Behind the scenes: Winter wedding photoshoot

The festive season may be almost over, but you can still dream of a winter wonderland wedding with all its magic. Just imagine having a cosy ceremony in front of a fireplace, decorating your reception venue with snow-white blossoms, sparkly sequins and fairy lights, and serving your guests hot chocolate and marshmallows for the evening party. To inspire and help you visualise some of the options, take a look at our 'Behind the scenes' feature!

Our 1930-inspired photoshoot was set at the magnificent Bristol Grammar School. Styled by the award-winning wedding stylist Kirsten Butler from Little Wedding Helper and captured by Emma Eirene Photography, the shoot provides unique ideas and valuable tips from local vendors for organising your own wintry nuptials. Just think of it as our late Christmas gift to you! 

The gorgeous selection of dresses from The White Collection, accessories from Bridezillas and shoes from Freya Rose made our bride Rachel look --and feel-- like a Hollywood star. Sporting the James Bond look, our groom Tamer wore a black dinner jacket with matching trousers and white shirt from Anne Harding. 

To create the bride's classic glam look, Sally Bracey from Sally Bracey Make-up Artist mixed bright red lip colours with subtle eye contouring. The soft curls and stylish updo were the work of award winner Tracy Pallari. 

A stunning white three-tier cake in white with delicate gold leaves showcased the baking and sugar crafting skills of talented Emma Buston from Bake My Cake. 

In order to transform the Great Hall into a wedding-worthy setting, we had a little help from LightHaus Events, who provided the LOVE letters and pretty gold beaded tableware and banquet chairs from Prestige Event Hire. 

For an extra touch of sparkle, the top table was covered in gold sequin tablecloth from Pudding Bridge. To complete the Art Deco look, we had beautiful flower arrangements from Tin Can Floral and themed stationery provided by Shutter and Flash.  

DETAILS 

Bristol Grammar School – venue

Emma Eirene Photography - photographer

Tracy Pallari - hair

Sally Bracey - make-up

The White Collection – dresses

Anne Harding - menswear

Bridezillas – accessories

Freya Rose  - shoes

Triggols Vintage Cars – car

Lighthaus Events – light-up letters / props

Shutter & Flash – stationery

Bake My Cake – cake

Tin Can Floral - flowers

Prestige Catering Hire - venue table dressing

Rachel Harvey - bride model

Tamer Latif - groom model

The Little Wedding Helper - shoot stylist

For more 'Behind the scenes' ideas, check out our previous post here. Don't forget, you can also keep up with all the latest news and tips on our Facebook and Twitter pages. 

Behind the scenes: summer photoshoot at Clevedon Hall

Let's brighten up this cold and cloudy day with bright blooms and golden hues from our Parisian themed West Weddings summer editorial at Clevedon Hill. 

What persuaded us to set camp at Clevedon Hall is its versatility and endless options for exclusive luxurious wedding celebration. One of the region's grandest venues has the charm and grandeur of a French chateau - the perfect setting for a summer fete wedding. 

Making sure the bride and groom arrived on time, Triggols Vintage Cars kindly provided two of their vintage cars - the 1934 Ivory Sunbeam 25 6 passenger limousine and the 1928 burgundy Austin 12 Tourer. 

 Capturing the details of the day was acclaimed photographer Lee Hatherall, who knew the venue well and really understood the vision for the shoot created by our talented Creative Director, Kirsten Butler from Little Wedding Helper.  

Our bride's outfits - modern interpretations of Parisian glamour and fairytale princess gowns - were handpicked from The White Collection and accessorised with astounding pieces from Bridezillas. Similarly, the groom wore a selection of smart suits provided by Anne Harding. 

Once the outfits were chosen, we enlisted the services of Sally Bracey for make up and Tracy Pallari for hair style to get our bride camera-ready. The result was truly astonishing and our bride looked gorgeous in every shot. 

The adorable 'chateau' suite from the de Winton Paperco. stationery in toile fabric featured hand painted watercolour botanic studies in blue, cream and grey colour scheme inspired by rural scenes. The venue was decorated with fresh flowers from Tiger Lilly Flowers, who also provided the bridal bouquets, and delicately trimmed bunting in mauve cotton and sateen created by Beez Neez Bunting. 

As no wedding would be complete without a cake, we had two deserts - a traditional four-tier cake with delicate details and ruffles handcrafted by Pretty Amazing Cakes, and a colourful French macaron tower from Maison du Macaron. 

Behind the scenes: spring photoshoot at Bowood

As promised, we have a little treat for your brides and grooms this weekend - a 'behind the scenes' special from the spring West Weddinngs photoshoot, which took place at the splendid Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort.

