What’s more romantic than a medieval Christmas wedding? Full of dreamy details at Hedingham Castle, Essex, it has bold red styling, and a modern alternative dip dye wedding dress juxtaposed against the historical backdrop. Coordinated and styled by florist Candice of So Blooming Beautiful Designs, it’s grand, unapologetic and rich in drama, for the modern day bride who is looking for a super traditional venue! We catch up with Candice and the team to find out all about this Hedingham Castle Wedding…
“When I first visited Hedingham Castle, I immediately had an idea for a styled shoot with a Medieval mood but showing a modern strong woman. Walking inside the castle, I felt transported back to that age when life was so intense, and I imagined deep jewel tones, dark corners and magical light through the windows.The inspiration is aimed at couples who love historical venues with stunning outdoors, but would also like to feel cosy and intimate when indoors for the ceremony and feel all the incredible surroundings around them at the reception when celebrating with friends and family.”
“It is very important that the couple find professionals that understand them and can guide them to bring their ideas to life. I would suggest they should always have a chat (virtual or face-to-face) with professionals like stylist, florist, and planners before hiring them as well as introduce them to each other if they haven’t work together before as these aspects come hand in hand. I always find that one is only enhanced by the other, and this perfect collaboration on this exquisite shoot was no exception.”
“This majestic castle stands in the heart of ancient ramparts and beautiful landscaped gardens. Romantic, exquisite, significant and magnificent it is an unforgettable wedding venue for all styles of celebration, hosting exclusive weddings each as individual as the couple at the heart of them. The ceremony takes place in the candle lit 900 year old banqueting hall. From there either continue the day in the castle, revelling in the only Norman nightclub in England, or go to the grand Georgian house, over looking the lake and celebrate in the Ballroom marquee. It creates a uniquely impressive experience. The stunning setting of the garden cottage is the bridal suite and guests stay in the medieval lodge. The family Rolls Royce can deliver you to the castle in celebrity style. The whole estate is also available for a whole weekend of celebrations. Whatever your dream, Hedingham Castle can make it a reality.”
Styling and Florals – So Blooming Beautiful Designs
“Candle light, it’s all about a simple styling of candle light and florals when blessed with castle grandeur. Alluring and full of warm comfort their beautiful flickering glow, combined with the sensual scarlet red blooms and commanding stone walls graciously encased the bride. Echoing an almost Snow White stature her fairytale settings were given opulence with props of gold, textured crimson draping and animal hides. An enchanting somewhat regal tablescape, full of elegant vintage china, feathers, rich dramatic floral frame and gold accents mirrored the stunning cake composition.”
“For the top-table, a centrepiece that would bring all the other elements together, framed by scattered fruits and buttercup roses to contrast with the luscious deep red satin runner. No greenery, just elegant orchids, calla lily, roses and nerines with fillers. Another way to achieve this is to mix flowers and fruit in the centrepiece instead of around the table. For the cake table I created a flower cloud framed like a painting with an element I love to use in my floristry and styling that is a draping, or something flying or escaping from the shape but still elegant and creative. The fireplace needed something glamorous and wild looking achieved by two columns of red, green and golden leaves topped up with dried elements and red roses coming through the gaps as if they have grown there. For the bouquet I used just a few eucalyptus as a frame and a jewel colours composition with the same flowers.”
Photography – Andrew Wilkinson Photography
“As photographer it was incumbent upon me to preserve and portray the ambience, intimacy and mood of the overall theme that the suppliers had brought together, while providing a modern look. The Castle was a wonderful historical environment in which to work, but like all locations, it was not without challenges in need of consideration as how best to approach the scene from a photographic point of view. In spite of it being a bright day, the small windows of the Norman structure provided little natural lighting, and the absence of low ceilings and reflective walls precluded the ‘easy’ convenience of bouncing light. From my experience I opted for a ‘simple’ lighting set-up for the interior shots; indeed, one that could be replicable on a ‘real’ Wedding Day. This enabled me to capture low-key elements to the images that retained the deep, rich, Autumn colours of flowers and fruit, the warm glow of candle light, while ensuring the Bride, dress and bouquet were well-lit. Outside, the wind was blowing strong gusts and the direct sun provided for strong backlit images. With the right amount of light fill I was able to capture images that showed detail, yet with a sense of movement.”
