You know those messages you get when you're like whaaaaatttt?? and kind of 'pinch me' at the same time? Being asked by the lovely Kesri from Drovers Rest if we'd be up for them bringing us over to Wales and putting us up for a couple of nights and being asked to style a shoot to launch their brand new wedding venue?! Urmmmm YES PLEASE!!!

We were recommended to Kesri by our gorgeous pals Lovaine & Jon from The Wild Bride <3... and then the lovely Laura from Festival Brides was bought in to do the creative direction of the shoot... Already we knew it was going to be a good shoot!! <3

Drovers Rest is STUNNING!!!! It’s set on a beautiful 16th century working organic farm with loads of old beautifully kept stone buildings and the great outdoors to explore <3 They also have so many gorgeous animals; from Alpacas to mini Falabella horses, sheep, pigs and pygmy goats!! Perfect for those photo ops!! In addition to 2 wedding barns they also provide luxury accommodation meaning the wedding party can make a weekend of it! 

To get the ball rolling Kesri sent over some ideas she liked and some photos of the spaces... I used these as a guide to plan the concept for the shoot... I wanted it to be real, authentic and to suit the venue and the vibe they have there.... You can read more about what inspired me by clicking here as I explained it all in this fab blog post on Festival Brides. But basically.... We created a stripped back minimal shoot with nods to navajo textiles and simple natural decor! Just beautiful!!!

In this post I'm going to share with you some of my fave shots and will give more details throughout, but head tot he end to see the full list of suppliers involved in the shoot! Also anyone who likes what they see (and is planning a shotgun 2019 wedding) should head to Drovers rest as they have a special launch offer where you can get a whopping 50% off your venue hire on their free weekends!!!

Anyway.... enjoy.... <3

Steph, our gorgeous bride for the shoot looked sensational in this epic Vagabond Bridal gown!! {I mean those sleeves!!!!} 
October Hair and LC Makeup and played their part in ensuring Steph was looking her best... Steph's bouquet was created by  Great British Flowers! Swoon!!! 

For this shoot we were keen to launch a brand new backdrop... something a bit different for us. I can us with the design by taking inspiration from traditional navajo patterns and Maxwell cut the shapes out from mdf. I then had fun painting them all and piecing the design together. I was so happy with the finished result and just think this'd look dreamy in any bohemian ceremony!! What's lovely is that the design looks completely different with the light flowing through.... check out more pics below!! <3

We also had the pleasure of styling this amazing barn for a 'reception'. The idea I had, was to create a canteen style reception with clusters of small tables and I love it... a really informal and relaxed alternative to the traditional round or trendy long ones! We softened the space by adding large woven rugs to the wall and made use of the venues fab rustic furniture! Each table had a difference centrepiece. A mix of wild blooms, woven mats, and candlesticks I made from vintage clear glass bottles filled with water and foliage! For this shoot I also hand made and dyed all the napkins which were tied with traditional  cowboy bolo ties! It's these little details that I so enjoy coming up with when I get to style a big shoot! Wouldn't this be a fab idea for a take home keepsake / favour too?

One of the loveliest things about styled shoots is collaborating with other professionals... Jenna from Wonderland Invites designed bespoke menus to fit our table stands and the rest of the incredible stationery suite. She took inspiration from my backdrop and used a similar design though-out.... Honestly, Jenna's designs are just incredible!!! I also contacted Coccia Ceramics after seeing her stunning crockery at MCWF previously!

For this shoot I was also able to use the stunning woven pieces from my friend Alice Hume aka. Vander Hume. Alice loaned us some stunning hangings from her new Harvest Moon collection and the most stunning pair of Meraki earrings... It all came together perfectly with the earrings matching this fab Verbena Madrid crown, jewellery from Lauren Hunt Jewellery and second look dress from Vagabond Bridal.

Sam, from Sam’s Sweet Treats also used our backdrop for inspiration for the cake and wow!!! how amazing does it look? I didn't see this till the day and was blown away!

The shoot also allowed us to play about with other table settings and I enjoyed creating this sweetheart table for two and also a large banquet style table too... I think this really shows how versatile not only the space is but the styling ideas we used!! Here's a few pics form the table for two and I'll pop some more pics of the big table further down... 

