As a wedding photographer in Lincolnshire I have got to know lots of other local vendors and wedding suppliers, and it is great sometimes to get together as a team and join forces on styled shoots.
One such collaboration happened recently after I had been contacted by Victoria from The Ivory Room Bridal Boutique who was keen to showcase a stunning range of bridesmaid and evening dresses from her new supplier Sorella Vita. Victoria and I got our heads together over a coffee to start making plans. For shoots like this to work well there are lots of elements to consider and the location is very important. Washingborough Hall is a fabulous wedding venue near Lincoln and we were thrilled that they agreed to host the shoot. Having photographed several weddings at Washingborough Hall, I knew that the stunning rooms and gorgeous gardens there would lend themselves as perfect backdrops for the images. Next we needed to think about models. Victoria already had three lovely girls in mind to pose as bridesmaids, (Fran, Imogen and Jessica), and I suggested that we run a casting on Facebook to find an engaged couple to be our ‘Bride and Groom’. Over the following weeks we were overwhelmed by the applications from wonderful couples who were keen to be involved, and from those we asked Liz and Dave to join us. With our models chosen we could plan the clothes. Liz visited Victoria at the Ivory Room to be fitted for some fabulously elegant dresses, and Dave headed to Lincoln to see bespoke tailor Andrew J Musson. Andrew offers a wide range of quality tailoring and Groom’s and evening wear, and kindly provided two full sets of stylish Groom’s attire for the shoot. So we had the location, the clothing and the models sorted, but as with wedding planning there is more to think about. We wanted to ensure that the girls all looked the part with beautiful hair and flawless make up, which was brilliantly done by local hair and make up artist Emily Johnson. Also there are other finishing details to consider. Flowers play a very important part in weddings and we were delighted to have Shirley from Lincolnshire florist S&A Floral Design on board. Shirley provided a fabulous bouquet as well as posies for the bridesmaids and a flower girl wand, not forgetting a buttonhole for Dave. One thing that the photographs can’t convey is how heavenly the flowers smelt. It isn’t often that I photograph weddings where the flowers smell so divine, but is such a gorgeous element to the floral display.
The shoot took place in early January and although it was a little chilly we were fortunate to have dry weather which enabled us to go outside as well as spend a little time in some of the gorgeous bridal suites and bedrooms. Often with shoots like this there is a lot of work to do in fairly limited time, and so this is where good planning is vital in order to get as much done as possible. The other really important factor is that the shoot is enjoyable and everyone has a good time as well as getting great images. The afternoon at Washingborogh Hall went really well, we had a lot of laughs the models all looked stunning in their beautiful clothing and accessories. I photographed the bridal element of the shoot and then we finished the day with Fran modelling the very elegant evening and prom dresses.
Thank you to everyone who was involved and played a vital part in making up a great shoot.
