Sneak peek: behind the scenes of the latest West Weddings photoshoot

One of my favourite things about being the editor of West Weddings is doing the photoshoots. It's always a really fun day when we get a great team of people together to create some beautiful photographs, and our photoshoot for the upcoming autumn edition was no exception.

 

Held at Old Down Manor in South Gloucestershire, and with David J Brewin at the photographic helm, we all had a brilliant time creating a 1920s inspired wedding. The photos from the day will be in the autumn edition of West Weddings, out on 17th August, and we'll also share some other shots on the blog. In the meantime, to whet your appetite, here are a few behind the scenes photos...

Hannah and I check out the grand staircase at Old Down

One of our beautiful dresses from Truly You

Ria from HUSH puts the finishing touches to model Jessica



David Hill-Souch from Shoot DHS, who art directed the shoot, with groom Tian

Hannah and I are pretty pleased with how it's going so far!

Verena from Truly You and Amanda from Bridezillas keep a close eye on proceedings - and you can just see Kate in the mirror!

Hannah, Jacqui and I check out David's latest shot

The West Weddings shoe collection, which usually lives under my desk!

Jessica strikes a pose in the bridal suite

Everyone was taking photos by the end!

We tried to get this peacock to be in a photo, but he wasn't having any of it

How to photobomb a professional shoot!

The West Weddings autumn photoshoot team were:

David J Brewin
Shoot DHS
Hannah Chapman
Kate Hacker (who took all the photos in this post except the final two)
Jacqui Lewis
Truly You
Bridezillas
HUSH
RSR Men's Hair
England's Finest Cars
Tigerlily Flowers
Hope Designs
Clifton Bunting
Poppy in Pearls

Blooming lovely

If you're planning a summer wedding, you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to the flowers.Traditional, exotic, wildflowers, hothouse - the choice is endless and sometimes it's hard to know where to start.

To give you some inspirations for your floral decorations, we talked to South West flower expert Tina Bignall, who runs Bristol-based florists Tiger Lily, about what you should be considering when you pick your summer flowers.

 

The first thing Tina highlighted was the amazing choice available these days. "The internet is driving the growing demands of today’s fashion conscious brides," she says. "Flower growers have responded by offering more year-round availability of blooms. With the exception of traditional English flowers, grown on local farms, many flowers are now available all year from many different countries, such as Holland, Europe, South America and even Asia. Traditional seasonal flowers are becoming less common, as the specialist growers are adapting to our fast, ‘I want’ culture."

 

For those brides on a budget and who would like to keep costs down, Tina suggest supplementing your favourite flowers with lower cost items. "Add your choice of blooms together with a variety of different shaded foliages," she says. "Or possibly add some herbs such as flowering sage, rosemary and mint, all of which combine to create the quintessential English summer wedding." These have the added advantage of making your bouquet smell amazing!

 

So what are the most popular flowers for summer weddings? Without a doubt Tina says it's the rose.

"There are many beautifully scented and different colours available," says Tina, "from creamy ivory to coffee beige and lilac, all in antique shades, or bright and vibrant ones. This is one of the oldest and most traditional flowers, but it’s still the most popular and beautiful among brides." You can see from the bouquets pictured here, all of which were created by Tina, the versatility of this lovely flower and how it can be used in a variety of styles and designs.

And because of this popularity, traditional English flowers such as the rose, plus other lovely blooms such as hydrangea and peonies, are now grown all over the world. "With different climates, we are now able to buy traditional English flowers such as a large open garden rose from Ecuador, all year around."

For more expert advice from Tina on the perfect flowers to complement your day, you can visit her shop in Bristol, or give her a call on 01454 856737.