A French Forest Fairytale

Written by: louise

On a freezing cold but beautiful winter's day last year, I arrived at Le Verger in Northern France with a team of wedding pro's - superstar photographer Anneli Marinovich, creative florist Jodie from Boutique Blooms, beautifying queen Katy from Makeup by Katy and gorgeous model Shelley - two cars and a van packed with wedding pretty ready to create some magic. I had one vision; to create a magical wedding day look that showed rustic styling can be pretty, and whimsical touches can still be grown-up and elegant.

Set on the covered terrace of this fabulous converted chapel, I chose a pretty palette blush pink, mushroom, moss green and ivory to complement the natural outdoor setting. A hanging chandelier of elegant blush and ivory flowers by Jodie, created a focal point over the table, dripping with sparkling crystals fit for a princess and garlands of ivy adding to the forest feel.

A moss runner created a backdrop for a fairy-tale inspired setting with mushrooms, flowers and gold-sprayed animal figurines springing from the table! Votives and antique silver details added romance and glamour, we used pretty, romantic blush and ivory flowers, roses, dahlias and gardenia with lots of green foliage to create a loose, romantic feel to the floral arrangements. Vintage china was used for the place settings, with moss-filled teacups, and lace details add a pretty touch to the garden chairs. Luxurious letterpressed stationery by Artcadia featured a cute forest animal motif on every element.

The first of our bridal looks picks up on two key bridal trends; lace and low-cut back details. The slim silhouette of 'Catherine' by Johanna Hehir worked perfectly with a floral crown by Victoria Millésime. Natural makeup and soft curls by Katy completed her relaxed, boho look.

A dripping gold naked cake, decorated with dainty sugar-paste mushrooms designed by Andi Freeman Cakes, was the perfect centrepiece, with pink-iced mounds and pink and gold cake pops, and the prettiest heart-shaped macarons and posh pops from Anges de Sucres added a final French flourish!

Johanna Hehir's Delilah added a touch of vintage glamour to the second look, with an elegant cowl back and fuller skirt which gently moved in the breeze. This look was finished with a side braid to keep the boho feel with flowers weaved through to keep the look modern and fresh. A stunning bouquet included romantic roses, contemporary dahlias and rustic foliage.

The on-the-day team deserve a huge shout out; Anneli for stunning images with that gorgeous golden glow, Jodie for her beautiful blooms and incredible floral chandelier, Katy for creating such fresh bridal looks, Shelley for braving the freezing temperatures (you'd never know!) and Mr B & Mr M for assisting (aka using their man-type-creativity to create wind-shields, rain protectors, road blocks & more!).

This shoot simply would not have been possible without the kindness and generosity of Moira and Peter from Le Verger, who welcomed us with such (much needed!) warmth, kept us fed, entertained and thoroughly tipsy with Peter's cocktails! Thank you for being such wonderful hosts, and allowing us to share the beautiful Le Verger!

As seen in Wedding Magazine & Rock My Wedding

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Categories: styled shoots · Tags: andi freeman cakes, anges de sucres, anneli marinovich, fairytale, forest, france, johanna hehir, le verger, makeup by katy, styled by b.loved, styled shoot, the wedding of my dreams, victoria millesime, whimsical