Disco Woodland Wedding With Glitter Balls and Ethical British Bridalwear

Some 70’s vibes teamed with rustic woodland for today’s disco woodland wedding set in a secret woodland in Rutland, East Midlands. The autumnal colours, teamed with retro vintage vibes and modern ethical wedding dress separates are the perfect combination for a contemporary fun wedding vibe. Gina Fernandes coordinated and photographed the shoot with a team of creative local suppliers; we catch up with her to find out how they created this disco woodland wedding…

“This styled shoot shot at a secret woodland in Rutland, East Midlands is groovy, bold and full of sparkle. I had a vision to inspire those opting for an outdoor woodland wedding, I wanted to show how one could pull together a vibrant and contemporary outdoor wedding, incorporating a bit of sparkle and glitter. Often, it is music that inspires me behind creating styled shoots. I am a huge fan of those old school 70’s Disco tracks and I wanted to show how ‘Disco’ doesn’t have to mean retro, as well as having a wedding in the woods doesn’t mean it has to be all twinkly lights and ethereal. Plus, let’s face it, who doesn’t love a glitter ball? Rutland also has the latin motto: ‘Multum in Parvo’ which means ‘Much in Little’. This motto definitely, somewhere in my brain, influenced this shoot too. Much can be done with a wedding in a little place!”

“Industry talent from the East Midlands came together to bring this vision to life. The bride wore Dora separates by Amy Mair Couture supplied by Rami at Coco Bridal Boutique complete with contemporary accessories by Victoria Louise accessories. Sequin skirt and silver bling galore! The collection at Coco Bridal Boutique is entirely focused on ethically made British bridalwear for fashion-forward, modern brides. Rami chose the Dora separates for this shoot as they’re the epitome of what the boutique stands for and are also really fun and youthful. It’s a versatile look that can be styled with statement accessories, as shown here, or something more subtle, such as delicate earrings and a beautiful lightweight veil. Suiting a variety of wedding venues including outdoor settings, the Dora separates are perfect for any modern bride and her perfect modern wedding”

“Victoria, of Victoria Louise Accessories, provided the stunning headpieces and necklace. Victoria’s brand focuses on the modern, unconventional bride & fashion forward individual.
She likes to rip up the rule book, break traditions, and push the boundaries to create more exciting, fresh & contemporary pieces! This shoot was just screaming fun so she decided to
use three different headpiece designs – (because every bride needs at least three right?!) .. “Purity Headpiece” was chosen to compliment “Dora” separates from Coco Bridal Boutique, “Ethereal Halo” for a touch of woodland whimsy, and our metallic silver “Orchid” headpiece to echo the call of disco ball! Statement jewellery was the obvious choice for this shoot so she teamed the large “white Ivy” earrings, serenity, and sterling silver “crystal ball” necklace for sparkly disco vibes. Victoria believes that accessories are a great way for brides to elevate their look and give it that final wow, whilst allowing a chance to reflect style & personality”

“Hair and Make up was provided by the talented Saskia, the owner of Sass & Co. She loved how fun and relaxed this shoot was and wanted to keep the hair and makeup simple to compliment the gorgeous Dora separates and Victoria’s stand out accessories. Saskia took inspiration for the makeup from the shimmering Dora skirt and the pop of pinks in the styling so with that she created a glowing pink eye look with a bit of added sparkle. She kept the skin stripped back to allow Joce’s gorgeous freckles to show through. For the hair Saskia went with a simple low bun which really complimented Victoria’s statement headpieces and showed the amazing back off on the Dora top. Loose tendrils were kept around the face to keep it soft and relaxed.”

“The groom wore a slim fit deep red French Connection suit to compliment the stunning florals provided by Amanda Steele of Amanda Steele Flowers. Amanda chose a mix of clashing jewel coloured flowers, fresh and dried, and some locally grown to bring lots of different textures and movement to our shoot. The vibrancy of the florals melded the gentle woodland setting perfectly with the disco balls and stylishness of the A frame, the colours literally popped. These florals work beautifully in a whimsical outdoor setting but would also be fabulous for autumn or winter weddings in a lavish country house setting or even an minimalistic industrial indoor space. Amanda says “The beauty of using some dried blooms is that you will have a keepsake to treasure after your magical day.” Could not agree more!”

“Styling and props was provided by the creative Georgina of Two Eight One styling, I couldn’t have hoped for any better than her props and huge bundle of glitter balls. Georgina believes Maximalism is on it’s way back in a big way and she was keen to emulate this through the styling, whilst adding a cool, modern edge. Georgina styled with hints of black throughout the set up and tied everything together with the XL mirror balls, which are available for hire.

The disco balls were key to creating the disco vibes and looked amazing nestled amongst the beautiful blooms. For the tablescape, neutrals were used for the base layers, such as soft pinks and off whites, so that the flowers would really pop with all the incredible hot pinks and deep jewel tones. The slim black candlesticks bought a modern edge and the little mirror balls bought the fun. Georgina’s styling tip: “when thinking about your own wedding tables, if you are looking for a modern maximalist vibe, different layers and textures are the way forward – take care in thinking about runners, cloths and napkins, as they make all the difference.”

“The cake was provided by Sophie, from Red Robin Cakery. She went bold and dramatic and of course, topped it with its own glitter balls. The black buttercream with the contracting hot pink drip looked edgy but still elegant. She wanted to make a one tier cake to show that you don’t need to have a huge cake for it to be show stopping. With weddings likely to be smaller for a little while, Sophie believes you don’t have to sacrifice an amazing cake in order to cut down the servings. Sophie says that this style of cake is becoming more popular as we sway away from traditional white cake. “Your wedding cake is the perfect place to show some of your personality as a couple, and on smaller cakes, you can really go to town. Don’t be afraid to bring bold colours (or dark ones!) onto your wedding cake.”

“Sparkly signs and stationery was provided by Faye from Wild Calligraphy. Faye knew this shoot was all about FUN and wanted to do something statement for the stationery and signage. The blush paper and wooden signage complimented the table scape styling and blooms perfectly… and Faye lives for all of the glitter! “It’s so easy to adapt your stationery to perfectly compliment your theme and show off personality – from changing your card stock and ink colours, to adding embellishments. Faye works with couples to create bespoke stationery that is a bit of you!.”

“I, Gina Fernandes Photography provided the photography and video, keeping close to my style of capturing laughter and romance. Focusing on the interaction between couples (and their guests) makes for a more natural and documentary style of photography. I love bright bold colours too and when editing, make sure colours stay true to life colour and pop! With the video, I tried to make it fast and fun to capture the essence of DISCO – laughter and colour sprinkled with a bit of bling.”

“The models were real life couple Jack & Joce and out of sheer coincidence, we created the shoot at the very spot they met when they were 16!!

The Team – Disco Woodland Wedding With Glitter Balls and Ethical British Bridalwear

Photographer & Organiser: Gina Fernandes @ginafernandesphotography

Dress Rami Aujla-Betts @cocobridalboutique / Cake Sophie Poole @redrobincakery / Florist Amanda Steele @amandasteeleflowers / Styling & Props Georgina Eldridge @twoeightoneltd / Stationery: Faye Wilson @wildcalligraphygb / Grooms suit: French Connection @frenchconnection / Bridal Accessories Victoria Louise @victorialouiseaccessories / Hair & Makeup: Sass & Co @hairandmakeupbysaskia