AUTHENTIC, INCLUSIVE & EXTRAORDINARY

We have a very special wedding inspiration shoot to share with you all today, a shoot that is very close to my heart and one that I am honoured to be sharing on Festival Brides.

It is no secret that the wedding industry is seriously lacking when it comes to inclusivity for all. It is an industry, like many, that celebrates the pretty, the able bodied, the heterosexual and the white. 2020 has been a huge wake up call for many when it comes to systematic racism and how this shows up in every corner of our wedding world, but there are other aspects of the word ‘inclusive’ that are still lacking massively in this industry. It is something we want to start to address and we are starting today.

2020 led to Festival Brides taking a long hard look at itself and asking the question – what sort of business do you want to be? What do you want to put out into the world? A message that reflects your values, old and new, or one that reflects societies idea of ‘normal’ and ‘perfect?’ My anti-racism course with Nova Reid has taught me many things that has changed the way I look at the world forever. But, if I had to choose the one thing that has fundamentally changed within me the most since starting her course, it is my idea of ‘normal.’ It is seeing beyond what is projected in the media and on our mobile phone screens, and instead looking around at the imperfect, diverse, rich, cultural REAL world that is right there for all to see – living and breathing in front of us from the moment we step out onto the street. I am not perfect – I am not meant to be perfect. None of my friends are perfect. Perfection is an idealistic term that is used to manipulate us into wanting more, buying more, consuming more.

Today’s wonderful shoot is all about the gorgeous Neve, a little girl with cerebral palsy, and her beautiful sister Tiegan who is also her carer. Neve is unable to walk and therefore needs a wheelchair wherever she goes. Their Mum is getting married soon and is desperately trying to find a venue with accessibility so she can accommodate to Neve’s needs and fully immerse herself into her wedding day. She says…

We know it’s a really small percentage of couples that would need this kind of accessibility and for venues especially, it’s difficult and expensive to make these changes, but we’re just asking for options. If the adapted facilities aren’t readily available, having someone point in the right direction to hire these things relieves a huge amount of stress for couples just trying to make their day as special as possible.
Having both of our girls being apart of this shoot was so special. People not only got to see the amazing connection between two sisters but the unconditional love and care that’s been built over, sometimes very difficult, 8 years. Being disabled is tough but also being a young carer is equally as challenging!
Creating some normality where their mind could grow was so beautiful to watch on the day of the shoot and each of them were made to feel equally as special. That is so difficult when one needs physical care to do everything but thanks to everyone on the shoot that day. The girls had the best day AS SISTERS. We can only hope that we can plan a wedding with the same feeling that adapts to Neve’s needs at the same time.

Having heard their story, the wonderful June Glackin of Junie Poonie Events wanted to put together a swoon worthy styled shoot that captured Neve and Tiegan’s very special relationship in a wedding setting in the hope that it will inspire other suppliers to become more inclusive and diverse. She wanted the backbone of the shoot to be all about “Authenticity & Inclusion”, choosing real life and real love as her inspiration (along with a hell of a venue and team of creatives!) When submitting the shoot to us, June wrote…

My heart aches when I think of the lack of inclusivity of disabled models or those who don’t quite tick the ‘editorial’ look shall we say. Let me introduce my beautiful little bridesmaid model Neve… a gorgeous little soul, with a smile that melts your heart, a cheeky giggle and a wheelchair that will take your toes off if you’re not careful!
With Neve and her big sister Tiegan joining the shoot, we all stood in awe as she swooned at the camera, flirted with the groom and stole our hearts and the show!
It’s sad I’m even having to write to highlight how amazing Neve is, as sadly as we know with the current global situation, we are more acutely aware of how our industry isn’t as inclusive or authentic as it should be.
So here I am, being honest and open with you, to offer an album full of wonderous Neve in all her glory for you to share with the world.

We absolutely LOVE everything about this shoot. It is so beautiful in so many ways and we love June’s message behind it. It has inspired us to want to do better – to make bigger steps to change our corner of the wedding industry so it is more reflective of the real world and the people in it. Where everyone is welcome and accepted.

Grab yourself a cuppa lovely people and allow yourself to get lost in the beautiful, charming and irresistible smile of Neve as well as the gorgeous earthy wedding inspiration this shoot contains.

