Exuding luxury, glamour and romance, this perfectly executed styled shoot goes to show how fashions from earlier eras can still be fitting to modern day weddings with some subtle contemporary touches.
Captured at Alexander’s Grand Café Bar & Terrace in the North Yorkshire market town of Skipton, the characterful Grade II listed building made an attractive backdrop for the 1930s brief put together by the venue’s marketing manager Lucy Barrow, along with a host of super talented big day suppliers from the surrounding area.
Classic Art Deco influences are evident in the black and gold statement stationery, leafy palms, vintage accessories and retro esque hair and beauty, all perfectly complemented by the venue’s stunning interiors and brought further up to date with the addition of cool neon lighting and colourful blooms.
And so, there’s inspo galore for those of you who wish to radiate similar scenes of 1930s opulence on your own big day. Here to give us the finer details on the coordination and creativity of the shoot is Lucy.
With images by Boho Chic Weddings
INSPIRATION
Lucy says: The vision for the shoot was to harness the glamour, sophistication and understated opulence of the 1930s through colour and fine detailing. Rich golds, emerald greens, ivories and deep ruby reds come together in the flowers, hair, makeup and gorgeous bias cut bridal gowns, with the authentic Art Deco flourishes evoked through Alexander’s stylish interiors, bespoke stationary and magnificent wedding cake completing the look.
LOCATION
Alexander’s Grand Café Bar & Terrace is a striking Grade II listed building at the head of Skipton High Street, just a few moments’ walk from the town’s beautiful Church Green. Its elegant Edwardian inspired interiors, featuring metallics and greens accented by authentic Art Deco details, was the perfect backdrop to enhance a modern 1930s styled wedding.
STYLING
Whilst aiming to channel all the style and sass of the 1930’s era, the brief was to do this in a modern, understated way. So, the flowers by Where Bees Meet, infuse the essence of the 1930s with their exuberant leafy palms, peaches, golds and ivories, but are presented in a modern way.
The cake, created by White Rose Cake Design, is both simple and incredibly striking, its tall, narrow, four-tier form emulating crisp Art Deco geometric lines.
Suzanne Oddy Design produced the stationery, which once again harnesses the shapes and fonts of the era, but set against the matt, black background, does so in an entirely cutting edge and modern way.
To add some extra glamour, Love Lights The Way provided a ‘It started with a kiss’ neon and a fairy-light-adorned Geo backdrop.
Alexander’s own linens, glassware, porcelain and decorations perfectly complement the chosen theme and are available as ‘standard’ as part of an Alexander’s wedding.
ATTIRE
Both bridal dresses are by Australian designer Made With Love supplied by The Aisle bridal boutique of Ilkley. The spotty one is ‘Scotty’, we loved the unique lace almost giving the look of beading, with a feminine plunge back, the other is ‘Carla’. Stunning 3D lace adding texture, with the signature low back made with love are known for. The nude lining makes the lace pop even more, and a modern twist to a wedding dress.
The green evening dress is ‘Claudia’ from Ghost London. Inspired by the 1930’s this dusty green design is elegantly crafted from satin and has a delicate Georgette bodice. This floor length gown features a stunning draped cowl back that oozes old Hollywood glamour.
The hair accessorises by The Bobby Pin include Art Deco pearl and gold spray clips (Gia) to fit the era of the shoot and a floral comb and clip set (Hadria and Harden) made with enamel cream flowers with gold leaf accents to show a more opulent look. The rose gold vine (Carrie) is a statement piece with floral and leaf embellishments made to cascade through the hair and create subtle sparkle.
Fine and fitting attire for our male model was supplied by Jenson Samuel Menswear.
BEAUTY
The Briar Rose Co took care of the hair and makeup. For hair, we teamed a ponytail and waves to create a look that gave a hearty nod to the 30s whilst being a relevant and wearable look for today’s bride.
For a second look, we incorporated a four-strand braid and pinned at the nape of the neck for a more vintage look.
Makeup-wise we started with a look reminiscent of the era in terms of playing with light and dark for contrast and shape, the colours were inline with the model’s own colouring and fitted with the modern trend of warm toned eyeshadows. A strong lip was a must.
The second look was more dramatic, to complement the striking colour of the teal dress. The dark eye and lip were a 30’s classic as it needed to make a serious impact on camera.
RESULTS
The shoot went really well, and we felt we successfully achieved the brief through the images that were perfectly captured by Catherine of Boho Chic Weddings.
We chose to focus on the aesthetic rather than necessarily showcasing the venue’s extensive spaces. In addition to its spectacular interiors, the venue’s lush, covered and heated terraces, Secret Garden and beautiful light filled restaurant also confirms its suitability for a stylish spring/summer wedding.
