I’m so excited to share the details of this recent shoot in the Walled Garden of the beautiful Cowdray Estate in West Sussex. Collaborating with link minded, creative suppliers to bring something magical together, is always a joy.
The concept for the shoot was soft and romantic with beautiful blush tones, inspired by Spring – think candles, lush foliage and soft, flowing fabric.
I arrived on the Cowdray Estate and was immediately blown away by the sheer size of it and its beautiful landscape. The estate is set beneath the South Downs in the heart of the National Park in West Sussex and has been in the Cowdray family for generations. The Walled Garden, the setting for our shoot, is a historic and charming setting for weddings surrounded by beautiful, private gardens set against the stunning backdrop of the Cowdray Ruins.
The usual buzz of activity was happening when I arrived with our models Will and Zoe having their hair and make-up applied and getting into to the most beautiful bridalwear from May & Grace Bridal and dapper suit from Charles Gale Formal Wear. The ceremony room was being dressed with gorgeous floral arrangements, an abundance of candles and delicate silk fabrics dressed the chairs.
In the main reception room, a long trestle table was being beautifully styled with pretty blush floral arrangements as well as modern and elegant stationery. It was all of the little details that really elevated this tablescape – the gold crockery, beautiful glassware, blush napkins tied with silk ribbon and pretty sugar biscuit favours to name but a few.
I decided to create 3 cakes for this shoot – one ‘hero’ cake with 2 single tier cakes that complimented the design of the main cake. Taking inspiration from the colour palette for this shoot, I used a number of different techniques such as marbling, stone effect and wafer paper sails to create texture and movement in the designs, as well as hand crafting some delicate, blush sugar flowers to really elevate the designs. Having multiple cakes that are more intimate in size continues to be a popular trend – it’s a great way of combining different techniques, creates a real ‘wow’ factor for your guests and on a more practical level, allows you to cater for any allergies or intolerances.
We also had the joy of a truly wonderful and unique wedding car at the shoot – a 1968 Triumph Herald. The weather wasn’t being particularly kind to us on the day of the shoot but the rain held off long enough for Melissa Megan Photography and Sy_Weddings to photograph and film our lovely couple outside in the car with the roof down, looking oh so stylish.
As always, I hope you have enjoyed this blog – scroll down for more gorgeous images from this beautiful, blush, Spring inspired shoot on the Cowdray Estate as well as a beautiful video. Expect to see more inspirational styled shoots in 2023! If you’d like to read other blogs I have posted on styled shoots, click on the links below.
- Luxury country house Christmas wedding shoot at the Elvetham, Hampshire
- Celestial Styled shoot at Froyle Park, Hampshire
- Spring shoot at the Mapledurham Estate, Berkshire
- Cosy and glam Winter shoot at Somersbury Barn, Surrey
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog.
Styled Shoot Team:
Photographer @melissameganphotography
Stylist @hbweddingdesign
Florist @theartisanfloralstudio
Stationery @georgiaeleanordesigns
Tableware @blacksaucerstableware
Napkins @theknottednapkinco
Silk ribbons & table runner @thesilkstudio.uk
Cake @louisehayescakedesign
Hair/MUA @michellemorris_mua
Bridal store @mayandgracebridal
Bridal accessories @edenbstudio
Grooms suit @charlesgaleformalwear
Models @will_zoe_modelling
Venue @weddingsatcowdray
Videography @sy_weddings
Car @lil_blue_fiat_500s
