A Collective Wedding Photoshoot
In Autumn of 2018 myself, Amanda Luther Flowers and Elizabeth Ayers Bridal & Couture came together with the wonderful Olivia Ward as our model to do a wedding photoshoot.
It was the first wedding photoshoot I have ever done and I loved it! Amanda, Elizabeth and Olivia were a dream to work with, we laughed our way through the day and I am DELIGHTED with the results!
Here is a bit more information on the shoot from all of us, and I hope you like the photos as much as we do!
What was the inspiration behind the shoot?
Amanda – I’m inspired creatively by the countryside and the seasons.In the autumn the light is amazing and soft, flowers and foliage in the garden starts to change, colours become muted and dappled its as though the landscape is preparing to close down for the winter.I wanted to take that feel into the floral designs.To created a fantastic secret world , lost and then rediscovered.
Charlotte – The inspiration for me was to really have a chance to ‘play’. I have never done a wedding photoshoot before, I have only ever done real weddings, so it was so exciting for me to be able to really work with these fabulous ‘products’ and Olivia the model!
Elizabeth – The inspiration behind the shoot was to bring together three of the key suppliers to a brides big day. The three of us have the freespirited approach to weddings. Where the day is about relaxed, informal and breaking the boundaries of formality.
Tell us a little bit about the venue and why it was chosen
Charlotte – I had never heard of it to be honest! Amanda knew Loongbourn, and when we went up there for a recede I could totally see why she had chosen it!
Amanda – I first came to know Longbourn barn in the summer when I was asked to do the wedding flowers for a lovely couple that had their wedding reception there. It is a hidden gem really, very natural and not ‘staged’ at all you feel you can really make it your own for that special day and when it comes to designing flowers its a fabulous blank canvas.
Elizabeth – It is in natural surroundings with rustic charm we had the freedom to create the vintage look we wanted to achieve.
What did you choose for the flower arrangements?
Amanda – I always start designing with seasonal choices. The countryside around me will spark an idea. Looking around my garden I then let what’s growing lead the way so I used a lot of herbs, berries, foliage, clematis and twigs. To compliment that I used soft tones of hydrangea, ranunculus and to bring in the romance of a wedding lots of roses.There are apples, eucalyptus, fern, Bouvardia, oak ,moss and lots more in there too. Bringing in the old car and the wild hanging willow and the scatted leaves and foliaged garlands helped to pull it all together.
Charlotte – I will let Amanda take this one! All she had to say was “I have this Miss Haversham style shoot idea in my head” and I was sold!
What kind of look did you want to achieve with the make-up, hair and outfits for the bride and groom?
Elizabeth – The dresses I chose to use were by Marylise and Rembo Styling. These dresses are in contrast to the heavily structured dresses of many high street mainstream designers. The soft chiffon’s and crepe fabrics flow and drape creating feminine, romantic and ethereal wedding dresses. It’s all about the movement and the emotional connection with these style of dresses. Charlotte And Amanda were perfect to do the flowers and photography as we all sing off the same page. Freedom of spirit, which I feel is echoed in may of today’s modern brides.
Charlotte – We let Olivia do what she wanted really with regards to hair and make up. I knew I could trust her! And we all knew the dresses from Elizabeth would be fantastic. We’d had a chat about the style we were after and having been to the venue, Elizabthe knew what would work.
What was the thinking behind the décor for the shoot? How did you tie it all together?
Amanda – Working with the beautiful dresses and the designers eye that Elizabeth Ayers brings and with Charlotte who brings the feel of things into her photography, is amazing and they really understood what I was trying to achieve. We created a lost romantic world. Olivia the stunning model bought it all to life, I was so impressed! Me? I just wondered about mumbling about Mrs Haversham.
Charlotte – We really wanted the dresses, flowers and the background of the venue to be the decor, so we left everything very natural. I think it all came together with Olivia though, she was a joy to work with and she just fell like she tied everything together. She was our missing part!
What kind of accessories were used to create these looks and why?
Elizabeth – Accessories used were mainly from the floral arrangements echoed with a flower or ring of flowers in the hair. Props were found around the venue and fitted in perfectly with the rustic charm.
Charlotte – We were so lucky that we had Longborn at our disposal to do anything we wanted really. We found THE MOST amazing pink chair that was brilliant for photographs and made some of my favourite shots and then the flowers really were the other main decor, well, that and that fab car that for some reason was in the barn!
