Tropical Luxe Meets Country
We're so excited to share our annual photo shoot with you. I'll try to keep it brief so you can get to the images quickly.
Elegance is not just for the city! This shoot was a wonderful opportunity to showcase how perfectly a countryside venue can feature the best of both worlds: Wooden beams meet crystal chandeliers; stocks and sweet peas meet tropical proteas and cheese plants; a tailored A-line dress meets the great outdoors. The shoot was further inspired by the emerging geode trend, tying in geometric lines and golden and blush pink tones.
Floristry: We're lucky enough to have the incredible Flowers by Kirsty close by, and Kirsty with sister Rebecca took the brief and ran with it in the best possible way. From patiently applying gold leaf to succulents to marrying a perfect blend of classic English sweet peas, stocks and peonies with tropical cheese plants, proteas and anthuriums; they made each aspect of the shoot tie in with each other. Including the greenery in the ceiling! The bouquet included all of the above and carried a heavenly scent words and pictures cannot describe.
Lighting: Richard from Something Borrowed Event Hire is the genius behind the chandeliers and ceiling swags. Each crystal was meticulously checked for flaws, before being erected and seamlessly wired up to create the warm, elegant light effect we were after.
Dresses/Hair/Make-up: Rachel from Butterfly Bridal Boutique in Bicester chose two Essence of Australia dresses, both utterly classic and feminine. The first one, D2317, really showed off the beautiful up-do Debbie Mac (MUA) created. Debbie chose a smokier eye and flawless skin to highlight model Amelie Alden’s utterly elegant features. The A-line of the second dress, D1875, was a real showstopper outside, billowing in the wind, particularly when Rachel paired it with a veil from Heading Up and accessories from Ivory & Co.
Cake: I’d balked at several of the geode-inspired cakes found on Pinterest and other mood boards, but Helen from Batch17Bakes allied my fears and created a unique geode-themed cake, with a simply stunning geode-heart-topper.
Food: Lemon Zest Cuisine’s head chef Nick took the brief ‘elegant’ and created a retro-inspired menu. Oh my, did it taste as good as it looks! The menu:
- Prawn Cocktail, Marie Rose Sauce, Rocket bed
- Pork Belly, Crispy Crackling, Caramalised Apples, Herb Mashed Potatoes
- Chocolate Pot, Clementine Syrup, Crème Fraiche
- And for those wedding evening munchies: Selection of Moven Pick Ice Cream
Photography: None of the above would’ve been possible without being beautifully captured by Dan Rayner Photography. He works quietly and with dedication, interspersed with some first-class banter. While his work is outstanding, I’ve also had the pleasure of seeing him put bride after bride at ease in front of the camera, which is why I recommend him time and again. While that is certainly not a requirement for a photo shoot, he also has an unbelievable knack of working to a time table, that my coordinator persona can’t thank him enough for!
Thank Yous: Special thanks to Options Hire for use of the fantastic gold cutlery, Rosetone for the charger plates and simply stunning model Amelie Alden.
Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the shoot!
With best wishes,
Karin at Stratton Court Barn
Credits:
- Venue and coordination: Stratton Court Barn/Karin Tindall Events
- Photography: Dan Rayner Photography
- Floristry: Flowers by Kirsty
- Dresses: Butterfly Bridal Boutique
- Lighting: Something Borrowed Event Hire
- Food: Lemon Zest Cuisine
- Hair & Make-up: Debbie Mac
- Cake: Batch17Bakes
- Cutlery Hire: Options Hire
- Gold Charger Hire: Rosetone
- Model: Amelie Alden
