Whimsical Wonderland Weddings: Featured
Thank you to Lou over at Whimsical Wonderland Weddings for the feature. I hope that the labor of love we invested in this shoot inspires many brides-to-be.
Channel Islands Walled Garden Estate Inspiration Shoot
Last summer, Susanna Luck and I got together to dream up a bridal shoot that would be the perfect representation of our Great Britain ties and our Portland, Oregon roots. We called on our creative connections on both sides of the pond and put together a dream team of suppliers to bring our vision to life in beautiful Jersey Channel Islands.
I met with Natasha of Lovely Days Studio to brainstorm location ideas, and she happened to have a connection to the most perfect estate - Rock Mount Farm. After a walkthrough with Natasha, we knew it was perfect!
Set at the top of one of the many bays in Jersey stands a stunning 19th century estate with a pristine walled garden covered in a variety of vines, featuring an 1870 dovecote that was converted to house a famous lion that made appearances in many 1940's classic films. The owner of the estate is said to have taken the lion out on daily walks around the estate in between his film debuts, and before retiring at the London Zoo.
Inspired by the natural colors of the estate, we decided on a neutral color palette of grays, greens, and ivory, with the occasional addition of muted pink. We wanted something that would be soft, airy and romantic with a little touch of Portland, Oregon edge. The floral two-piece Guipure lace gown from bridal designer Claire La Faye paired with the fashion-forward headpieces and earrings from Elizabeth Bower achieved just that.
Susanna foraged for wildflowers across the island to highlight Jersey's vast natural beauty, and with them created a large floral installation on the stone wall, a centerpiece for the table, and a bridal bouquet and boutonniere featuring her plant dyed silk ribbon. Susanna's plant dyed silks also made some more appearances - a beautiful runner for the table, napkins for the place settings, a veil for our bride model, and ribbon on the bespoke invitation suite from Quints of Jersey.
Local make-up artist Eva Miere brought out the natural beauty of our bride model, Margaret, and her husband Jo showed up looking dashing in the same suit from their wedding less than two years prior. The chemistry and love between Margaret and Jo was a delight to photograph, and for not having modeled before, they sure knew how to work it!
Thank you to the absolute dream team of creatives that made this shoot possible:
- Photography | Britta Marie Photography
- Dress | Spellbound by Claire La Faye
- Florals | Susanna Luck Flowers
- MUA | Eva Miere
- Venue | Rock Mount Farm (private estate), Jersey Channel Islands
- Stationery | Quints of Jersey
- Bride Model | Margaret Matia
- Headpieces and Earrings | Elizabeth Bower
- Ring Box | The Mrs. Box
- Plant Dyed Silks | Nettle Textiles
- Planning and Rentals | Lovely Days Studio
- Groom Model | Joseph Matia
