Good afternoon beautiful people! I hope you are all having a good week so far. It has been a heavy and very traumatic week for many after watching Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah on Monday. We just want to take a moment to hold space for that interview and the incredible courage they both had to use their voices and privilege to draw awareness to mental health and racism. That is a very brave thing to do knowing that it would expose them to more judgement from the public and more lies from the British media.

On Monday, we shared a post on Instagram about the interview and would love for you to have a read of both the caption and comments.

Today we have an elegant, decadent and moody celestial elopement styled shoot to share with you all – the perfect addition to the dark skies I can see outside my office window right now!

Those of you that have been reading Festival Brides for a while will know that we LOVE a celestial styled shoot. It is honestly one of my favourite themes for a wedding. It is a theme that comes with so much versatility – from incorporating the moon and stars into your individual look to using them as stimulus within your decor. There is just something so magical about it and today’s shoot captured that magic beautifully. We also love that it is a shoot that centers mainly around Jessica & Stu, the gorgeous real couple captured.

Sabina of Makeup by Sabina M, the creative mind behind this beautiful beach elopement, says…

With everything going on in the world and rules and regulations surrounding weddings constantly in flux, we adapted this shoot to represent the true heart and soul of a wedding, the couple! Many of our couples may be saying goodbye to their Big Wedding Day, or might be splitting it between two events now. Our shoot perfectly represents that smaller events can still have a big impact with a focus on the finer details and the emotion between the couple playing centre stage.

With a gorgeously soft pastel colour palette of rose and lilac, an intimate grazing style picnic within a Roman ruin and the dramatic scenes of the wild beach, this shoot most certainly comes with plenty of drama which elevates the celestial vibes even further. As Sabina says…

What better way to showcase an elegant and elevated celestial theme than by the sea, where the gravitational pull of the sun and moon literally generate the tidal force?

Grab yourself a glass of something nice (mines a large red wine) and have a read all about this gorgeous shoot and the thought process that went into encompassing the theme within every element. It is beautifully written and we have so enjoyed putting the feature together.

Enjoy and we will see you on the flipside!

The Film…

The Shoot…

Moody Celestial Elopement at Reculver Towers…

This intimate elopement styled shoot features real couple Jessica and Stu at the wild and windy Reculver Towers and Beach on the Kent coast.

As soon as I saw Honey and Ember’s galaxy crown, I knew I wanted to create a celestial inspired shoot with a difference. Pairing the crown with a unique bridal two-piece and a star embellished topper, Jessica looked positively ethereal on the rocks at Reculver.

What better way to showcase an elegant and elevated celestial theme than by the sea, where the gravitational pull of the sun and moon literally generate the tidal force? Walking along the smooth rocky beach, our Bride and Groom could almost be mistaken for walking along the moon’s surface.

Standing tall above the beach are the towers and Roman fort ruins that give the area it’s name. The ancient and exposed stone walls shielding the couple from the elements for a couple of stolen hours to enjoy their grazing table for two; a feast for the eyes as well as the bellies! Like stepping back in time, we created an elopement supper fit for medieval lovers.

For the makeup, I kept it fresh and modern, something a little different from that ‘classic’ bridal look. The skin was kept fresh and luminous, think Moon beaming down to create that ethereal glow! The eyes were kept neutral with a smokey black liner to create depth and definition and perfectly balancing that moody vibe with the light and bright femininity of the outfit. A dusting of micro shimmer was scattered across the eyelids like stars scattered across the skies, with a glossy nude lip to finish the look. I’m Sabina at Makeup by Sabina M, and as much as I love creating classic Bridal beauty, nothing excites me more than something a bit more off-book. I’m all about the free-spirited, bohemian bride, so if you’re up for being whisked up a mountain for an intimate elopement, count me in!

Ana, owner, designer and maker at Honey and Ember specialises in bridal accessories for the unique individual. When I got in contact with Ana about an intimate, romantic celestial themed shoot, she jumped at the chance to be a part of it. She provided my popular gold galaxy halo, a raised headband adorned with stars and crescent moons which fit in perfectly with the moody celestial aesthetic.

Keeping with the celestial theme, the crown was paired Muted Luxe’s lightweight and minimal Nova dangle earrings and Henni Jewellery’s raw morganite & white raw diamonds engagement ring and wedding band set. Henni Jewellery is a Handmade Artisan Jewellery brand created by founder Gabrielle and is unique in the way every piece is made to order especially for you using raw, natural gemstones and raw diamonds! Gabrielle cleanses each crystal before making with White Sage + Japanese Rose to unlock their magical energy. Henni’s core beliefs being that natural beauty is something to be celebrated and what better way than with our gemstones that are all completely natural and unique. This alternative wedding set is the perfect alternative, bohemian duo. This set was created using a special and unique process named Electroforming which gives it the rustic and organic look of the precious metal hugging the gemstones. Raw, natural gemstones straight from the Earth!

Wardrobe by Dulcinea provided three different bridal separates to fit the theme, a celestial cover up, a bralette style crop top and a mist coloured tulle skirt. Wardrobe by Dulcinea is an online vendor with worldwide shipping and a vast variety of bridal separates in many unique colours alongside the more typical shades of white. Their signature approach to bridal is “mix and match” separates that can often be worn again after the wedding and their size policy is unique as well – they make everything to a unique set of customers measurements and the garments come with labels that literally say “size: Yours”.

