This shoot celebrates new beginnings for Rebecca of Rebecca Anne Designs as she launches her new collections of embroidered veils, perfect for style-led brides in search of something unique for their big day.
The beauty and magic of an enchanting veil really adds that extra special something to a bridal look. After all, it’s usually the only time you’ll get to wear one! How many of us who played ‘weddings’ when we were younger would’ve ever dreamed of doing it without the makeshift veil tucked in somewhere?!
Rebecca knows all about how important a good veil is and has focussed on crafting her own stunning wedding veil collection. She’s then pulled off a beautiful, light, ethereal styled shoot, showcasing her elegant and delicate designs in exquisite detail, accented by her use of brand colours and both fresh and dried wildflowers, all set against the perfect backdrop of Hirst Priory . We’re excited that her fellow suppliers on this project are also almost all founding UNVEILED Network members, so you know this set is going to be a gorgeous one!
We’ve got all of the finer details for you as Rebecca talks us through the concepts for each collection and the planning of this heavenly shoot.
With images by Mark Bamforth Photography
CONCEPT
Rebecca says: Rebecca Anne Designs all began five years ago when I was managing a bridal boutique. This year saw a change in focus for the brand, with embroidery allowing me to create bespoke veils for the style-lead bride looking for unique luxe bridalwear. The shoot was organised to showcase my new embroidered veils collection. Following a huge rebrand, the inspiration started from the branding mood boards to ensure the styling and colours worked for the new website launch. It needed to be fresh, modern and rich in neutral colours with hints of blush.
LOCATION
Hirst Priory was the perfect location and Hazel was the perfect host, giving us free reign to use all of the spaces. We decided on the huge main room with its neutral palette, high ceiling and huge windows – the perfect light-filled setting to ensure all focus was on the veils.
STYLING
The Meadow veil from The Wildflower Collection was the beginning of my journey in creating all the designs that followed, so wildflowers were always at the forefront of my mind to style my veils with an organic backdrop. Stems Design absolutely blew me away with their ability to bring the outside in – it was mesmerising to watch! Lynnie brought my branding colours together with soft blush shades and blousy roses so as not to overpower the delicate nature of the veils. With a mix of dried and fresh flowers entwined with bleached ruscus, olive, pampas and bunny tails, Lynnie literally grew a magical meadow for our model to simply step into. It was an enchanting framework which brought the entire concept together beautifully. Once we had shot The Wildflower and Script Collections, Lynnie and her team expertly dismantled the installation and re-designed it around North and Wild Events’ crescent moon, to create a luna dream in floral styling. It ensured the theme fit the celestial veils whilst keeping the colours and styling flowing through my website.
ATTIRE
Sophie of North and Wild Events was an incredible help in the lead up to the shoot and was really able to focus my vision when assisting in styling. She came across Lizzie and felt she was the perfect model for the shoot with her natural fresh glow and bohemian style, not to mention her beautiful dark locks!
I felt so honoured to dress Lizzie in Modeca and Daalarna Couture gowns, new to The White Yard. Claire has a fantastic eye for designers and exquisite dresses, and these were no exception. She kindly brought a number of gowns to the shoot and shared her expertise in choosing the ones that best highlighted the embroidery on my veils.
We used veils from three of our collections. The Wildflower collection was born from admiring the untouched, natural beauty of English meadows. To take a walk in a wildflower meadow in the rural, sunny countryside of Somerset is to experience the true enchantment of nature. Wildflowers are the perfect blooms to adorn a soft veil – the way the embroidery moves with the tulle, reflecting the freedom the flowers have to sway in the breeze. There’s something truly romantic about wild flowers that grow organically, beautifully and untamed.
The Celestial collection was inspired by the fascination and beauty of our stars. Influenced by the many moments spent gazing in wonder at the magic twinkling above – what could be more romantic than a veil embellished in stars? Each Celestial design is embroidered with the twelve main constellations mapped from the star charts of the northern and southern hemispheres.
The Script Collection gives you the opportunity to really stamp (or embroider!) your mark on your bridal veil. What better way to personalise your bridal accessory than choosing a personalised quote or saying? Perhaps you would like your favourite line from the song you have chosen for your first dance, or maybe you would simply like your names or initials and wedding date. Either way, the script collection will inspire you to explore the freedom of choosing something meaningful to you. It was inspired by love letters between my grandparents when they were stationed separately with the RAF in the 1950s.
BEAUTY
Kelly Hanks had been on my radar for a long time so I was over the moon when she agreed to become involved in the shoot. It helped that Lizzie has the most incredibly thick naturally curly hair, a bridal hair stylist’s dream! Having discussed the three design themes with Kelly, she opted for three different looks to showcase each collection of my veils. The first one was just to accentuate Lizzie’s beautiful natural curls, they just needed to be seen! Her gorgeous brunette curls also made the most amazing backdrop against the sheer veils making them really stand out. For the second look, Kelly just added some simple braids to give it that edgy boho vibe and the third look we went for a romantic, soft up-style to give it that real whimsical natural look.
As with the hair styles, for makeup Natalie Kate MUA opted for three different looks that would suit the collections themes but not overpower the designs themselves. Natalie created luxe makeup looks that would inspire the fashion conscious Rebecca Anne brides who are wanting to feel beautiful, chic, elegant and glamorous.
Natalie chose earthy neutral tones, paired with flawless glass-like skin. She always spends extra time prepping skin with beautiful serums and skincare, but this time she ensured she spent twice as long buffing and perfecting our beautiful models skin to really give a soft almost ethereal look to the skin. Plenty of glow but with no shimmer – a ‘lit from within’ look!
Later in the shoot, when we photographed my celestial veils, Natalie wanted to bring out the tones from Lynne’s amazing florals, so opted for a deep plum lip to really add some drama and attitude, all while keeping the skin with the same dreamy-glow.
RESULTS
There was such an excitement during the morning prep; watching Lynne grow trees and Kelly and Natalie working as a double act styling Lizzie, and every single person was so good at calming my nerves! I’ll never forget, once Mark started shooting, how each of them excitedly snapped away on their phones. It felt like a paparazzi group of cheerleaders and was a funny moment of realisation that the collections may well be a hit!
The biggest thank you has to go out to Mark Bamforth who helped bring my vision to life. Not only was he a pleasure to work with on the day, his continued investment (and patience!) afterwards has been inspiring. His editing style was something I already loved but he went above and beyond in creating a unique edit for my website.
I cannot thank the entire team enough for being involved. I would recommend working with each and every one of them. The shoot was well worth my overnight stay and eight hour round trip, and I only wish we could have had longer!
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