The beautiful eclectic styling and fabulous scenery of this festival picnic wedding is ‘extra’ at its finest… and we LOVE it! Showing that mixing styles and themes can be the perfect way to make your wedding day more you! It’s rustic boho chic vibes are electric from coloured veils and kimonos to polished checked suits with bowties for a more polished look. Here we catch up with shoot coordinator Sally of Luna And The Lane who, along with some of the team tell us how this festival picnic wedding was created…
“I saw a photo recently that made me forget to breathe for a while. It was of a gay couple at their marriage. The thing which really got my attention was that one of the grooms was wearing the most incredibly beautiful long veil attached to his suit jacket which cascaded down the stone steps of the building – think Princess Di but circa 2040. It made me question the wedding industry. It made me consider the choices that couples have if they aren’t straight and want a wedding which is unique to them without any cliché or stereotype.”
“Do men generally have the same experience when getting married as the bride does? I asked Rob and Jason from Dapper & Suave a while ago whilst we were working together on another shoot. It was clear that, whilst they and some of their friends had personal touches and weddings which they loved, they still felt that there wasn’t the amount of choice available to gay couples. I saw the way the boys attended the Grooms on the shoots – suggesting styling ideas, tying bowties and generally making the boys feel just as special as anyone else. I wanted to create a shoot which challenged stereotypes and showed that boys can have just as much fun with styling as the girls. I got in touch with my good photographer friend Jasmine Andrews and together we started to create a bit of magic.”
“The style of the shoot was largely a mix of rustic-festival-chic. Using a woodland setting meant that we could juxtapose the natural elements by adding colour and luxe details. The aim of the shoot was to create an intimate elopement and focus on creating ‘moments’ such as the ceremony, the cosy picnic, toasting marshmallows and to capture the secret moments between our gorgeous real couple. In creating these moments, we were able to showcase the carefully thought out details and special touches. In any elopement it is these details which matter. The wedding did not have to be ‘showy’ but the elements which mattered had to really count.”
Styling
“The Grooms’ styling was focused on giving men the same experience as a bride; to take the traditional suits and tux and add elements of the feminine and Avant-Garde. When creating the concept, it was important to me and Jasmine to have this at heart. Getting Dapper and Suave on this project was one of the best decisions we could have made. We wanted to create the ethos that the Grooms should feel just as looked after on their wedding day as any Bride. They curated a variety of looks through the day: from a polished and theatrical ceremony style to a more relaxed picnic attire which was complimented by bespoke buttonhole details and hand-made bowties.”
“Ashley Wild Bridal then added a daring and magical vibe by accessorising this further with her gorgeous coloured veils and kimonos. We loved the way that she could add this ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ aesthetic to the styling. As well as adding a layer of femininity through use of the veils, we knew that flowers should feature prominently and proudly – why shouldn’t boys have veils and flower crowns? Petra from Sussex Florals loves working with rustic and natural forms and was able to create the most beautiful crown and flower cloud which you can see enchantingly floating above the picnic setting and finally the incredible talents of Georgina from Totally Flawless brought everything together. We chose to give the boys plaits and gold leaf glitter running through their hair and on their faces adding a festival twist to the styling. Adding all of these components together created a fairy-tale vibe and demonstrates the fun and versatility you can have when styling a contemporary wedding with no boundaries.”
The Venue – Wildflower Tipi Events
This particular shoot shot at the stunning Wildflower Wood in Ditchling – a secluded private 250-acre woodland nestled in the Sussex countryside complete with firepits and tipis – was the perfect venue for achieving a rustic backdrop to which we could then all add flourishes. We were so lucky that at the time of shooting the bluebells were out and this gave us a lush carpet of colour.
Photography – Jasmin Andrews Photography
“Jasmine Andrews specialises in fine art wedding and portrait photography. Her love of using natural light meant that she was able to capture the day through the changing light in the woodland. Being a portrait photographer, Jasmine caught he intimate and personal moments between Stephen and Arron perfectly, almost as we weren’t even there.”
Cake and Picnic – Caked Away
“The cake was lovingly created by Kelly from Caked Away. I love Kelly’s ability to throw her hand to pretty much any idea. With this particular concept we asked her to create a neutral base to reflect the natural setting that the cake would appear in and add detail which was indicative of the Avant Garde touches we were adding through the boy’s styling. We loved the way that she was able to create drama and a gorgeous flourish using the bluebell colours and gold glitter.”
Celebrant – Perfect Words Ceremonies
“Nikki Wood of Perfect Words Ceremonies was the icing on the cake. Not only is Nikki the nicest Celebrant ever, but the extra dimension she added to the ceremony was amazing. We had asked to have handwritten vows within the ceremony set up which were created by Rumeet from The Lovely Little Details and rather than these purely featuring in the images, Nikki used them within her ‘ceremony’. Because everyone was so invested in making this shoot epic, we did all wonder if Nikki has actually married the boys for real because the emotion was, as she said, “Off the scale”. It was the perfect elopement: personal, impactful, intimate and, set against Rumeet’s backdrop, beautiful.”
The couple themselves commented afterwards things like, “I never knew we could have a wedding like that” and “I got emotional because it all felt so real” and “Now I know what I want my wedding to be like”
“We are living in a time when there is so much freedom to take creative risks. Your wedding experience should be tailored to you, not picked from a shelf in the Wedding Supermarket. This shoot opens the door to discussion: raising questions and I hope, sparking debate. I hope this inspiration shoot makes you realise that you CAN have whatever you want on your day without fear of judgement or lack of respect. We want this shoot to be a celebration of uniqueness, of diversity, of empowerment, but most of all spark debate and help to change the Wedding Industry.”
The Team – Wildflower Woodland Festival Picnic Wedding With Eclectic Styling
Photographer: Jasmine Andrews @jasmineandrewsphoto
Concept, Creative Direction and Stylist and Props: Sally Gallis – Luna And The Lane @lunaandthelane / Venue- Wildflower Tipi Events @wildflowertipi_events / Celebrant- Nikki Wood @perfectwordceremonies / Florals- Petra Beaton – Sussex Florals @sussexflorals / Hair & MUA: Georgina – Totally Flawless @totally.flawless / Men’s Attire and accessories: Dapper & Suave @dappersuave / Stationery: Rumeet Tudor – The Lovely Little Details @thelovelylittledetails / Veils: Ashley Wild @ashleywildbridal / Rings: Deborah – London Victorian Ring Company @london_victorian_ring_co / Cake- Kelly Alger – Caked Away @cakedawaykelly / Men’s feather accessories: Sophie Charlotte @:sophiexxcharlotte | FB @SophieXCharlotte / Models: Steven Flynn – @_stevenflynn and Aaron Blake – @arronblake
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