In addition the the incredible crown Verbena Madrid also sent over these AMAZING earrings.... I really wanted to keep these beauties and I was the only fans as you can see they were also popular with Drovers Rest's 4-legged friends <3

Here's the promised shots of the big table.... Doesn't it look stunning?? We used this garland from Great British Flowers, and lined the tables with flickering candlelight and a simple place setting! Proof that minimal can look gorgeous!

Finally to end the day we created this set up highlighting Drovers Rest's fab outside bar / pizza oven set up... Our Naked Tipi looks gorgeous covered up a bit with foliage and fairy lights and a roaring firepit! We also had fun creating this bar set up with our dispensers and metal goblets!

So there you have it, an incredible shoot for an incredible venue! Thanks to all those involved and for Drovers Rest for inviting us along... With this amazing set up I don't think it'll be long before the bookings start rolling in!! <3

SUPPLIERS

​Venue The Barn at Avington
Photography Angela Ward Brown
Stationery & Signs Beyond Vintage
Ceremony Teepee & Flowers With These Hands
Props (screen/rug/peacock chairs) Lo & Behold Bespoke
Floral Installation, Bouquet and Buttonholes Rabbit and the Rose
Furniture Purple Door Props
Tableware Crystal Hire
Table Flowers Luv Shifting Flowers
Silks Luv Shifting Wedding Silks
Cake Cake Buds
Caterers Smallpiece Catering, Vanilla Catering & Events, Martha Hollis, The Little Kitchen Company, The Fabulous Catering Company

Last year the girls from What Peggy Did Next got in touch and asked me to help style a shoot they were planning at Somerley House. Somerley is an incredible private home on the edge of the New Forest. Under an hour from home, I'd never had the pleasure of visiting before but by golly am I glad I did!!

The stunning house, home to Lord and Lady Somerley, sits on a high west bank overlooking the Avon’s water meadows two miles north of Ringwood. Somerley is located in a strip of Hampshire between the New Forest and the Dorset border. The acres of land surrounding the main house contain beautiful walled gardens and rolling hills of heather & wild ponies!

The house itself is even more incredible and helped Sarah from WPDN get her inspiration for the shoot. The many artefacts and antiques that live within the walls of Somerley House come from across the globe and have been collected by the Lords and Ladies who have called Somerley home for hundreds of years.

For the shoot Sarah drew inspiration from Imperial Britain and the Ottoman Empire. Rich golden tones mixed with bohemian, travel-inspired details and fitting textile backdrops. I was tasked with creating a grazing style feating area on the East Terrace which over looks the gardens... We bought along lots of our beautiful bohemian pieces and I am so proud of the end result. 

Sarah had bought together an incredible team of suppliers and the photographs taken by the lovely Angela Ward Brown are just sensational! I'm not the only one that thinks so as the brilliant American wedding blog Wedding Chicks featured the shoot back in December. You can read it here. 

Thank you again to WPDN & Sarah for asking me along and allowing me to get creative and help style this beautiful set up! I don't know about you but I want to move in! We'd so love to create more Bohemian Grazing set up's like this so if you fancy a party with a difference please get in touch, in the mean time, sit back, enjoy the photos and get ready to swoon... they really are fantastic!!

I'll do a full list of suppliers at the end! 

Creating this set up was a dream... like all of my favourite things pulled together, we use lots of our brass lanterns, vases and candles sticks toped with warmed toned candles, the floor adorned with a mix of our rugs, throws, pouffes and cushions. We used one of Vicky (from Purple Door Props) table tops propped up on brick table legs to create a low level table...We filled the giant urns at the back with a mix of our dried grasses and smaller blooms from Joey aka The Wild Fox were grouped on the table. Sarah bought along some tableware and food from Smallpiece Catering and a cake from Jemima Cakes was literally the icing on the cake!

This is our kind of party set up and we'd love to do more events like this, Hen Do's, birthday parties or chill out areas at weddings would all work so well! I don't know about you but in a setting like this our bespoke props and hire items are just perfection!! 

