Ssshhhh...it’s Dorset’s Secret Wedding Venue!
Finding wedding venues that people haven't heard of is
quite rare, but on this occasion, I think I found one...
...believe me it was like finding GOLD!
Visiting Edmondsham House in Cranborne, nr. Wimborne was an
absolute treat. When I met with
Julia who owns this wonderful stately home I was met with open arms (not
literally due to social distancing!) and made to feel so welcome. Julia hires
her stunning grounds out to couples looking for an outdoor DIY wedding venue
with the added bonus of a gorgeous little church that you can legally get
married in within its grounds.
With the most perfect marquee lawn and
everything you could wish for in an outdoor wedding venue you are extremely
lucky if you have booked Edmondsham House as your wedding venue. With the
magnificent Tudor House as the backdrop to your wedding and the perfectly kept
gardens to celebrate in...
...what’s not to fall in love with!
Whilst chatting with Julia as she showed me around her grounds,
I was so excited when she said she would be happy for me to organise and
co-ordinate a styled photoshoot here. This is something Julia had never done
before so she was putting all her faith in me and I felt very privileged.
The style was obvious and didn't take much thinking about, it had to be classic and stately to
fit with the house!
The stunning images you will see throughout this blog are by
the amazing Jack Aldridge Photography. You couldn’t ask for a more natural and
relaxed style than Jacks which was perfect for our styling. Jack captured the
feel of our shoot just perfectly...
...and with images like this you will want to read on!
With more and more couples going for the boho look we
thought it would be nice to bring back the traditional black tux on Jack, our
groom model. Jack’s suit was from Cameron Ross and supplied by Minster Bridal
Design
who also supplied the beautiful Martina Liana dress for our bride model
Katy. Having a real couple as our models made this shoot possible due to the
social distancing restrictions and actually made the images seem more ‘real’...
...which I absolutely love!
Katy’s make-up was by Charlee Hulbert
Make-Up Artist
who wanted to reflect the traditional but modern bride. With glowing
natural skin and delicate contouring, Charlee added a pop of colour to the
cheeks. On Katy’s eyes a warm neutral palette emphasised the deep brown of her
eyes and an effortless yet sharp winged liner completed the look with two
lashings of mascara.
With the glorious sunshine we
needed to keep our model cool especially with Katy’s super long hair!
Mel from Bournemouth Bridal Hair
& Make-Up
decided on a classic bridal updo which would keep any bride’s
hair neat and tidy on their wedding day. A stylish and elegant low twisted bun
finished off beautifully with a delicate flowercomb from Dorset Flowers
was
perfect for our styling and showed of the back of Katy’s dress beautifully.
If you are going to get married you have to have jewellery
and more importantly rings!
Look at these sparkly beauties from Allum & Sidaway!
Diamond rings set in platinum matched with pearl
and cubic zirconia earrings with matching pendant...
...diamonds
really are a girl’s best friend!
You can never have too many diamonds so we decided to show
off a second set of jewellery.
A beautiful solitaire engagement ring set in
platinum with matching platinum half eternity wedding ring. Oh, and we can’t
miss out those delicate pear shaped cluster earrings set in 18ct white gold and
matching necklace...
...just
WOW!
Who better
to deliver the rings than Da Vinci, the Barn Owl!
Having
an owl as a ringbearer is an amazing wedding extra to have and will certainly
WOW your guests...
...who
wouldn’t love that on their wedding day?
We were so
lucky to have Florence and her team join us from Fab Falconry. Only expecting
Florence to bring one owl we were totally spoilt for choice when she brought a
variety with her to feature in our photoshoot.
Having spent
the day with Florence and her family team I can totally understand why they
fell in love with owls and rescued so many of these majestic birds of prey...
...they
totally made our day as well as the shoot!
Posing for
the camera each owl looked the part and even the little kestrel Pascal did a
bit of modelling for us!
Flowers can
be as big or as small as you like on your wedding day. We decided to go BIG with this amazing deconstructed flower arch created and arranged by Dorset
Flowers. Surrounding the doors of the quaint little church with beautiful
delphiniums, luscious garden roses, ivy, eucalyptus and lots of other beautiful
foliage really made this an archway that any couple would love to walk through.
The beauty of this deconstructed arch is it can be moved, so if you
wanted to move it to the entrance of your marquee or somewhere
else once your ceremony is over...you can!
Everyone
loves a two for one!
Bouquets and
Buttonholes by Dorset Flowers...I am going to let these stunning images do the
talking for these delicate bundles of floral gorgeousness!
Showcasing
the beautiful grounds was particularly important so Laurel Designsset up a
small table under the beautiful old cedar tree overlooking the east side of the
house. With soft dusky blue draping, gold edged plates with gold cutlery, mini
terracotta pots of floral beauty, a glistening chandelier and of course an owl
to finish of the look ...
...just
beautiful!
Oh, and we
can’t forget Laurel Designs
sophisticated and contemporary stone coloured table numbers, menus
and place settings dressed with soft bunny tails. Not only that but the elegant
table-plan which hung so perfectly from a low branch of the cedar tree. The
overall feeling from this whole setting just made us all smile.
The all
important cake, Helen Jane Cake Designmade this absolute beauty!
A classic
three tier white wedding cake textured with edible lace and shimmery gold leaf,
pale pink and white handmade sugar roses, grey leaves and soft bunny tails to
match the place settings. Matched with sweet little mini side cakes and pretty
little biscuits, if any cake screams English country elegance then this one
does!
Its always
good to arrive and leave in style on your wedding day. What better way than in
this classic and cute convertible Morris Minor from Morris Minor Hire...
...you can’t
beat the classics!
Spot Charlie Darwin the Barn Owl...
...all set up to look like the car was moving but actually the engine wasn't on, so as not to spook little Charlie Darwin.
Capturing
our shoot on film was Pointhouse Studios. With the owls flying and the car
driving off it felt essential to capture the motion and feeling of the whole
day. This is the one thing that sometimes couples decide against on their wedding day due to their
budget, but I can’t recommend it highly enough. In years to come it’s so lovely
to watch your big day back and to see and hear all of your friends and family.
Hopefully
this styled shoot has made you think twice about steering away from tradition.
Some may see this style as boring and old fashioned but with a few modern
twists it really can look as WOW as you want it to...
...I hope you agree our photoshoot is proof of that!
If you are
planning a DIY wedding in a venue such as Edmondsham House then you may want to
consider an ‘On the Day’ wedding co-ordinator to do all those jobs that need
doing. If so, then get in touch to chat through your requirements and let me take
all those stresses away on your big day!
Lots of Love
Our Fantastic Team of Wedding Suppliers:
