Bold Is Beautiful

I love sharing inspiration shoots planned and styled by Natalie Hewitt because they are always so polished and beautifully put together. Today's is no exception - a brightly coloured floral bonanza showcasing the stunning new barn at Abbey Farm. I adore Natalie's idea of demonstrating that barn weddings can feel fine art, as well as rustic, and these dreamy images most definitely show that. The gorgeous model wears the prettiest gown by Jesus Peiro. It's the perfect gown to add a touch of sophistication to the barn setting.

https://vimeo.com/216475034/9d71455302

Barn Weddings

Natalie the Stylist & Planner: I have seen an increase in barn wedding venues in the past few years, as the demand for blank canvas weddings has grown. The thing I love about Abbey Farm Weddings is that it is a brand-new barn, built using traditional Lincolnshire techniques; striking oak beams, exposed brickwork and beautiful lime wash walls. Some barns have a more industrial, working and raw feel to them which I also love but Abbey Farm has a softer more romantic feel so was the perfect setting for this shoot. I really wanted to demonstrate a barn shoot that moved away from the rustic country feel and showcased a fine art feel with a pop of colour; an elegant but bright colour pallet, demonstrating how beautiful bold can be!

The Photography

My photographer choice was so important, as I didn’t want the bright colours to be captured in a dramatic way but a softer style. Gina Dover Jaques was a great choice as she’s not only great to work with but her professionalism, attention to detail and her style is exactly what I was looking for; and hasn’t she captured she shoot perfectly! I also wanted a short “behind the scenes” film for this shoot; something that gives you a sneak peek of what we were up to without being too long...Chris from Perfect Moment Films always creates amazing work, which you would expect from a multi award winning videographer!

The Flowers

I love the juxtaposition between the white gown and veil and the bright bouquet and lipstick. Rachel is my go to florist for stunning, dramatic, asymmetrical flowers and when we were chatting about the bouquet we were both so excited to be putting orange and pink together, particularly combined with luscious darks to give it depth and drama. All of the flowers are from her cutting garden or from other British growers. The bouquet features ranunculus, anemones, tulips, hellebore and blossom: and what a stunning composition it makes!

The Beauty

Georgie Steeples worked her magic and created fresh, glowing, radiant skin. She added definition to the eyes by softening eyeliner to give a subtle and pretty smokiness. The look was finished off with a bright pink lipstick which made the look come together. And for the hair I asked Helen Sutcliffe, who is such a talented hair stylist to come on board. She created a loose plait teamed with a stunning hairband by E C BRIDE Accessories which worked perfectly for this modern but soft look. If you want to know her trade secrets, she used Toni and Guy Sea Salt Spray, to give texture, Bed Head Dry Shampoo to give root lift, Wella Dynamic Fix Hairspray for hold and Bumble and Bumble Defrizz to tame and dry ends. 

The Jewellery

I love jewellery and every shoot I do, I always get a jeweller to come and feature some stunning diamonds. Ruth from Sherry Jewellery handmade my engagement ring and wedding band and being based close to Abbey Farm Weddings, it was great that she could pop down with some jaw dropping pieces. When I saw her 18ct yellow gold pear shape diamond trefoil ring, set with a 2.01ct F SI1 pear shape diamond with pink diamond accents I had to use it. The pink diamonds were perfect for this look and looked incredible on Gemma’s finger… and mine!

The Fashion

Gemma from Model Students is such a beautiful girl and she really pulled off the whole look whilst maintaining a romantic and soft feel to the shoot. She wore a gown by Jesus Peiro, who is a designer I love. Ally from Alexandra Anne brought a few options for the shoot but we loved this low scoop back featuring a lace panel and lace cap sleeves.

The Cake

To finish off the look I asked Caroline Mitchell to create a cake to compliment the bouquet. (Can you believe that those flowers on the cake are handmade from sugar! Caroline’s made a number of cakes for me in the past too and I can confirm they are the best tasting cakes.) And Nicola from Rose Press, who makes my business stationery and the majority of my brides invitations, also created a great watercolour brush invitation suite using raw edge paper and featured a gold wax seal.