Sharmila Joy provided ‘We eloped’ cards with handwritten calligraphy addressed envelopes with a vintage, gold wax seal, along with a snippet of the vows, written out in gold ink, on a moon shaped, black card. She opted to skip all of the signage and keep it wildly intimate, focussing on the details and quality, including writing out a meaningful quote in calligraphy on hand-made paper: ‘there are as many forms of love as there are moments in time’. Our focal colours included blush, black, gold, grey and cream. Mixing dark colours with blush pink and gold highlights created a rich moody and celestial feel. Cream and blush versions of the ‘We eloped’ cards were provided, both with a hand drawn sketch of the Reculver Towers and names written in calligraphy. Using natural, Fabriano Medioevalis paper added an extra special, luxury touch. The venue sketch was a great focal point for the card, making it a wonderful time capsule to look back on the special event. Gold stars were scattered around the card, adding that final celestial touch! Sharmila Joy can create quality, heartfelt and memorable stationery for a special and beautiful, physical announcement that you’ve tied the knot, or will be tying the knot.

It doesn’t get much more romantic than this, embracing on the rocks for a wildly atmospheric elopement shoot on the stunning Kent coast. The decorative touches by the Luxe Design Company are dark and moody; as always with Claire’s styling there has to be a touch of luxe, which comes through here in the crystal glasses, gold rimmed charger plates and gold cutlery. A mix of textured fabrics from The Botanical Dyer, vintage gold candlesticks, handmade votives and tea lights dress the table and are in keeping with the effortless free-spirited romantic feel. The last year really made the Luxe Design Company fall in love with small intimate weddings and elopements again. The freedom, couples (and Claire as a stylist) have when with so few guests the budget allows you to go mad and have it all with no compromise. With less guests couples can make it that much more special and truly personal from having their favourite food to the floral arch of their Pinterest dreams.

Moody and Sumptuous…

Grove Flora created romantic, organic and seasonal bouquet and arrangements for our shoot. Dusty lilac roses and peachy blush hues against deep greens and mixed foliage created a moody and sumptuous colour palette throughout the florals, tying in perfectly with the stationery and other styling elements. Grove Flora fulfil her briefs perfectly creating arrangements that are both artistic and natural. Nichola is continually inspired by nature; its varying shapes, textures and the seasons. As a small business, Grove Flora offers a bespoke service enabling Nichola to get to know each client 1-1 before embarking on creating flowers that are truly special for your wedding. From your initial vision to the smallest detail, the aim is to keep the process friendly, communicative and highly creative. Couples can expect beautifully composed designs that will bring their vision to life and compliment their own style. Just as each event and client is unique, so is each arrangement. Nichola work’s in collaboration with you to design the floral elements for your wedding day. Nichola’s stunning bouquet was topped off by beautifully hand dyed ribbons from The Botanical Dyer.

The Botanical Dyer hand crafts beautiful plant dyed styling ribbons for brides, stylists and florists using habotai and vegan-friendly bamboo silks that are chosen for their luxuriously soft texture, graceful movement and an iridescent quality. The drama they create makes them the perfect finishing touch to a bouquet, especially out on location like this elopement shoot, where their earthy colours complement the natural surroundings.

Flourish, deriving from Old French floriss, means to blossom, flower, bloom and that’s exactly what is reflected in every grazing platter that Flourish and Graze creates. If you’re looking to make an unforgettable statement, offer a unique and striking display for all your guests to enjoy, or send a memorable and meaningful gift, then look no further than Flourish Grazing Events. Every platter, box and graze table display is bespoke and methodically designed by our team, meaning that they’re different every time and totally unique to you. Grazing is the perfect addition to a formal dinner, but also the perfect catering option for the entire event. For this stunning elopement shoot Bianca and Lauren created the food setting around fresh eucalyptus and foliage creating an impactful and truly stunning effect. The beauty of grazing is how bespoke and versatile you can make this. Smaller intimate platters or larger banquet tables are all achievable.

The table for two was completed with Bake to the Future’s minimalist white single tier cake, topped with some moody black grapes for a hint of luxury. Lou also created some galaxy marble effect biscuits to be scattered across the table scape.

You may have guessed from our images that Kate Boston Photography is all about building real relationships with their couples and this shoot was no different. As documentary photographers their ultimate goal is to capture something meaningful that communicates the truth of a moment. They’ve never photographed a celestial themed wedding prior to this shoot, but say they’re totally in love with the final outcome and can see this setting a new trend for 2021 and beyond. The images tell a story of light and dark offered by the shadows within the Castle ruins, and the constant motion and movement from the tide which complimented the bridal dress. As a creative team Kate and Adam’s focus is to inspire couples to feel the freedom and confidence to be unique with their elopements; and to have a day which beautifully celebrates and reflects their love.

Videographer and content creator Jake from Pursey Productions shot the video for this shoot. Jake creates lots of different pieces of content ranging from commercial projects to music videos, and weddings / styled shoots is also something he loves shooting too. Being able to work with others and pull something off that we are all so passionate about is so brilliant. When I approached Pursey Productions to video this shoot, Jake was super excited and says the colours and looks that had come together on the mood board had him written all over it, that moody, dark elegant vibe to it. The location was amazing, although we had to find a new location due to C.19, however this was so brilliant too, and the weather just topped it off, very overcast and cloudy with no rain, it was meant to be. Jake wanted to shoot this as naturally as possible, with rich colours, contrasting blacks and white highlights and says that this shoot was one of his favourites to be a part of.