Bridal – Felicity Westmacott
“I designed our fairytale wedding dress in layers of blush organza and pale ivory tulle with a subtle, sequin sparkle layer between. The mixed metallic lace detail on the bodice is echoed on the statement balloon sleeves. Finally the deep crimson dip-dye hem makes this the dress of dreams! To recreate this look choose any dress with an illusion neckline and have the seamstress create some off the shoulder balloon sleeves to blend with the dress. The dip-dye colour I use works best on dresses with tulle or lace skirts. You can use two, three (or more) colours, blending from pale to deep at the hem. Then echo the highlight colour in your attendants bouquets or groom’s buttonhole. But make sure you stand out in the bridal party, too much matchy-matchy and you won’t be the focus anymore!”
Cake – Willow Tree Cakes
“To create the cake, each of the four tiers were covered in rich burgundy fondant icing, adorned with 24ct gold leaf and decorated with edible wafer paper sails. The sails were dusted in sumptuous edible antique gold shimmer dust and draped around the cake to create a dramatic effect.”
Hair and Make Up – Jemmas Hair and Make-up
“The common denominators for a perfect Bridal look are amazing skin and effortless curls. This look, although modern with a edgy twist, is still classic enough to stand the test of time. Nothing helps natural beauty to shine through more than elegant glowing skin, beautiful brows and a nude lip. The darker pop of colour on the eyes, compliments the models skin tone and stunning bottom of the dress, whilst the warm gentle highlight and half up hair style with soft curls and delicate glistening headband enhances the fairytale princess vibe, perfect for this castle setting.”
Accessories – Vintage Adornments
“The hair accessories in this shoot are all one-off creations, handmade by Vintage Adornments from genuine pieces of antique and vintage jewellery. Brides can make their own wedding look as bold and original as this by selecting one-of-a-kind accessories that can’t be found on the high street. To bring to life the rich, jewel-toned theme of this shoot, the accessories incorporate pieces from the 1940s for an opulent pop of real Old Hollywood glamour.”
Videographer – The Creative Strides
“The skill with wedding videography is to be aware of the emotion and story you are trying to portray. This may mean manipulating the physical space, choosing certain angles or lenses and continuously reminding yourself to film with the bride and grooms’ first viewing in mind. Here, I asked myself, if I were them and I was watching this, would I care about this shot? Does this add anything to the video? Which is exactly what I did on the day of the shoot, positioning myself and the camera from this viewpoint. It was also key for me to shoot the finer details, choosing to focus on the cutlery, jewellery, the beautiful space to encourage the audience to appreciate the smaller components of wedding craftsmanship. Across the day, I continued to follow our wonderful model and team, helping to assist with the creative portrayal of the products and people in the best possible light.”
Wedding Planner – Your Wedding Friend
“When Candice mentioned that she wanted to do a styled shoot in a castle, I jumped on the opportunity right away. Helping research and approach suppliers we thought would be the perfect fit for the style and theme. I think the pictures speak for themselves. It was an absolute pleasure to help this amazing group of suppliers bring Candice’s vision to life.
Stationery – Polka Dot Creations
“According to the moodboard I knew I wanted to produce stationery in a deep green colour with burgundy and gold accent colours. Apart from the invitation, wrapped in a burgundy double faced satin ribbon, I also created a menu, table number and place cards in the same design. The place cards contained brass eyelets which really gives them that luxurious feel. All items were printed on a thick 350gsm uncoated card, fully recyclable and FSC certified.”
The Team – Romantic Medieval Christmas Wedding With Jewel Colours at Hedingham Castle, Essex
Photographer – Andrew Wilkinson Photography @andrew_wilkinson_photography
Concept, Organiser, Styling & Floristry – So Blooming Beautiful Designs @sobloomingbeautiful / Helping hands / Planner and Organiser – Your Wedding Friend @yourweddingfrienduk / Venue Hedingham Castle / Cake – Willow Tree Cakes @willow_tree_cakes / Hair & make-up – Jemmas Hair and Make-up @jemmashairandmakeup / Dress – Felicity Westmacott @felicitywestmacott / Hair accessories – Vintage Adornments @vintageadornments / Stationery – Polka Dot Creations @polkadotcreationswedding / Prop Hire and Styling Consultant – Dollys Vintage Tea Party @dollysvintageteaparty / Ribbons – Silk and Purl @silkandpurl / Videography – The Creative Strides @thecreativestrides / Model – Rohiny Belani @asweetrohmance
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