Authentic, Inclusive & Oh So Extraordinary…

Words by June Glackin

Just before the world was set to slow-mo and we all had to stop, pause and sadly also postpone so many weddings, I was privileged to bring together some of my absolute favourite wedding suppliers, all under one roof … and a big roof at that! … where we were able to create the shoot of all shoots, with the whole theme and ethos being “AUTHENTIC, INCLUSIVE & OH SO EXTRAORDINARY”

Being a hopeless romantic, I fall hook line and sinker for a good old love story and being able to create such magical moments really makes my heart skip a beat, seeing couples faces light up when they enter their venue all dressed and styled or when they get to touch their stationery for the very first time.

I also love to create shoots, bringing creatives together, to showcase their talents and give them an opportunity to play to their hearts content, however my heart aches a little when I think of the lack of inclusivity of disabled models or those who don’t quite tick the ‘editorial’ look shall we say … Now don’t get me wrong an editorial shoot that makes me want to stroke the pages of a bridal magazine … I am all over that; for me personally being the ever hopeless romantic, I’m all about “Real Love over Editorial” when it comes to shoots that I create as I know that this is what appeals to my couples, the look of love, the feel of authenticity when they hold each other … yep … I’m there!

Having spoken to one hell of a little Lady’s mummy who herself is in the wedding industry and also is getting married, is sadly having the headache of trying to find a cool, contemporary and access friendly venue for her daughter for her big day, made me realise once again that sadly the wedding industry isn’t as inclusive as it could or should be… with that in mind, I set out to create the “Authentic, Inclusive & Oh So Extraordinary” shoot… yes we had couples (real couples so yes I was swooning like a goodun) and we also had the honour of having two beautiful bridesmaids too.

Let me introduce my beautiful little bridesmaids Tiegan & Neve… two beautiful girls with a bond that is unbreakable and a connection like no other I have ever seen. Tiegan well and truly looks after her little sister, on hand to help, support and make her giggle her little face off as Neve (who is a gorgeous little soul, with a smile that melts your heart, a cheeky giggle and a wheelchair that will take your toes off if you’re not careful) has cerebral palsy and is unable to walk or talk, but by golly she can giggle and steal a photoshoot alright!

With Neve and her big sister Tiegan joining the shoot, we all stood in awe as she swooned at the camera, flirted with the groom and stole our hearts and the show!

A Shoot That Opened My Eyes and Heart…

It was truly heart-warming seeing her light up (mind you I think the Groom may have had something to do with that! Whether it was his cool dreadlocks or the fact that he couldn’t help but be smitten with this little lady giving him the eye when his bride wasn’t looking… and even when she was, Neve never held back!)

Having Neve as part of the shoot team felt so natural and so right. She and her sister were a breath of fresh air, and I won’t lie, her Momma’s cake tasted the bees knees too! Having Kirsty from Oh My Cakery there as a supplier and a Mummy was pretty spectacular – seeing her beam with pride as her cakes looked insane… but her children taking it to the next level.

It’s really opened my eyes and heart to how we really do need to be more inclusive as an industry on all levels. For me from a personal and professional perspective, I would love nothing more than to see more inclusivity and for absolute sure … Neve and Tiegan will be well and truly welcome on any future shoots I create along with anyone else who fancies it …(socially distanced at present but when the world reopens … holla!)

And as for the rest of the Shoot Crew, well what a team! Having such a huge venue, that is new to the wedding industry, we spread the shoot over two days (& nights!), two rooms and with two very different styles and vibes so we all had our work cut out. The design brief went in, the creatives arrived, the tunes went on and the magic happened. This shoot showcases the “Muted Neutrals” aspect of the two shoots, set in an old industrial unit, “The Box” at FarGo Village in the Centre of Coventry. It’s an OSB Clad venue that really allows you to get creative.

The images tell the story – soft muted tones paired with edgy industrial elements; single stem florals and candle light; rusted tone stationery; a cake complete with neon lighting; colourful and very tasty food; dresses to set your heart of fire; drapes of dreams; and models that turned up, did their thing and looked insane with beautiful accessories and amazing hair and make-up. But the showstopper, let’s not deny was Neve. Our beautiful little lady with a smile that would break your heart and a wheelchair that would break your toes – if you didn’t move quick enough!