We promised two beautiful articles today to inspire and uplift you and I am so delighted, after sharing this glorious Autumn wedding this morning, to now be sharing this editorial.
This truly is one of the most beautifully considered and thoughtfully executed wedding editorials we have ever been asked to share. I also love its authenticity; it features a real life couple and their little girl and supports a number of small, female owned wedding businesses, one of which is Tulle & Blue.Tulle & Blue founder, Jane Goldman, both conceived and curated this editorial, and her words follow…
“Our real couple, Issy and Josh, with daughter Orla – were due to get married this August but sadly had to postpone their wedding. It was lovely to be able to involve them in this shoot as a family ‘bubble’ and in some way make up for missing their very special day this year.”
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“Barns & Yard at Hanley Hall sits in beautiful, unspoilt Worcestershire countryside. Approached by a sweeping drive, this luxury venue with sympathetically restored period barns surrounded by a stunning landscape of beautiful trees, a large lake and waterside jetty is a dream. All of this is set against the backdrop of the original black and white Manor house with its parterre and cottage gardens brimming with herbaceous perennials.”
“The barns are stunning, with gorgeous architecture, intricate textures and patinas and mellow natural colours which inspired the colour palette of nudes, shades of white and blush accented with vintage golds and copper. I wanted to design a theme which would blend with the surroundings – rustic, a little vintage, luxe and stylish with a relaxed and natural country feel.”
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“I chose a combination of fresh, dried and fun giant paper flowers to reflect a Prairie meadow and these were styled with an eclectic mix of willow, brass, crisp white china and clear perspex signage.”
“These textures were softened with the lace and tulle of the gowns, embroidered veils and romantic accessories. I wanted to feature contemporary, rustic and vintage elements and show that they could all be mixed together with clever styling.”
“Milly, daughter of owner Lisi from Barns & Yard owns a beautiful horse, Bobby, and I was keen to involve him in the shoot so I chose to go with a Prairie/Boho/Country theme reflecting this year’s informal wedding style. The vibe was one of free spirited romance, vintage and rustic with a nod to contemporary, relaxed, informal and full of joy.”
“Joanna Briggs captured the images on the day with her distinctive style of soft light photography – she loves details and I wanted the images to be light and ethereal so Jo was the perfect choice.”
“Gowns were by E&W Couture and Amy Mair were provided by Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique, both companies are based in Wales and locally made. It was important that I promoted UK designers and I wanted several looks so selected a range of gowns with a 70’s /Boho vibe which featured opaque and translucent fabrics with pretty metallic, flower and lace details.”
“I designed and made one of a kind pieces to accessorise the gowns ( Jane at – www.tulleandblue.co.uk ) a pearl headband inspired by Edwardian wax bridal headpieces, a gold leaf crown, a daisy headband and floral earrings.”
“Issy was a veiled beauty wearing embroidered veils made from soft, floaty English tulle. One veil was inspired by the 1920’s cap veils and featured hand beaded vintage ivory lace. Another large veil was embroidered with birds and flowers and another with blush and pale gold leaf sprays with tiny blush velvet flowers.”
“The colour palette was based on soft neutrals and shades of white accented with taupe, sand, copper and vintage golds. These colours reflected the hues of the meadows surrounding the Barns and late days of Summer. I wanted the colours to blend in seamlessly with their surroundings creating the Prairie look.”
“Kate’s flowers were designed to imitate the prairies – dried flowers and grasses mixed in with fresh blooms. As owner of Damson & Vine, she created a meadow of flowers which ran the length of the large guest table and a hanging installation in the stalls which was used for the ceremony – most of the flowers and grasses are grown in her own cutting garden.”
“A mixture of phlox, roses, cosmos, rudbeckia, corncockle, nigella heads, dahlias, gaura, achillea and ammi were arranged with stipa grass, honesty, rue, pampas, miscanthus, gold sprayed euphorbia and meadow grasses to give that just picked look.”
“Just for fun, Bekki of June Tree made the most amazing giant paper flowers – these were thrown into the mix to add an unexpected element to the shoot. They were skilfully made from Italian crepe paper and had impact by adding dimension and scale.”
“The table scape designs were set up by Amanda and Linda of Vintage Gold China and Table To Dine For a large table was arranged in the Threshing Barn using rustic trestle tables and limed cross back wooden chairs supplied by Eddie.”
The centre of the table featured the meadow flowers and grasses complimented by white china, seagrass mats and simple gold cutlery.”
“An array of glass tea light holders and contemporary gold candlesticks with blush, ivory and toffee coloured candles added height and interest. The tea lights were lit to add a soft light effect to the whole scene.”
“A second smaller table for six guests was set up in the woodland and meadow area – this was especially lovely as the existing rusty metal arch was utilised to add a floral hanging installation which framed the table beautifully. Battling with high winds and an unexpected heavy downpour did not deter the fantastic suppliers from creating a mini masterpiece.”
“I always feel that signage really adds an extra dimension to a wedding set up – I adore the talents of Jenni at Handmade Sign Company, as she always brings added beauty to a shoot.”
She created a dramatic perspex welcome sign with dried flowers, name tags for the tables and a table sign, handheld signage and an incredible poem backdrop which was used for the ceremony. The poem was especially written to reflect the theme of the shoot and the venue by Sally of Rhymes To Remember, who writes personalised poems for special occasions.”
“I kept the wedding stationery simple and elegant on white card with a hand deckled edge finished with gold leaf. The stationery was styled with botanical elements inspired by vintage Herbarium and dried flower heads reflecting the fragility of flowers and grasses at the end of the summer. ( www.tulleandblue.co.uk )”
“Issy, our bride, is part of the mother and daughter team who made all the incredible willow which was use on the day. Jenny and Issy of Willow With Roots grow much of the willow that is used to make a range of artisan pieces. They brought along one of their large pods, baskets and willow hearts which perfectly blended with the natural, country feel of the theme.”
“Sarah Russell, our hairstylist, was in her element and created three beautiful styles – all of these were soft and romantic continuing the informal and relaxed style of the shoot.”
“Due to the current restrictions we were unable to have a makeup artist, so Issy our bride did her own make up on the day. She created a natural, sun kissed look using a neutral palette – a polished no make up look was the result and she looked amazing.”
“The cake had to be understated and informal so Pam at The Red Cake Company made a delicious (yes we did eat it!!) two-tiered lemon sponge with lemon flavoured Swiss meringue – this was decorated with fresh and dried flowers with some smaller paper flowers. This beautiful creation was displayed on a willow cake stand with a wreath of flowers and grasses.”
“Rustic tables and wooden cross back chairs were provided by West Country Marquees and for the ceremony beautifully crafted, bespoke benches by Laura at We Are Bare Bones“
“It’s always so amazing when your vision comes to life – huge thanks going to the very talented team of suppliers who made this shoot possible!”
Annabel
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Annabel is the founder of Love My Dress. She lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, two daughters Eska and Leanora and three dogs. She is passionate about photography, supporting women in business and in life, and is in her element being surrounded by nature and the countryside.