Blue hues from across the spectrum combine with two elegant looks – one boho, one contemporary – for a bridal shoot at The Elvetham Hotel in Hampshire that’s the epitome of class.
Featuring a real-life couple, this minimalist shoot takes its inspiration from the age-old tradition of ‘something blue’, with everything from the faux floral bouquet and buttonholes to the glassware, three-tiered cake and stationery all laced with this serene shade. As this group of super talented suppliers beautifully showcase, finding your own something blue needn’t be an arduous task for your big day.
A VW campervan brings the boho feels in abundance, and also transforms into a photo booth for a modern twist. Meanwhile, hazy smoke bombs drifting against the golden glow of a sunset add a playful touch to the imagery, perfectly encapsulating the heady romance of this exquisitely executed shoot.
With images by Avalon Photography
Inspiration
Our aim was to create a realistic, achievable and timeless aesthetic with a few subtle twists – one with a nod to boho styling and another showcasing a more contemporary look.
We wanted couples to not only be inspired by the shoot, but relate to it too. For this reason, we featured a real married couple and opted for classic wedding shots, capturing romantic and fun moments, like you would do at a real wedding.
The theme was drawn from the rhyme ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ with a particular focus on something blue. There were so many romantic moments, genuine giggles, and eye twinkles captured throughout the day.
Styled as an intimate wedding using a variety of blues and accents of silver – we kept it simple and minimalist so all the blue tones could shine through, and we titled the shoot ‘My Something Blue’.
Location
The Elvetham Hotel is a stunning and recently renovated venue with manicured gardens and many historical architectural features. The morning room, where we set up our reception, is ideal for smaller intimate weddings of up to 30 people and had been recently painted blue, so was perfect for our shoot.
Styling
We were keen to keep the shoot light, romantic and airy from a décor perspective, with simple styling in whites, greys and various blue hues.
For the florals, we went for a classic combination of light blue, dusky blue and ivory hydrangeas, together with ivory roses, alstroemeria, and eucalyptus, with little daisies incorporated into the bouquet and buttonhole too. The garlands were made up of mixed hydrangeas and a variety of eucalyptus foliage, and were used on the top table and in the campervan. A vase of mixed hydrangea blooms was also used for the guest table centrepiece. All the flowers were premium faux florals, supplied by the talented Hannah from Unfauxgettable.
The bridal bouquet was a classic hand-tied shape made up of ivory roses, blue hydrangeas, eucalyptus, ivory alstroemeria, all tied with an ivory ribbon.
Decorative florals were the same for both looks but used differently, illustrating how classic choices can be used in both innovative and unexpected ways.
The table lay was minimal and pretty with lots of straight lines, with many of the styling elements provided by Crystal Hire. We featured a mix of ombre blue glass, deep blue textured glass, silver rimmed wine and champagne glasses, beaded charger plates and silver cutlery, as well as blue napkins and pale grey linens. We introduced lots of blue tones in a deliberate but complementary way.
The hydrangea garland on the top table was complemented by ombre tealight holders, meanwhile the hydrangea blossom centrepiece was paired with tapered candles in blue and ombre shades.
The stationery from Grace and Bramble was printed on shades of blue with printed white calligraphic fonts. Simple, effective and stunning.
As for the cake, this was a classic three-tier design with textured icing and delicate sugar flowers tied with a tumbling silk ribbon, crafted by Iced Innovations Cake Studio.
Attire and beauty
Our first look showcased a boho twist. Our bride, Lindsey, was in a two-piece embroidered top with matching skirt and puddle train, supplied by the wonderful Amber from Quinlan Couture Bridal. Her jewellery was beaded with pale pink and blue to compliment the embroidery. To give this a true boho feel, Lindsey wore a hydrangea blossom flower crown.
For her hair and makeup, styled by Hair and makeup by Gabby, we went for loose curls, and natural makeup, including single lashes and a nude gloss lip.
Our groom, Daniel, wore a classic mid blue checked suit from Anthony Blay, with a floral tie, matching pocket square and a blue hydrangea buttonhole with an ivory rose pinned to his lapel.
For our second contemporary look, Lindsey wore an ivory jumpsuit with the same 3D embroidery details on the top. For her hair and makeup, the curls were loosely pinned up with floral hair pins, and her makeup was still very natural but this time with a darker, bold lip.
Daniel changed into a lighter blue tweed suit and we swapped his buttonhole to an ivory rose and three small daisies.
The handmade jewellery from Bish Bosh Becca paired beautifully with the 3D floral embroidery on both bridal outfits. Beaded jewellery with blue and pale pink tones for the morning, then silver jewellery with pearls for the afternoon.
Results
The whole day was amazing. It had rained all week but for that one day it was beautiful crisp autumnal sunshine.
The suppliers were brilliant, each bringing their own creative ideas and points of view. Lindsey and Dan have such a beautiful connection too, and we saw so many moments of tenderness and romance between them.
Like with any real wedding, we introduced special elements to the day. Our use of the campervan and positioning of the cake differed between the two looks. Initially the cake was positioned behind the top table in the window, and then for a contemporary twist the cake was displayed in the boot of the VW campervan with a garland and silver disco ball placed behind.
In the morning, we used the campervan from Vintage Camper Booths as a wedding car to fit our boho theme, but then transformed it into a photobooth for our contemporary shots later in the day. We had fun with the photobooth props and captured some stunning photos in the grounds too!
At sunset, we played with various smoke bombs, which were so much fun – introducing our ‘something blue’ in a soft but dramatic way.