Afternoon my loves. I'm so delighted to be featuring this shoot today, the collaborative result of a creative project involving some really fab Brit-suppliers and designers, not to mention the super-duper work of photographer Naomi Kenton, who I very much adore!
I just love how this shoot mixes it up! We've elegant tweed, kitsch Union Jack headpiece designs, gorgeous florals and of course, the obligatory best of British bulldog!
I'm going to hand right on over to wedding dress designer Natalie Gladman of Madeline Isaac-James who was supported by her team at No.10 Bridal in Farnham in styling this shoot.
Enjoy!
♥ ♥ ♥
With the forthcoming Diamond Jubilee celebrations and Olympics we wanted to bring a fresh perspective to the “Best of British” look which to date has mainly focused on London – bringing the English Countryside into the forefront of the celebrations…
The final styled photo shoot was the idea and result of weeks of work by myself, Natalie Gladman from Madeline Isaac James and Heather Cole from Evelyn Cole Flowers. With the talents of a number of wedding suppliers and related businesses, mostly from the Surrey/Hampshire area, the shoot was split into two very distinct elements – a fresh, funky Cool Britannia look; and a softer, more romantic English Rose look…
Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2012, Naomi Kenton
The photographs were captured by talented Hampshire photographer Naomi Kenton and we were lucky to be able to use Farnham Castle as the stunning backdrop to the photographs, steeped in over 900 years of history. The former seat of the bishops of Winchester as well as having played host to many a royal visitor, it was obviously the perfect backdrop to the theme of the photo shoot.
The styling was focused on very different elements which embodied the key elements and required look and feel. For the Cool Britannia scenes, Natalie chose her ‘Chantal’ gown from the current 2012 collection – a ballerina length gown with vertical lines of Swarovski crystal running through the bodice and skirt; and the ‘Charlotte’ gown – a beautiful silk gown with simple, clean lines. Fresh, unusual and capturing a very Cool Britannia look when combined with suitably patriotic millinery! Bring in a bright red special edition 2012 Mini and a couple of British Bulldogs called Alfie and Lou, and the scene was nearly set!
To compliment this look, Heather opted for flowers that would bring a romantic and yet cosmopolitan and bold feel to the day. As the shoot was styled in April some of the best spring flowers in season were selected for the bridal bouquet, the hand tied included blue Anemones and Hyacinths, complimented by red “Grand Prix” roses and red Tulips.
For the indoor table setting, we wanted to create a romantic and elegant atmosphere reflecting a truly royal banquet. A tall silver candelabra design of lavender blue / green hydrangeas, “Sweet Avalanche” and “Avalanche sorbet” and cream “Naomi” roses, finished with Astrantia, Waxflower and green Viburnum Opulus seemed the perfect feature for the table setting. No royal banquet would be complete without candelabras!
For the outdoor setting, a range of local suppliers provided their beautiful wares to showcase a traditional cream tea with a difference, with the focal point of the display being an amazing royal blue and white wedding cake by Gifted Heart Cakes. Combined with traditional cakes, blancmange, as well as the more modern pop-cakes provided by PopCakeBakery, the tea party was a veritable feast.
For the stunning fireplace at Farnham Castle with the help of the team at StressFree Hire we were able to create a warm and inviting feel to the photoshoot, through the use of LED pillar candles and hurricane vases and a mock fire. Illustrating it is possible even for brides at venues where they restrict the use of live candles and fires to create a romantic ambience to their day. Heather at Evelyn Cole Flowers wanted to illustrate that it is also possible to make a feature of a fireplace this large but on a budget, the loose country styled floor designs of willow, lavender Stocks, Sweet Avalanche, Avalanche Sorbet and cream Naomi roses, white Delphiniums and Hydrangeas creating an English cottage garden feel to the internal surroundings, but at a fraction of the price of opting for traditional mantelpiece design or floor standing urns.
For the “English Rose” scene, we wanted to illustrate how brides wanting to go for a very British feel to their celebration and yet wishing to keep their day feminine and romantic could achieve this through use of pastel shades of lavender blues, pinks, creams and whites. The bridal bouquet was a romantic all rose hand tied bouquet of “Sweet Avalanche” Roses, Pink “Avalanche Sorbet” Roses, Cream “Naomi” Roses, and cream “Gracia” and pink bi-color spray roses. Whilst for the flower girl posy we opted for pink “Avalanche Sorbet Roses”, cream “Naomi Roses”, white Waxflower, lavender/ pale pink Hyacinths and Sweet peas and Astrantia.
Two unashamedly romantic gowns were chosen for this scene, the ‘Olivia’ gown from Madeline Isaac-James’ current 2012 collection; and the ‘Lori’ gown from the new 2013 Collection. The Olivia gown, with lashings of tulle captured a truly romantic look, whereas the clean lines of the Lori gown proved that quite a structured gown can still look soft and romantic.
For the flower girl (Natalie’s daughter, Madeline) Heather created a bespoke wand, the silver hand made wired flower petals were finished in the middle with red spray roses this created the overall look of a flower in bloom and finished with red polka dot ribbon tied in nicely with the cool Britannia theme and Maddy’s red and white polka dot ballet pumps. Maddy wore a beautiful ivory silk bridesmaid dress from Natalie’s new 2013 collection, launching at the White Gallery in May (and shown exclusively here for the first time!). Farnham Castle had a stunning blue door leading off their rose gardens, which provided the perfect backdrop to a bold romantic floral rose heart…
Photographer Naomi Kenton also shared the following…
''I met Heather from Evelyn Cole Flowers and Natalie Gladman from Madeline Isaac-Jamess at the launch party of Natalie's new bridal boutique – No.10 Bridal in Farnham (Surrey) last month. I was really pleased when they contacted me a couple of weeks later to say that they were organising a photo shoot to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee – and wanted it to be a modern take on a red, white and blue theme.
There were beautiful models, pretty dresses, gorgeous flowers, a bright red mini-cooper, amazing cakes by the talented Emma at Gifted Heart, beautiful hats from Beverley Edmondson, a castle, a picnic scene and also a pair of British Bulldogs and a horse – naturally I was very excited to be involved!
The shoot was split into two parts – Cool Britannia and English Rose. Our Cool Britannia model was the gorgeous Juste Juozapaityte from Britain's Next Top Model, so it was great to work with such a stunning model and Juste gave the perfect edgy, cool touch to our theme. Our other model Elizabeth was our English Rose and with her red hair reminded us of a young Elizabeth.
I had a great time on the shoot – my favourite part of the day was the scene with the gorgeous James the horse, and also I loved shooting the picnic with that amazing ruffles cake – as there were some great ideas for brides included here and a really pretty and modern take on the red, white a blue theme''.
What a super way to end a wedding blogging Tuesday!
Big thanks to the full creative team for making Love My Dress their first port of call for a feature to celebrate this photoshoot, I hope it inspires many of you today.
Damn wish I'd worn a tweed jacket on my wedding day!
I'd love your feedback and thoughts on this styling, let's show the creative team some love…
Much love,
Annabel
♥
Credits:
Madeline Isaac-James dresses and styling by Natalie Gladman and the team at
No.10 Bridal in Farnham – Paula, Gwyneth and James;
Floral designs and displays – Heather Cole at Evelyn Cole Flower
Photography by Naomi Kenton
Venue - Farnham Castle, Castle Street, Farnham, SurreyMillinery - Beverley Edmondson
Jewellery – Paula Marsh of The Vintage Sparkle Company
Make-up – Joyce Connor of BridesandBeauty
Hair Stylist – Elise
Wedding cake – Emma Waddington of Gifted Heart Cakes
Pop cakes – Vanessa Albury of Party Pop Bakery
Venue Styling/Accessories by Stress Free Hire; The Contemporary Home; Paper Poms; Pipii
Stationery by Glasshouse Stationery
Car by Barons Farnborough Mini
Models: Elizabeth Pick; Juste Juozapaityte; Madeline Gladman
British Bulldogs – Alfie and Lou; Horse – Jamie. Thanks to their owners, Natalie at Madeline Isaac-James and Clare Goodwin-Hill
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
