possible.