Model Amy was just a mega babe... the day, though autumnal, seemed more like a mid summers day and as the glorious sun shone down on the terrace and Amy looked incredible in a Pronovias dress from the brilliant  Anya Bridal Couture and bespoke bridal accessories by Ashley Wild Bridal. Her hair and make up was done by the gorgeous Yasemin Bilgic. These images were completed with our bunches of Pampas Grass; a huge trend of 2018/2019, which fitted the theme to perfection!

How INCREDIBLE does this food look from the amazing Smallpiece Catering?? I love these cascading platters... It was so decadent and beautiful to style and I think you'll agree the result looks amazing!

Seriously... How gorgeous does Amy look.... I love the tumbling hair and dark glittery eye look that Yasmin created!!

Now... Let's talk cake... This simple divine little number (see below) was made by the one and only Harriot from Jemima Cakes... Looking incredible on one of our vintage brass trays and topped with dried grasses from The Wild Fox.
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We dressed the sweet table with our vintage amber genie bottles and mustard decanter and Moroccan glasses. The stunning vase and dried florals from The Wild Fox compliment everything including the gold crockery sourced by Sarah and our vintage brass cutlery!

In these photos below Amy looks stunning in a Catherine_Deane trouser suit from Exquisite of Winchester.

I have followed Ashley Wild's line of beautiful bridal accessories since my first wedding fair in 2017 and her pieces are always unique and beautiful, for this shoot she created a range of accessories and bridal chokers... clever lady <3

For these next shots Angela and Amy headed inside the stunning house and out into the gardens and used fabric backdrops from British textile designers, Claire Gaudion and Charlotte Gaisford. Amy also rocked a bespoke floral headdress of dried hydrangeas made by Joey (The Wild Fox) and more accessories from Ashley Wild.

Full Credits:

Creative direction & styling by @whatpeggydidnext
Photography @angelawardbrown 
Styling and prop hire by @loandbeholdbspk 
Hair & make up by @yaseminbilgichairandmakeup 
Model @queenkibler 
Trouser Suit @catherine__deane  via @exquisiteofwinchester 
Dress @pronovias via @anyabridalcoutureuk 
Bridal accessories by @ashleywildbridal 
Grazing feast by @smallpiececatering 
Cake by @jemima_cakes 
Dried florals by @thewildfoxuk 
Table hire via @purpledoorprops 
Textiles by @charlottegaisford & @clairegaudion 
Venue @somerleyweddings_events

The gorgeous Celia and Josh got married back in September, the first official wedding at the incredible Barn at Avington!
We blooming love the Barn and so it was really special to be a small part of their first wedding... we'd also love to be involved in more in the future, so if you're getting married there, please get in touch!!  

The lovely Celia contacted me after seeing our folding screen backdrop on social media and wanted to hire it for the beautiful outside riverside ceremony.

Their wedding day was a beautifully sunny September day and our folding screen looked divine, shining in the sunlight and adorned with small bunches of dried grasses and florals. Teamed with stunning chairs from Purple Door Props the special river side ceremony spot looked just incredible! 

We now have a few STUNNING photos from the amazing Boy Called Ben which we are so excited to share with you all...
Thank you to Ben for sharing these images, for Beth and Robert at the Barn for creating such a wonderful venue and most importantly to Celia and Josh for falling in love with and hiring our screen to be the backdrop for your ceremony!

Seriously... How beautiful does this spot look??  Our screen looks perfect with the cross back chairs from purple door props... and that low September sunshine captured by Ben? Just beautiful!

How beautiful and heartfelt does their ceremony look?! Huge congrats to them both! 

The Barn itself, also looked incredible... check out all the suppliers below who contributed to make it look so beautiful!
I also love the fact they moved the screen in to use it as a backdrop! <3

And finally... some simply stunning portraits of the Bride and Groom looking so very beautiful!!! 

What an incredible day huh?? Thanks again to Celia & Josh for wanting us to be a little part of your incredible day! 

