I love bridal shoots and I love being photographing it :) When Gwenda told me that she was thinking of doing a eco friendly elopement shoot, I was all in! :) And it was well worth getting stung by stinging nettles to get some great photos of the gorgeous horse! This is what Gwenda had to say about the shoot:

“The concept for this shoot emerged in a bit of a roundabout fashion, but it could be said that it all started with a lipstick – in early 2012, I went shopping for the perfect ‘vintage red’ lipstick. Ordinarily, when a shop assistant asks if I need any help, I politely decline – but on this day, the girl who asked me exuded such an instantly-likeable personality that I agreed. Over various shades of red, Lea and I discussed flowers and the vintage scene. We quickly became friends and she is truly one of the loveliest souls I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

As part of my work, I organise and style many inspirational bridal shoots and I’m always looking around for new ideas to explore. A chance meeting with Nikki of Simply No Gluten got me thinking about a shoot that showcased gluten-free food as part of an ecologically-sound theme – it just so happens that Lea is a coeliac, so who better to model for us? After a little arm-twisting, her boyfriend, Tom, agreed to model with her – and a more loving couple we could not have hoped for!

I attended a wedding last year at the Wise Wedding Venue (as a guest, for a change!) and I just knew that it would be the perfect location for us – as luck would have it, Sam Wise kindly agreed to host the shoot. I have worked with Heline many times and adore the way she captures beauty and romance in her photographs – she was a natural choice for this project. In enlisting the other contributors, I looked for people who had genuinely ‘green’ credentials. Sjaniel used organic make-up to enhance Lea’s natural beauty and Ciara of Dita Florita loaned us some exquisite vintage wedding dresses. Sandra of Little Cherry brought eco-friendly picnic items and décor items and Teresa of Wildflower Favours provided us with seeded paper items, including a personalised sign for our ‘bride and groom’. I hand-picked the organically-grown flowers from the gem that is Blooming Green, who are based just a few miles away from me.

My intention was to fill the styling with colour and pattern to show that ‘eco’ doesn’t just have to result in a sea of brown and green. The day went beautifully, with everyone pitching in (and even defying any fear of heights) to make each look happen. Tom is a very enthusiastic cyclist – and as she couldn’t beat him, Lea has joined him and has taken it up, too. As an environmentally-friendly mode of transportation, it was only right that their bicycles should join us on the day and to carry them off into the moonlight!”

CREDITS:

Venue: Wise Wedding Venue (www.wiseweddingvenue.co.uk)

Photographer: Heline Bekker (www.helinebekker.co.uk)

Make Up Artist: Sjaniel Turrell (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sjaniel-Make-up-Artist/159837555026)

Vintage Dresses: Dita Florita (www.ditaflorita.com)

Cake & Dessert Table: Simply No Gluten (www.simplynogluten.co.uk)

Seeded Paper Goods: Wildflower Favours (www.wildflower-favours.co.uk)

Floral Design: The Vintage Floral Design Co. (www.vintagefloraldesign.co.uk) with flowers sourced from Blooming Green (www.bloominggreenflowers.co.uk)

Picnic & Décor Items: Little Cherry (www.littlecherry.co.uk)