By Louise Baltruschat Hollis
Colour lovers you are going to be left feeling super inspired by the end of today’s wedding ideas feature. I am a massive fan of colourful styling and this editorial shoot really packs in a vibrant playful atmosphere complete with totally cool vibes. Chosen Wedding Fair were behind this styled shoot with Sophie Lake Photography capturing the whole affair and the results are just remarkable thanks to a brilliantly creative effort from all of the awesome suppliers.
I think one of my fave touches added to the The Forge Bristol featured here today, has to be the meadow flower arrangements which are just blooming gorgeous, not to mention the cool macramé backdrop, watercolour cake and pretty stationery. The attire is really on trend, (hello pink blazer and celestial gown) not to mention all of the wonderful accessories, jewellery and hair and make up looks. Oh my!
Boho Love Party! A playful inspiration shoot fusing lashes of colour with raw and natural elements.
We wanted to create a cool and contemporary style that was accessible for our couples – not the kind you would only see on Pinterest – so that inspiration can be taken from all the little elements such as the gin bar set-up or the stationery designs right through to the larger tablescape and flower installations. It’s an eclectic mix, with a complementing colour palette that really brings the look together, but one full of little details that can be taken away to inspire couples to create their own unique styles that reflects them and their personalities.
We also wanted to showcase the major creative talents of our fair exhibitors – and so assembled a team of the freshest talent on offer from across our fairs in Bristol, Cardiff and London. The colour palette was absolutely key for this inspiration shoot – Chosen Wedding Fair attracts the kind of creative and unique couples who are care-free, fun and looking for something that little bit different to the wedding norm.
Whilst we absolutely adore the raw, natural and relaxed styles that are trending right now in the wedding world, we wanted to show how bright colour and a party feel can be incorporated alongside these more muted natural fabrics, hearty food spreads and unrefined materials. We used a range of soft textile fabrics – including our hand-made macramé hanging and colourful pompoms – to create set-ups full of colour and fun – with hot pink, sky blue, and bright yellow accents complementing the softer cotton tones, pastel lavenders and natural wildflower flora to bring a care-free and relaxed party vibe to our styling!
We knew that we needed a photographer who was fresh and could deliver the kind of contemporary, fun, and down-to-earth feel we wanted – and knowing London-based Sophie Lake Photography already, we just knew she had to be involved! Sophie’s style is relaxed, fun and natural – with a unique ability to capture all the raw and real moments of a wedding day. Sophie introduced us to Anna and Justs – our real couple who brought their energetic personalities to the shoot to give us a real range of fun-loving and intimate shots.
The Forge in central Bristol is an historic industrial space built in the mid 1800s. It was originally a coach house and then a blacksmiths – and now serves as a lovingly restored and light-flooded urban event space. A peaceful oasis amongst the sights and sounds of the bustling city it overlooks, The Forge oozes calm and the kind of natural styles that are perfect for any couple looking to host an intimate rustic event with just a twist of urban edge!
Anna’s bridal looks are stylish, yet playful. She wears a range of bespoke designer dresses from designer E&W Couture and supplied by champion of Welsh bridal designer makers Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique. E&W Couture is made for the wild at heart – those looking to rock something a little alternative on their big day! Rachel Burgess is passionate about showcasing indie Welsh brands and working closely with couples to find the dress and look that reflects them and their personality. The ‘Blossom’ Crop and Skirt combination features gorgeous floral embellishments, while the beautiful ‘Orion’ gown takes you to the moon and back with its glitter moon, stars and unicorn motifs. Our third look is the beautiful Bailey gown, featuring a relaxed cut with unusual raised embroidery of leaves and berries which cover the whole gown. We then rocked up this style with a stunning one-of-a-kind hand-painted leather jacket created by London-based artist Stacey of See It Happy!
Gin Bars are really trending in the wedding world right now – but who says a bar set-up has to be traditional and fixed in the venue? We created and styled our own mobile bar area using genuine vintage crystal decanters and a classic serving trolley provided by Lynn of Rustic Rentals, which we styled with some bespoke needlework signage by Ink & Thimble. We then dressed the whole area by creating hexagonal copper stands with stringed hand-made pom poms to bring in some simple colour pops and complement the palette of the macramé hangings and other details in the shoot.
