Put together by Beth Dowdell Photography, today’s wedding inspiration shoot, designed with a small wedding in mind, comes with beautifully styled table décor, a bright and bold colour theme, modern elegant stationery (the curled table names are genius), a ceremony area within a vineyard, an outdoor wedding lounge, a strong focus on sustainability and some absolutely gorgeous looking food. If you are hungry then I would advise you grabbing something to eat before you indulge in this shoot. The food, which was provided by Michelin trained chef Adam Blackett of Black Pig Catering, looks divine and has certainly had us dreaming of both an intimate picnic for two and a romantic sit down meal.
Captured on a beautiful summers day, British Bohemian is the perfect tonic for our souls. The bright colours coupled with the gorgeous setting of Tuffon Hall Vineyard is uplifting and inspiring and we love how Beth has such a huge focus on sustainability and using locally sourced produce and suppliers. She explains below…
The impact that such a shoot or wedding would have on the environment was carefully considered. I surrounded myself with suppliers that could identify with my sustainable vision. Where possible we used recycled materials, vegan products and local produce.
I believe that I have created a look that will capture the hearts and mind of my future clients: the appreciation of strong visual aesthetics, but with a profitable result for the environment and local economy.
Beth, along with the suppliers involved, talks us through British Bohemian.
Look out for the romantic vibes of the Bride and Groom, the gorgeous wavy locks of the Bride’s first look and the incredible veil featuring The Hamsa Hand – the symbol of happiness, luck, health, and good fortune.
British Bohemian…
The last few months have been extremely difficult for us all. We have had to quickly adapt to a new way of life. I decided to not just adapt, but to create.
It has long been an ambition of mine to arrange a styled shoot. I regularly organise and photograph fashion shoots for jewellery and accessories, but this particular shoot was created to inspire those brides who desire a bohemian wedding. The concept had small beginnings, but within a short space of time it grew and rapidly developed into something a lot bigger, brighter and fluffier!! A little serendipity.
I wanted to create something beautifully British with a bold aesthetic. Acknowledging the current climate and restraints on the industry, I decided to use small table groupings with lots of detail to fill the space.
The impact that such a shoot or wedding would have on the environment was carefully considered. I surrounded myself with suppliers that could identify with my sustainable vision. Where possible we used recycled materials, vegan products and local produce.
I believe that I have created a look that will capture the hearts and mind of my future clients: the appreciation of strong visual aesthetics, but with a profitable result for the environment and local economy.
The Venue…
At Tuffon Hall Vineyard we take great pride in our efforts to help the environment and ensure we are sustainable wherever possible. We have planted several hectares of wild bird seed to encourage the wildlife around the vineyard, most noticeably the bees busy in their 80 beehives across the field. Our farm has won various conservation prizes within the region over the recent years and we do all we can do ensure there is a harmony between growing and producing our crops, including the grapes. Our wines and gins are also vegan. From a business perspective, all the businesses and
suppliers we work with are local, ensuring economic growth in the region but also ensuring we cover minimal miles here possible. We have a huge local support from our customers who regularly pop up to the Cellar Door for events, tastings and to buy our wines.
The Catering…
Adam Blackett, Michelin trained chef and owner of Black Pig Catering designs menus tailored to your specific event requirements and using as much local produce as possible. This includes high quality beef from Suffolk, lobster from the East Coast, fruit from Tiptree and drinks produced in Cambridgeshire and Essex. All disposable packaging can be recycled or is
biodegradable.
The Flowers…
Our inspiration for the shoot was taken from the drastic need to be thinking more about our environment, the sustainability of the industry, reducing our carbon footprint and give back to the natural world.
With the import / export trade taking a huge hit during the Coronavirus pandemic, it has forced many of us to look closer to home for home grown, hand-made, artisan British goods. The incredible beauty and vast variety of the fresh flowers and foliage grown right here in British soil is often overlooked for the familiarity of the imported goods we see on florist stands
and supermarket shelves. We are missing the kinks, quirks and the personality found within the blooms lovingly and organically grown, pesticide free right here on our doorstep.
Our floral styling for the shoot is all about creating a stunning showcase of the Best of British, showing off what we can offer to our couples with zero air miles attached. It’s about exploring the wonder of the natural world and working with both what it is in season, harmonious with the surroundings (the stunning trailing vines within the vineyard surrounding an excellent
example!), whilst supporting small, conscious, eco-aware, independent businesses and growers. What’s not to love!
The Stationery…
Being friendly to our planet is important to us and our print partner is accredited to the Forest Stewardship Council ® (FSC®), an international organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. This means that every single sheet of paper we use is FSC approved and for every tree we use another is planted.
The Hair & Makeup…
Due to the nature of my job it can be very wasteful and harmful to the environment, so I have made a conscious effort to make my kit as eco friendly and cruelty free/vegan as I can using brand’s that support these ethos such as Charlotte Tilbury and Nudestix! Even now in the current times having to use a lot more disposable products I have tried to find
eco friendly disposables such as bamboo cotton buds etc!
The Rings…
We are proud to use eco, recycled and Fairtrade materials wherever possible and we reduce our carbon footprint further by handcrafting all our rings here in the UK. Eco and recycled gold uses gold that has been bought in the form of scrap from market sectors such as the jewellery, giftware, medical and electronics industries. Using this type of gold eliminates the worry of the associated human or environmental problems that can sometimes be associated with mining today.
Erin is proud to be registered as a Fairtrade designer which means all the rings in Molten’s range can be created with Fairtrade gold. Pieces made using Fairtrade gold will bear the instantly recognisable Fairtrade logo alongside the hallmark inside each ring. By choosing Fairtrade for your wedding rings you are supporting miners and their communities as 10% of the sale goes directly to the community for them to choose how it is spent.
We hope in the future that all of our wedding rings will be made using Fairtrade gold.
The Line Up…
Concept, Coordination & Photography: Beth Dowdell Photography; Venue: Tuffon Hall Vineyard; Alpacas: Alpaca Hire; Cake & Favours: RT Cakes; Catering: Black Pig Catering; Wedding Dress: Bud and Boe Bridal; Florist: Made You Look Flowers; Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist: Kaylor Wright HMUA; Furniture & Props: Anthology Vintage Hire; Rings: Molten Wedding Ring Company; Silk Ribbons: CFleursDesign; Stationery: White Cottage Weddings; Stylist: Smoke & Wildwood; Tableware: CMA Event Hire; Veil: Lauren Mizon; Real Couple: Charlotte & Ayrton
Amazing ???? photos Beth, so elegant, I’d like to roll back time and do it all again. What Stunning flowers and the Brides dress is beautiful!