Oh the grandeur, the opulence and the pure elegance we have for you to view today. What an absolute treat this wedding ideas editorial is, and just so perfect for this wintery festive season too!
Let’s start with the fabulous fireplace centrepiece, the perfect backdrop for our couple, with a magnificent flower installation, climbing up into the mantelpiece and adorned with candles. I am sure it created a real atmosphere to the room. Wow. The bride wore two beautiful gowns, one pale blue and the other featuring a stripe, both perfect for the setting. While the groom donned a velvet jacket and bow tie. Velvet is a key element to this shoot, with velvet ribbons and velvet cloth used throughout.
The tablescape was laden with rich red and pink flowers, delicate stationery, mini cakes, candles and tableware. There was also an epic stone inspired blue grey cake complete with gold embellishment, a cool contrast to the deep colour palette. Huge thanks goes to Becky Harley Photography for sharing these sumptuous images with us, what a dream!
Winter Luxe Wedding Ideas
Working together with a select group of fabulous suppliers, I was really excited to collaborate on this stunning wintery shoot recently.
Making use of the incredible organisational skills of wedding planner Katie from Songbird Weddings, we organised this shoot in just over a month. The location was North Mymms Park, a stunning new venue in South Hertfordshire, recently opened for weddings and events.
North Mymms Park is a magnificent Grade I listed Elizabethan mansion house set in 400 acres of parkland. There is a huge choice of location for weddings within the house, with a variety of beautiful rooms licensed for ceremonies indoors, as well as a lawn, which can accommodate large weddings in a marquee. Perhaps the most impressive space for an outdoor ceremony is the beautiful marble Loggia.
We wanted the styling to focus on wintery tones, and incorporate rich colours and textures. The shoot was styled by Gemma from The White Emporium, and she wanted to bring a relaxed and natural feel to the setup to contrast with, but complement, the elegance and grandeur of North Mymms Park. The concept for the shoot was born after we visited the park and discovered the beautiful Loggia. Gemma wanted to channel the textures and exquisite detailing from the design of the Loggia into her styling.
Our Bride wore two dresses. The first was a bespoke dress called Prism made by bridal designer Rachel Lamb Design. The dress consisted of pale blue silk chiffon with a circular tulle skirt and V-neck hand appliqued lace bodice. The second dress was a modern and luxurious statement dress from San Patrick called Altafulla, provided by Burr Bridal. The striped fabric in cascading layers along with the tightly fitted bodice and plunging neckline makes this dress both flattering and extravagant in equal measure.
For the first bridal look with Prism, Leah from Belles Beauty created a soft autumnal look with smouldering brown eyes and dark ruby lips to bring out the colours in the flowers. For the hair styling, Claire from Barberella Bridal wanted to ensure that the hair complemented the beautiful flowers on the flower crown with big soft romantic curls. She curled with alternating tong and wand to create a more natural type of wave. The headpiece was created by Love From Becky with layers of tonal flowers intertwined with delicately beaded leaves.
The bridal bouquet by Rebecca Marsala Flowers was a classic posy style but looser with soft foliage at the edges for texture and movement.
Our groom was styled in a dinner suit from Chimney Formal Menswear, which we complemented with a deep blue velvet jacket sourced privately.
Barberella Bridal styled the groom’s hair in an informal half-up man bun in order to achieve a relaxed but neat style.
One of the most stunning features of North Mymms Park is the Grade I Listed Loggia and so it seemed the perfect place to display our chocolate and salted caramel wedding cake by Nina from Meadowsweet Cakes. Nina used moulding and stone effects in this three-tier cake to fit in with the Loggia surroundings, whilst the flowing gold sugar flowers gave it an ethereal look. The grey colouring of the cake ensured that the cake stood out from the neutral tones of the surroundings.
With the Alta Fulla dress, Belles Beauty added depth to the eyes and used heavier eyeliner and a glossier lip to add a sophisticated twist. Barberella Bridal then created an elegant but loose and romantic up do. She used loosened rope braids through the crown to create a soft texture and gather the curls at the nape with soft tendrils falling here and there. This look was accessorised with handmade silver bangles and a necklace from Coco Grey Jewellery, and luxury velvet heels from Rachel Simpson Shoes.
For the table-scape, the table featured a rich-coloured velvet tablecloth, which really enhanced the gold details of the charger plates, cutlery and candles. It was important to bring in the idea of layers and depth so delicate hand-illustrated plates featuring a leaf design were laid over gold charger plates which were then complemented with gold-etched cutlery, wrapped in velvet ribbon. Vellum place names peeking out from the mini cakes added another layering dimension. Nina from Meadowsweet Cakes created miniature red velvet cakes with cream cheese frosting and edible 24 carat gold for each place setting.
To complement the beautiful tableware from The White Emporium, Rebecca Marsala Flowers used deep velvety-black roses, burgundy rose hips, seasonal blooms and delicate Cosmos, along with other gorgeous varieties for a living table runner. Small posies in vases were added to create a luxurious and intimate table setting.
The stationery suite was designed by Olive and Millicent to be simple, yet elegant, featuring delicate hand-drawn winter botanicals and a calligraphic script. The navy envelopes and velvet ribbon provided a pop of colour to complement the rich tones of the shoot. The suite was finished with deckle edges, to give more of a relaxed feel and paired with a layer of vellum, illustrated with antique gold for a touch of luxury.
North Mymms Park has a stunning and vast entrance hallway with an enormous stone fireplace. As soon as we saw it, we knew that it was the perfect location for a feature floristry piece. Rebecca from Rebecca Marsala Flowers wanted to create something dramatic, so decided to design a climbing installation, which was complemented by a draping display high on the mantelpiece. She opted for deep reds and purple hues with textured foliage for extra depth to each design. This installation really created a wow-factor as you enter the room.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Photographer
Becky Harley Photography
Planning
Songbird Weddings
Stylist
The White Emporium
Venue
North Mymms Park
Florist
Rebecca Marsala Flowers
Cake
Meadowsweet Cakes
Make Up Artist
Belles Beauty
Hair
Barberella Bridal
Flower Crown
Love from Becky
Stationery
Olive and Millicent
Wedding Dress 1
Rachel Lamb Design
Wedding Dress 2
Burr Bridal
Jewellery
Coco Grey Jewellery
Shoes
Rachel Simpson Shoes
So inspirational! Thanks so very much to the whole team above for sharing these wonderful photographs with us xo Lou