English tradition and Middle Eastern elegance beautifully collide in this stunning styled shoot captured at a recently renovated venue on the Shropshire wedding scene.
Headed-up and designed by planner and stylist Abigail, of Abigail Lucy Wedding and Events, the striking set of images provides ample inspo for those of you looking to fuse influences from varying cultures on your big day, as well as anyone who dreams of lavish and high-end celebrations.
Featuring a vibrant palette of pinks, peach, orange, indigo and blue, the clever styling showcases how plentiful hues can add interest, richness and depth without becoming OTT – as here we see them beautifully teamed with natural foliage flourishes and crisp, chic attire.
Particular highlights for us include the ‘bride’s’ bold-lip beauty look, the mesmerising sugar tile detail cake and those opulent floral arrangements – just WOW!
With images by Zehra Jagani
INSPIRATION
Abigail says: The main aim behind the shoot was to show the beauty of two cultures. We wanted to create something sophisticated and luxe. Lavish with a pop of colour. We wanted it to feel like an intimate wedding with a sort of rich French chateau feel.
SETTING
The shoot took place at Hawkstone Hall in Shropshire – a fairly new venue to the wedding scene that has had a multi-million-pound revamp. I use to work for the sister venue, Weston Hall, a number of years ago, and so I was made aware fairly early on of Hawkstone’s opening and had been following their grand plans for the interior design of the luxurious stately home. Once we had decided on the styling of the shoot, I just knew this was the perfect location for us – It had everything we needed down to the ballroom, gilded gold ceilings and sweeping staircases. It was the ideal mix between old and new. So, we were truly delighted to be able to shoot there!
ATTIRE
We actually went for a very modern style in terms of the attire, we wanted it to feel ‘vogue’ a mix of formal and casual. To create the bride’s look, we picked an incredible piece from designer Jesus Peiro, supplied by The White Closet bridal boutique in Didsbury. It was part of the new 2020 collection and at the time we were one of the first to get our hands on the design, so we were super excited! We chose this specific gown because it was perfectly on trend for 2020 with the high neck collar, v-shaped bodice and A-line skirt. The skirt had a clip on and clip off layer which was great for creating both the formal/informal dramatic and fun shots we had in mind. One of my very favourite images from the shoot is where our bride is almost dancing with the skirt. We teamed the gown with accessories by Botias Accessories and shows by Jimmy Choo.
For the groom we gave him a very James Bond strong, sharp look, which complemented the bride beautifully, we felt. Honestly, they made the dreamiest couple. It just worked!
BEAUTY
For this look we wanted the makeup to be more Asian than English, so we hired an extremely experienced hair stylist and makeup artist called Just Jasleen. The focus was all about the eyes, a very natural complexion with smoky eyes, and bold lip.
STYLING
We opted for a very bright colour scheme. The flowers by Red Floral Architecture included lots of greenery, foliage, Peonies, Roses, Dahlia and Sweet Peas. The design was very much a mix of English tradition and Middle Eastern influence – we wanted to show how two cultures with extremely different styles can complement one another, when done in a subtle and sophisticated way. I think the cake we had designed by Rosalind Miller is the perfect example of this. We also had stunning stationery by Lily Anna Rose, table and glassware from Whitehouse Event Crockery and linen and silks provided by Lancaster & Cornish, to complete the vision.
For the second part of the shoot our main focus was the couple, so we stripped away all decor and really simplified the set in the ballroom. It was all about showing the beauty of those intimate moments.
RESULTS
The day went really well. Both myself and photographer Zehra were really pleased with the outcome, I think everyone else in the team was too. We improvised and played with a lot of our initial ideas – which was great because some of the set designs turned our better than we had thought. Our aim was to create something beautiful: a love story that represented both of our clientele, and I would say we 100 per cent achieved that.
This was the first styled shoot I myself have ever done, as previously I have not had the time. Styled shoot’s take a considerable amount of time to plan, and they are hard work for everyone involved. I have so many creative ideas in mind, and so many I would love to do but I always said I would only ever commit to one when I know I have the time to really put my all in. I am very much a perfectionist, so when I do things, I don’t do them by halves.
Sadly, Covid19 has seriously affected the wedding industry. It would be peak wedding season for most now but a lot of us have had to postpone our weddings for this year which has been a great shame, so for now we don’t have much future news to give as we will be taking one day at a time. We have been busying ourselves offering free postponement assistance for NHS brides though, which has brought some goodness to this current time. And having our work published by Brides Up North is also a lovely boast and reminder of all the wonderful weddings we have to come when the dust has settled.
