And so the story begins…
Due to the current worldwide situation we are all facing at the moment the wedding and events Industry is pretty much on hold, globally many couples have sadly had to postpone or even cancel their weddings which is just heartbreaking. Like many others I spent months and months of trying my best to stay calm and positive. One day I felt an overwhelming urge too expel my creative passion and set myself a challenge, I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and organise my first Styled Wedding Shoot but not content with the usual venue shoot I wanted to go rugged and wild, on location at the beach. So I decided to contact a few of my most favourite wedding professionals to see if they were up for the challenge and fancied a trip to the beach too. To my surprise they jumped at the opportunity and so the game was on.
After a week of severely bad weather, I channelled positive thoughts to the Universe before I went to sleep every night in the hope we would be blessed with good weather, not hot or sunny, just dry – I’d be happy with that. I’m sure many a couple have wished for the exactly the same on their wedding day. And so the day came, we packed up the van at the crack of dawn and made our way to the North Wales Coast. It rained the whole 2 and a half hours drive, I still repeated positive mantras in my head.
As we approached the Llŷn Peninsula the clouds dispersed and the sun made an appearance , I kid you not. It was incredible!
The Location
I had the perfect spot in mind, upon the beautiful beach of Borth-Y-Gest, North Wales looking across Tremadoc Bay over to the breathtaking Snowdonia Mountain range. I specifically chose this beach as I fell in love with it’s natural beauty on a recent trip the year previous whilst on holiday. It’s unspoilt nature is just perfect and having grown up with gifts of Quartz and other rock specimens brought back from my Dad’s latest mountaineering trip there’s a little bit of a geologist in me. The caves and coves on this beach are of slate with striking veins of quartz, typically Welsh with an abundance of lush greenery.
The Mood
It was hugely important to showcase the natural beauty of our surroundings when styling this shoot. Opting for a natural pallet of colours that complimented the scenery, delicate blues, blush, nudes with the warm of brass with an organic and wild feel. I wanted to explore the most intimate of weddings, an elopement and each supplier captured this mood impeccably.
The Photography + Videography
The day was captured by the amazing Gail Secker Photography. I’m a huge fan of Gail’s work, her photography has always stopped me in my tracks, the tones, the emotion, the storytelling… just amazing.
Jenny Appleton produced the mind-blowing visual story of the elopement, sublime.
The Styling + Props
The lovely Kate, of Florence & Vera Events, provided styling and backdrops on the day. Focusing on the organic, muted tones within the natural colour palette, Kate created a wild and blustery tablescape within the slate rocks, using delicate crockery, cutlery and coloured glassware from Whitehouse Crockery and elegant linen and napkins by Silk & Purl. It was beautiful to magnify and indulge the natural setting and the wild, organic flowers provided by Perfect Bouquet Full of Flower.
Grazing table ingredients were provided by Graze Cheshire including fruits, bread and a variety of cured meats and decadently styled by Florence & Vera Events.
The Florals
The artistic flair of Kate, Perfect Bouquet Full of Flower never fails to amaze me. Kate’s creations included Earl Grey Dahlias, Delphenium, Hydrangea, Sweet Peas, Clematis, Scabiosa and Cornflowers (to name a few!). They were wild and organic whilst at the same time possessing a real elegance.
The Bride + Groom
Our gorgeous (real couple) Abigail and Anton were a pleasure to work with. Abigail was dressed in a stunning Anna Kara Dress (Effie) supplied by The White Closet. Her hair was styled by Poppy, the sublime headpiece created by the super talented Glorious by Heidi and make up by Cheshire Makeup Co. The timeless natural pearl jewellery from Sarah Vuong Bridal Jewellery and Wedding bands from The Jewellers Guild, Morpeth completed the look impeccably along with shoes from Charlotte Mills.
Anton’s suit was supplied by L & J Formal Hire and accessorised by Daisy & Oak Studio.
The Stationery
It was so important that the stationery was in keeping with the natural beauty observed within the surroundings on location, the subtle hues of grey and blues taken from the quartz veined slate rock formations, the gold tones of the sand and the lush greenery of the Snowdonia mountain range views across the sea. The delicate place settings were inspired by the quartz that is veined through the slate rock formations with a nod to the beach surroundings – Natural Capiz Shells were used and personalised with hand written modern calligraphy style guest names.
The Cake
A two tier wonder with ethereal sugared wave feature, truly stunning creation from Elizabeth Anna Cake Design alongside cakesicles and cookies.
The Vows
We had the lovely Jennifer Walker Civil Celebrant with us to perform the mock elopement. Jennifer is such a lovely individual and a pleasure to be around.
And so there is, with an AMAZING team of super talented suppliers on board I think you will agree we created something remarkable.
Suppliers
Photographer / Gail Secker
Video / Jenny Appleton Photography + Video
Stationery & Concept / Jellypress
Stylist / Florence & Vera Events
Cake / Elizabeth Anna Cake Design
Florals / Perfect Bouquet Full of Flowers
Dress / The White Closet
MUA / Cheshire Makeup Co.
Hair / Poppy Michelle
Celebrant / Jennifer Walker Civil Celebrant
Shoes / Charlotte Mills
Headpieces / Glorious by Heidi
Jewellery / Sarah Vuong Bridal Jewellery
Rings / The Jewellers Guild
Grazing boards / Graze Cheshire
Crockery / Whitehouse Event Crockery
Silks / Silk & Purl
Suit / L & J Formal Hire
Model couple / Abigail & Anton
Bow tie & braces / Daisy & Oak Studio
WooHoo! We've been Featured
We are so excited to share that this shoot has been featured by Boho Weddings.