In a stunning rural setting, our 'happy couple' had lots o fun exploring the venue's immaculate grounds and enjoying the spectacular panoramic views. After all, who wouldn't love to make a grand entrance on their big day in a luxurious Rolls Royce from Triggols Vintage Cars and Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum?

These astonishing images were captured by 'Fearless Photographer' winner Martin Dabek Photography, working closely with our Creative Director Kirsten Butler, from Little Wedding Helper.

Wearing a selection of smart suits, waistcoats and cravats form Anne Harding, our groom Lev Tutcu was a natural in front of the camera. Our gorgeous brides - Sarah Smith and Lauren Bragg - looked stunning with make-up by Sasha Louise Pallari and hair by Tracy Pallari  as they showcased a selection of superb gowns from Spoza Elegante, beautifully accessorized with pieces from Bridezillas.

Everything looked natural, fresh and zingy with pastel blooms from Chrissie Wiltshire Flowers - from the bridal bouquets to the button holes and wedding cake made by Bath Cake Company. Paying special attention to detail, the top table looked ready for wedding with the help of stylish decorations from Aztec Venue Decorations.

For more 'behind the scenes' images, check out our previous post here. Feeling inspired for your own nuptials? Get in touch with us via Facebook and Twitter!

Miscellaneous Monday: Spring Wedding Tweet up

Today we're turning our attention to the wonderful wedding suppliers who help our brides and grooms with planning every details of their wedding as smoothly and stress-free as possible. Last week, West Weddings had the privilege of joining many of the local business owners for the Spring Wedding Tweet up, which took place on Tuesday evening at Goldbrick House, Bristol. 

Organised by the wonderful Kirsten Butler from The Little Wedding Helper - our creative director for the West Weddings photoshoots - the Tweet-ups are a chance for wedding businesses within the area to catch-up over a glass of champagne and canapés. As always, everyone was wonderfully looked after by the fantastic team at Goldbrick House.  

Having met many of the South West's wedding experts at events, shows and, of course, on our quarterly editorial photoshoots, we can honestly say the wedding industry abounds in talented, creative and above all supportive people. Our engaged couples going through the all the stages of organising a big day (venue, dress, entertainment, cake, photography, etc) can enlist the services of experienced vendors whom we absolutely love and respect! 

Jacqui from West Weddings with Jane from Beez Neez Bunting Hire 

Wearing the elegant red hat (see picture above), Jane from Beez Neez Bunting Hire is skilled at making beautiful bunting available to buy or hire as well as studying millinery and creating beautiful bespoke pieces. Take a peek at her website if you don't believe us! 

Throughout the evening Jacqui had a lovely chat with Susan from Portishead Wedding Flowers and caught up with Martin from Martin Dabek Photography, whose beautiful and fun images feature regularly in our real weddings pages and photo gallery. He also helped us create the editorial 'love story' in our recent issues!

Later on, the West Weddings team also spoke to Harriet from Harriet de Winton Illustration and Louise from Maison-du-Macaron and we're looking forward to working with both of them on our next photo shoot at Clevedon Hall!

Before the night was over, we also managed to talk to Grace form Grace Kingsley make-up and of course the host - Kirsten from The Little Wedding Helper! Aside from being a fun and relaxed networking opportunity, the event also raised money for the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation - a charity that organises and funds weddings for terminally ill people.

Took part in last week's event? Let us know on our Twitter and  Facebook pages! And don't forget to check the Little Wedding Tweet ups page for information on the upcoming events! 

Behind the scenes: Winter photoshoot at The Battleaxes

On this fresh winter’s day, we offer you an exclusive view from this issue of The West Weddings photoshoot. So it’s time to get cosy, as you poor over these stunning images taken by the talented Martin Dabek, from PhotoDabek - the hot chocolate is optional!  

The location of our photoshoot was The Battleaxes in North Somerset – a charming English pub that instantly lures you in with its cosy open fireplace and rooms full of character. With an idyllic countryside setting, the venue oozes charm and period features, making it ideal for wedding day celebrations. 

 

Our ‘bride’ Rachel looked stunning in the gorgeous gowns from The White Collection in Clevedon, which were complemented beautifully with superb accessories from Bridezillas. Her ‘groom’ David tried on a selection of suits, waistcoats and cravats provided by Anne Harding. 

           

Every detail was planned to perfection by our stylist Kirsten Butler, owner of the Little wedding Helper, incorporating seasonal features and maximizing the surroundings. 

We couldn't have created this issue without our talented wedding suppliers: Jax-Glam Beauty, Hairoics Mobile Hair and Beauty, Mim's Flower Shed, Pretty Amazing Cakes, Triggols Vintage Cars and Lighthaus Events. 

 Loved these images? For more ‘Behind the scenes’ looks, check out our previous post here, then come over to our Twitter and Facebook  pages and let us know which looks inspired you for your big day!