This beautiful concept, vision and planning came from the powerhouse that is Tes Moments, Asian wedding planner and event styling expert, showing us how to incorporate the traditional African elements with a bold colour palette and modern, more Western styling.
We’re just obsessed with the OTT abundance of flowers. The vibrant and eye-catching mix of fresh florals and foliage arranged into impactful displays really sets the scene, the table arrangements are nothing short of elegant and even the mocktails look too pretty to drink – though we’re sure we’d get past that if pushed! The floral arrangements have been creatively reused to also make the cake look utterly majestic, sitting centrestage, a masterpiece in pink frosting. Without any further ado, let’s hear all about it!
With images by UNVEILED Network Member Camilla J. Hards and Courtney Dee Photography
Tes Moments says: This concept is to showcase an intimate African wedding, where traditionally the bride-to-be receives a letter on the morning of her wedding day from her husband-to-be and visualises all the details of her big day. The inspiration was to showcase the colour palette black, gold, white and hot pink, and show how to incorporate it into an African theme wedding where this colour palette is not used very often. We also wanted to show that this shoot was diverse at its core and how we all came together to create this intimate setting. We also wanted to showcase the wow factor of fresh flowers in an intimate setting.
The shoot was at Marden Park Mansion at Woldingham School. The location came into the equation when it was advertised in a styled shoot page on Facebook, plus all shoots which were published from there didn’t seem to reflect much diversity. The location fitted the theme well as, despite being a school, it had the special spots we wanted to show. What I love most is the unusual location of the venue as it feels like nobody would know it existed.
Stylist for the shoot was Periesa Oromé. As it was an intimate African wedding, we went for black, white and gold and then a hot pink. We then mixed the hot pink with a much lighter pink to give the ‘wow factor’, then mixed this with gorgeous greenery. The flowers were put together by Flowers by Donna. Crockery was courtesy of Duchess Butler, chairs were from J’Adore Signature Rentals and the mocktails were by Lopez Mocktails.
The cake artist was the talented Pe’Lumi Bakes and all of the stationery was by Clare Gray Designs.
The Charis gown is from Felisiti Greis’ Adiepena Collection. It has a stunning silhouette characterised by wavy translucent sequins and features a plunging neckline. The neckline is then intricately finished with heavy hand embellished details for added opulence and texture. It is handcrafted with soft ivory crepe as an underlay, which allows for an impeccable fit and comfort. The back of the gown features a flattering low back design which frames a romantic show of skin and a sweeping train that falls and flows gracefully with every move. The Charis gown exudes confidence and grace; a celebration of the modern bride. The gold evening gown was also by Felisiti Greis and jewellery is by Heritage Jewellery by Ridhi.
Our model, Char, looked amazing. On hand for beauty we had hair stylist Lessandras Beauty and a luxury wig from Happy Hair. Makeup consultation was done by Makeupology Brides.
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