Unique, relaxed, modern, colourful and abstract whilst being mindful to reduce its environmental and social impact. This team wanted to show that sustainability is about an approach rather than simply a natural, earthy, ‘green’ vibe. It’s full of beautiful details and set in the heart of Greensand Country in Clophill Eco Lodges a newly renovated eco wedding venue. We catch up with the team to hear more…
Inspiration
“It tells the story of a couple who want their day to be fun, family and friend-focused, and reminiscent of their quirky and lively personalities. We wanted to promote diversity and representation within weddings, choosing to have a pregnant bride and an inclusive wedding party. One of the key hopes from this shoot was to show that to have a sustainable wedding it doesn’t have to be ‘green’, rustic, or earthy. You can embrace your own style, your own personality, and go as big and bold as you wish because sustainability is about the approach you take and the decisions you make, not the finished look. A photographer who shared our eco-conscious passion as well as enjoying capturing colourful celebrations was our criteria for this shoot”
Venue
“Clophill Eco Lodges is a unique venue centred around the ruins of a church and established as a heritage trust in order to protect their history and the beautiful site on which they sit. Providing a fantastic blank canvas to really add your own personality and finishing touches, this venue seemed the perfect opportunity to show how ethical, quirky and bold can combine perfectly!”
Styling
“With an aim to break the mould and do something different, our styling really allowed us to fully embrace this, incorporating abstract shapes, bold colours, striking backdrops and quirky details. We created a styled ‘glass washing’ area, utilising a fantastic idea we had been inspired by and encouraging guests to choose a glass to claim and use as their own throughout the celebration, and then keep as their favour too.”
The Dress
For our pregnant ‘bride’, the cut of the dress was so important to ensure comfort as well as style, something that the Joni wrap dress could happily provide no matter the size of the bump. Rewritten’s new bridal range is all beautifully designed for the conscious bride, using sustainable and recycled materials, so this dress was an obvious choice. For a change of outfit as the celebrations progressed, we opted for a preloved dress from Vinted as another sustainable bridalwear choice, reducing the single-use nature of many wedding dresses.”
“The diverse range of dress styles and colours available in Rewritten’s bridesmaid range meant our wedding party could be fully included yet still coordinated, despite differing gender identities and body shapes. Choosing a singular colour or colour palette for your wedding party and allowing each member to choose their own outfit is a fantastic way of promoting individuality and increasing the chances that their outfit will be one they choose to re-wear.”
Hair and Makeup
“The bridal model’s beautiful maroon pixie haircut was accented by a striking asymmetrical flower crown, bursting with large blooms and secured with a beautiful naturally dyed ribbon. Her makeup was kept natural, allowing the flower crown to really stand out and simply emphasising the natural characteristics and beauty of our model. The addition of a deep red lipstick added that final touch of personality and rounded off the look perfectly.”
Flowers
“British blooms are so abundant in colour during the summer that it made an all-British, foam-free, locally grown and seasonal floral display a perfect eco-conscious choice for this shoot. The asymmetrical pillars of blooms worked perfectly combined with the abstract aisle panels, and the vibrant blooms continued through the bridal bouquet, groom and pageboy buttonholes, and the wedding party bouquets too!”
Cake
“Keen to showcase that bold can be beautiful across all aspects of your wedding day, this striking cake was a real centrepiece. The cake also utilised a purely decorative layer, a fantastic option aesthetically but also a way to achieve a larger cake without producing additional waste for a smaller wedding or celebration”
Stationery
“Reflecting their quirky personalities, the stationery included abstract shapes and combined bold fonts with a simple design to emphasise the key details. Instead of a traditional gift list, this stationery suite included a link to a gift registry from which guests could choose to donate second-hand items or offer a helping hand to the newlyweds with their expectant arrival. We wished to showcase this as a fantastic eco alternative to a gift list, one that normalises a preference for preloved donations and experiences over the need for new material items.”
The Details
“Confetti always adds a colourful and fun element to any celebration, and here we chose to use naturally dried petals and fallen leaf confetti available in a natural bag or in individually portioned bags that are encouraged to be returned to the confetti producer afterwards for continual reuse. The beautiful linens used in this shoot, from the ribbons to the table runners, were all lovingly hand-dyed using natural colourings and techniques.”
The Team – A Colourful Eco Wedding at Clophill Eco Lodges Bedfordshire
Photography Photography By Katrina Matthews @photographybykatrinamatthews
Venue Clophill Eco Lodges @clophillecolodges / Dress and Bridesmaids Rewritten Bridesmaids @rewrittenbridesmaids / Evening Dress Vinted @vinted / Styling All Things Considered Events @allthingsconsideredevents / Florist Tythe Flowers @tytheflowers / Florist Assistant Untamed Florals @untamed_florals / Hair Kate Atalay @kateatalaybespokehair / Makeup Ali Kynoch @alikynoch / Cake Wise Cake Wise @cake_wise / Planner Green Soul Weddings @greensoulweddings / Prop Hire The White Emporium @thewhiteemporium / Table Runners Textile Design and Ribbons Mia Sylviaa @miasylviaa / Gift Registry Patchwork Wedding @patchwork_wedding / Confetti Unique Funky @uniquelyfunky / Stationery I Like Pens Studio @ilikepensstudioky
IF YOU LOVED THIS WEDDING INSPO AT CLOPHILL ECO LODGES, PIN IT!
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