Five Senses of Love Italian Styled Shoot at The Anne of Cleves Barn

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

This styled shoot is a taste of Italy intended to capture the five senses of love; from incredible Italian inspired food to the finer details that truly capture the emotion of weddings. This is full of intimate wedding and elopement inspo, as well as showing how couples can incorporate a meaningful location into their day. With three wedding dresses, two tablescapes and a full stationery suite this shoot is packed with incredible inspo. Lorna, of Lorna Marie Events, talks through the concept with each supplier sharing insight into their choices that came together so perfectly.

Theme and Concept

The theme of this shoot was to bring the romance of elopement/destination weddings to the heart of Essex; we wanted to do this by creating a shoot which highlighted the 5 senses. The colour theme consisted of burnt oranges, burgundy, green foliage and yellow light. The inspiration behind this shoot stemmed from not only the fact that all suppliers were major ‘foodies’ and followed the same opinion that the art of catering isn’t included enough in styled shoots, but because certain locations in Italy hold a special meaning to some of those involved, which encouraged others to participate also. For example, the photographer got engaged in Italy and one of the planner’s favourite holiday destinations was Rome… it was also their last holiday before coronavirus hit. Kate, Poppy & Lorna were fueled to create an experience that incorporated the 5 senses and whose images therefore, the audience would be present in. We aimed for you to hear the laughs amongst the vines; smell the authentic pizzas cooking, and taste the wine of the grapes you were dancing with.

Inspiration

Kate, our photographer was particularly inspired by the poem ‘Five Senses in Love’ by Esther Leclerc. Kate says “as a Wedding photographer, I know that a wedding has so many aspects which make it unique and memorable, from the people involved to all the small details, and appreciate it all. How we experience a country and its culture is similar, the people we meet to all the small details. It plays on all of our senses, from the language we hear, the smells which greet us from the side streets and the burst of tastes we experience from our favourite dishes, it can all transport us back to that particular country in an instant. I continuously documented all the emotions which a couple would experience on a wedding day, from anticipation, excitement to overall joy; I hope this styled shoot inspires more couples to consider a wedding which explores all of the senses in an authentic way.”

Flowers

“We were asked for Italian inspired flowers and thus it was important to use florals that were not only seasonal in colour, texture & form but were Italian in nature. The use of the Eucalyptus Nicholli creates a feel of Italy and has an almost olive-feel. The blackberries and wheat were seasonal choices and using dry materials again, felt like an appropriate choice for the time of year. The use of deep red, burnt orange and peach created an amazing seasonal contrast through the varying flowers but what cannot be seen on camera was the incredible aromatic smell of the Rosemary, Robusta, Eucalyptus and Waxflower that was so gorgeous and fragrant.”

Hair

“5-senses sparks thoughts of sensual styling and with the vineyard transporting you to the heart of the Mediterranean it was important to have a relaxed airy feel woven into the hairstyling. The Bride’s long strawberry blonde hair was the definition of summer sun; we chose to keep the hair down but curled to create soft waves and enhance her natural features. Using Pump Spray by Schwarzkopf to prep the hair, I took small even sections using my Babyliss Pro 24mm Curling tong. I curled the hair away from the face and using the Pump Spray meant I could ensure the waves lasted from the ceremony to the reception. This technique of curling really opens the face but when brushed through using a Tangle Teezer or wide toothed comb, the perfectly curled ringlets transform into face framing waves. To ensure the hair had a smooth finish I used a wax spray by Keune. This gives the hair that natural movement whilst reducing flyaways. The perfect product for when the wind decided to pick up, allowing the hair to move without disrupting the style.”

Makeup

“My aim was to create a soft romantic look. For Nicola’s makeup I started by filling in her brows with Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil 2.5 moving onto the eyes, using rose gold and soft browns tones from my Viseart palette. I then lined the eyes using a dark brown liner from MAC to define and make her eyes really stand out and then added subtle false eyelashes to finish. I used Weleda skin food to hydrate the skin; my aim is to keep the skin really clean and radiant by mixing a touch of illuminator and illamasqua skin base foundation with subtle and soft golden highlights to the cheek bones. I then completed this look with nude lip colour.”

Accessories

“As a bridal hair and make-up artist, I found that a lot of my brides were coming along for their hair trials with accessories that did not suit their eventual chosen styles; hair types, or sit nicely with a veil. I started to make a few pieces to show my brides what looked good and Dawn Taylor Hair Accessories was born as they would want to buy my designs. I love to make bespoke pieces to suit, often incorporating lace and beading using cut-offs from my brides’ wedding dresses during alterations. Styling hair helps me make pieces to suit the styles I create.”

Stationery

Invitations

The main aim for this invitation suite was romantic! The elegant calligraphy, white, gold and green colour palette is sophisticated & so Italian! The watercolour greenery adds that extra Italian olive branch & organic look. The combination of handmade paper, gold natural deckle edge details, smooth black & gold ink, green envelopes & gold and white wax seals creates a rich palette of textures.

Vows

Romantic hand written calligraphy - There’s no better way to write out beautiful words of love. The vows were written out with smooth black ink on handmade textured paper with natural deckle gold edge.

Place names

Sophisticated and romantic! Guest Names written in elegant calligraphy finished with a gold tassel accessory.

Dresses

There were three wedding gowns chosen for this shoot. A beautiful Aline lace and silk dress by Naomi Neoh, romantic and floaty - with a touch of the '50’s’ about it. A fabulous, elegant Tea length dress by David Fielden with a tulle skirt and Mikado silk bodice. The final dress was a one shoulder dress by Watters, a gorgeous sequin covered full length dress with ruched bodice and unusual one shoulder strap.

Suppliers

We selected our suppliers based on 3 things: those who fit within the context created by having an Italian theme; those who highlighted the 5 senses in their work and those who were local to us. Poppy, Kate & Lorna took on separate tasks as to who spoke to which suppliers and the best way in which we managed to get a supplier was by Kate joining a biker group on Facebook, in the hope to find the perfect Italian vespa to feature, which she did.


Venue

The Anne of Cleves Barn is available for only 25 wedding ceremonies and receptions between 1st April and 31st October each year. An impressive Grade 1 listed brick and tile barn, it was built when the estate was owned by Anne of Cleves following the annulment of her marriage to King Henry VIII. Our beautiful walled garden, extensive grounds and vineyard are also available for your exclusive use, where you and your guests can feed our alpacas! A courtyard of converted barns provides a dressing room, bridal suite and guest accommodation.

 Venue: Great Lodge

Photographer: Kate Boston Photography

Planner: Lorna Marie Events

Planner: Your Best Day Ever UK

Videography: Luke Batchelor Productions

Hairstylist: Hair by Duboux

MUA: Makeupologybrides

Bridalwear: Bridal Reloved Maldon

Veil: Sash and Veil

Hair Jewellery: Dawn Taylor Hair Accessories

Florist: Cloud Hill Flowers

Stationery & Signage: Sharmilajoy

Table/Aisle Runner: Handmade Sign Co

Writer: Rhymes to Remember

Menswear: Hardys of Halstead

Musician: Dermot Gillespie

Pizza Van: Premier Crew Hospitality

Model Couple: Javi & Nicola

From Brides, With Love xo

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