Evening lovelies, once again thanks with all my heart for your patience as our schedule accommodates for things like Saturday night #WhatAboutWedding Twitter Bombs – we were trending within 5 minutes with out #WhatAboutWeddings and #StandUpForWeddings hashtags. THANK YOU if you were involved! Now is the time to make as much noise as possible ahead of Monday and that all important roadmap announcement!
These gorge images were sent over by London based wedding planner, Gloria Darko, founder of My Wedding Fixer. Gloria wanted to pay homage to African wedding culture by planning and designing an Afro Chic inspired editorial, channeling African wedding culture whilst adding modern accents and a contemporary flair. Gloria’s words follow.
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“Through the lens of Wolf & Co. Photography, we delivered a subtle fusion of traditional West African style, art and decor with the Modern Contemporary of Western Europe and North America. Afro Chic is the point at which these two ideas meet, blend and amalgamate.”
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“Charli May Videography compliments the image stills with cinematic video highlights to represent the cultures that you might not get to see on your timeline everyday. The video footage celebrates traditions, beauty and talent perfectly bringing movement to details African Wedding culture has to offer!”“The dress, supplied by and stocked exclusively at Heart AFlutter Bridal, epitomised everything this brilliant modern bridal boutique stands for; inclusivity and diversity. The Afro Chic story is perfectly echoed in their values to help brides from so many different cultures and backgrounds.”
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“Our Bride for the Contemporary concept, Jocelyn Prah, embodied an effortless spirit of independence in a Lena Medoyeff dress.”
“Charlotte Mills bridal shoes were the perfect coupling for style conscious brides, giving them a more fashion forward option to traditional wedding shoes.”
“The Orangery in Kent is the ultimate setting for this theme from the focal point of The Garden room in the contemporary concept to the backdrop of the gardens.”
“The Orangery creates a natural beauty of stunning, bold, opulent and vibrant settings to encapsulate the Afro Chic theme.”
“The stationery from Ribbons and Wren includes invite, rsvp, corresponding envelope, and guest names to create a collective suite inspired by the blend of African culture with a contemporary outlook through texture, vibrant colours, warmth, beauty to embody a celebration of culture and love.”
“The cake creation by Bespoke Bakes was designed to reflect the contemporary theme with monstera leaves, succulent green and gold muted tones.”
“Hair and Makeup looks designed to fully embrace natural beauty, were created by Brides by Aina. M to demonstrate an appreciation for the African heritage. They intertwine themes for this inspirational shoot with a desire to actively showcase the multidimensional beauty of women of colour.”
“Hair was adorned with heirloom hair piece designed by HoneyV which combined the fun relaxed afro vibe with cool luxurious styling.”
“The bespoke floral designs created by Bohotanical were an opportunity to include elements sensitively drawn upon cultural heritage in a way that is both respectful and authentic whilst marrying the design with the chic, fashion-forward interests of many couples today.”
“This involved selecting native African flowers and foliage (or their very closest equivalents) and handling them in a contemporary way.”
“The floral design brought together the very best of dried leaves, grasses, combined with some faux grasses and succulents, all in natural earthy desert-like tones. To the table arrangement the use of succulents and simple stems added continuity and height to the theme.”
“Using a dried palm leaf as a base, the fan-style bouquet also brought together the key colours and textures used in the other arrangements.”
“For an extra special touch the getting ready robe created by Sherah celebrates individuality, boldness and confidence. The Naadia bridal robe with dramatic high-low sleeves screams out class, elegance and drama fit for an all-round bridal queen.”
“Aflé Bijoux created finely crafted jewellery inspired by African traditions with the use of Adinkra symbols. The jewellery symbols represent a celebration of the beauty of the African heritage, timelessness and pertinence in the present days. The earrings and bracelet are a statement to tradition whilst blending the preciousness of the contemporary reality.”
“The styling beautifully executed by Angels & Gypsies created a show stopping décor for couples who want to pay homage to their cultural roots whilst intertwining with modernistic features.”
“Angels & Gypsies created a tablescape pairing bronze table mats, black cutlery and patterned napkins to bring to life the dreamy contemporary concept.”
“The ceremony space in this look comprised of the Hexagon backdrop was supplied by Wilderness Prop Hire. Further props provided such as the brown and yellow coloured glassware added the perfect touch of colour to the table.”
“The African décor pieces were courtesy of Adehye Luxury Events. All their pieces featured the beauty of the rich African heritage and culture whilst blending with a modern way of celebrating weddings.”
“The urns, candleholders and cake table honoured pieces often seen in Ghanaian traditional weddings.”
Credits & Thanks
- Photographer - Wolf & Co. Photography
- Wedding Planner - My Wedding Fixer
- Venue - The Orangery
- Video - Charli May Videography
- Stationery - Ribbons & Wren
- Cake - Bespoke Bakes
- Wedding Dresses - Heart AFlutter Bridal
- Shoes - Charlotte Mills
- Hair & Makeup - Brides by Aina. M
- Hair Accessories - HoneyV
- Jewellery - Afle Bijoux
- Bridal Robes - Sherah
- Florist - Bohotanical
- Styling - Angels & Gypsies
- African decorator - Adehye Luxury Events
- Prop Hire - Wilderness Prop Hire
- Model - Jocelyn Prah