All of our cakes were created by Bristol-based wedding cake extraordinaire Anita of The Macaroom. An emerging talent on the local wedding scene, Anita’s eye for colour and passion for all things creative was exactly the talent we wanted for our eclectic shoot. She took our brief of bright and artistic to create a watercolour inspired showstopper for our main set-up – fusing each of our accent colours with delicate sugar work and splattered hand painted details that really set the scene for our bright and colourful day at The Forge! Anita also created a range of beautiful pastel-toned cupcakes that would go down a treat with any discerning wedding guest – each lovingly hand decorated with complimentary wild flowers and soft pastel icing to tie into our overall style.
Each of Anna’s looks has been accessorised using beautiful bespoke headpieces from designer maker Clare Lloyd Couture Bridal Accessories – including a stunning raw kyanite crystal headdress with just hints of blue shimmer and styled with contemporary silver star detailing. Versatile designer Clare also created us a bespoke and hugely colourful crown inspired by leaves, berries and the unruly shapes of nature that complemented the floral embellishment of E&W Couture’s gorgeous Blossom separates.
Amelia of The Styling Lounge Bristol showcased her Hair and Make-up talents by creating a soft look for Anna that highlights her natural beauty whilst complementing the relaxed feel of our shoot – using a subtle make-up palette and creating simple waves for a free-spirited and fuss-free wedding look perfect for our fun-loving couple! Amelia uses an extensive range of skincare and makeup products, favouring those that are cruelty-free.
Anna’s bridal looks are finished off with some absolutely stunning wild-flower inspired bouquets that overflow with bright yet natural colour – all lovingly handmade by Jordan of Jasper + Quinn to tie in with her larger meadow-scape floral décor that frames the entire shoot. Jordan specialises in creating wildly romantic floral displays and installations for weddings – she ran wild with our brief to create colourful displays inspired by natural meadow flowers and untamed spring-time fields – the florals look like they have just grown and spread from the floors and tablescapes, absolutely popping with colour and being portable enough to move around the venue for different set-ups and settings. Jordan complemented these dramatic displays with smaller cut stems in simple crystal vases that we scattered strategically around different areas to tie the looks together with some true flower power!
Brittany of Pigment + Paper created a whole portfolio of wedding stationery to complement our wedding look – drawing and designing every element herself. She lovingly tied together styles for the wedding invitations, place names and table menus to reflect Jasper & Quinn’s wildflower florals, as well as creating a beautiful bespoke fabric hanging for our top table adorned with matching pom poms and lettering in her trademark watercolour style.
Eily O’Connell Jewellery conjured us up some beautiful treasures when she created gorgeous bespoke rings for our happy couple – all made using ethically sourced metals and fair-trade gemstones. Eily specialises in creating treasures with a mysterious and other-worldly presence – and her eye for twisting conventional wedding shapes and styles is absolutely perfect for any couple looking to shun traditions and make their forever rings unique to them!
If you would like to come and meet some of these eclectic and hugely creative suppliers and more, be sure to pop down to one of our Autumn 2019 or Spring 2020 fairs in Cardiff, Bristol, Oxford and London!
Photographer
Sophie Lake Photography
Creative Direction, Styling, Macrame Backdrops
Chosen Wedding Fair
Bridal Headpieces
Clare Lloyd Couture Bridal Accessories
Bridalwear
E&W Couture supplied by Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique
Hair & Make-Up
The Styling Lounge Bristol
Stationery & Painted Banner
Pigment + Paper
Floristry
Jasper & Quinn
Embroidered Signage
Ink & Thimble
Vintage Furniture & Props
Rustic Rentals
Cakes
The Macaroom
Rings
Eily O’Connell
Painted Leather Jacket
See It Happy
Venue
The Forge Bristol
So very colourful and playful! Thanks ever so much to the whole team above for sharing with us these wonderful wedding ideas xo Lou
Want In On My Happy Wedding Letter?
Join over a thousand engaged couples (and counting) who have snagged my fun no-nonsense regular wedding advice and inspo straight to their inbox. Plus you'll get planning checklists & spreadsheets for absolutely nada.
Leave a Reply
Gary Derbridge
I’m absolutely loving these images. Fantastic work from the photographer!
Christopher James Hall
Wow just love that cake…