We've been so lucky since launching that we've been able to work with some incredible couples. We'd hoped that the couples that choose to work with us would love what we did, however I hadn't anticipated how much we'd love them... how you actually think you could actually be friends with these people!! <3

We met the gorgeous Ciara and Jack at The Wonderous Wedding fair last year... Down to earth, cool and friendly, there were our dream couple!!
They went on to hire some of our props including our amazing persian dreams backdrop and also asked us along to help style and set up their incredibly cool, laid back day full of love, smiles and more 90's memorabilia then you could shake a stick at!!

Ciara and Jack are fellow Southsea residents and together with their 2 gorgeous (and loud) mini dachshunds they planned a personal autumnal day at The Three Choirs Vineyard in Wickham. Full of rich tones and seasonal decor... it was a blooming delight!!!

It was also one of those dream weddings where I got to work with amazing suppliers whom I love; Lisa from Lily Lupin Floral Design, Harriot from Jemima Cakes, Nikki from The Toast and Lauren from Paper Bear Lane.

I arrived bright and early and spent the morning setting up alongside Lisa which was pretty blooming special (Lisa asked me to style our first ever styled shoot back in Nov 2017) Lisa has a special way with flowers and she'd created the most sensational display of florals on the outside gazebo where Ciara and Jack would say their I Do's and lining the rug aisle (with rugs from our collection and the almighty Toast collection... Despite it being a blustery October day the dark clouds held back until after the ceremony meaning the loved up duo got married surrounded by the stunning vineyard. 

Nicola Streader and second shoot Rachel captured the day beautifully... I'd love to share with you some incredible photos of the day... 

Ciara looked flipping sensational in the amazing Zennith gown by Eliza Jane Howell. With set curls and old school hollywood classic makeup and deep red lips by Helen Andrew. Can I just also give her amazing bejewelled mustard shoes a shout out! *swoon*

Not to be outdone Jack looked incredibly dashing in a deep maroon 3-piece suit. I love how Nicola captured all the warm tones throughout the day, and the casual portrait of Jack and his boys pre-wedding, I love it!

Now... Let's get back to the ceremony... as I mentioned above I just loved the final result, it was seasonal and autumnal without being themed or tacky... Our gorgeous backdrop (once tied down.... it was VERY busy) looked incredible as the focal point for the ceremony... The vibrant colours shining brightly in the october sunshine!

Doesn't it all look amazing... and they just look so blooming happy... it makes my heart swoon!!

Now onto the the receptiton. As I mentioned we were also asked to help come along and do some last minute styling on the morning. The guys had gotten in there the day before and started laying everything out... we just went over everything, added in the bespoke VCR place name stands Maxwell had made for them and generally just bring everything together....

It was the perfect marriage of stunning bohemian classic wedding decor and a bonkers collection of 90's toys and memorabilia... Vintage brass vases sitting along side transformers and retro cassette tape players... it was a flash back in time and it was fab!  

Can we also just take a moment to appreciate the incredible cake by Harriot!! <3 Did you spot the tiny little lego figurines?? So cute!

Outside got even more bonkers with trolls, VHS's, goosebump books, my little ponies and Polly Pockets all getting in on the action! We also set up the chill out area, cosy sofas, a photobooth, games and of course the lovely Lauren. Along with her pop up mini studio / scribble factory Lauren was on hand to provide personalised favours / keepsakes sketches of the guests! Such a good idea and Lauren is just the lovliest of ladies you'll ever meet!! <3

Suppliers:

Photography: Nicola Streader
Styling, backdrop & Props: Lo and Behold Bespoke 
Additonal Props:  The Toast
Flowers: Lily Lupin Floral Design
Cake: Jemima Cakes
Dress: Eliza Jane Howell
Shoes: Aldo
HMUA: Helen Andrew
Venue: Three Choirs Vineyard

I have been waiting to share these photos and this wedding with you since August. We met the GORGEOUS Nain at Most Curious Wedding Fair in March this year and she fell in love with our stall and styling straight away and pretty much booked up on the spot. We spent the next 6 months chatting through ideas and styling choices ready for their summer wedding and creating 100 hand made and dip dyed place settings. 

I'm not going to lie I was so incredibly excited to be helping style Nain & Daniels amazing fusion wedding combining traditions and styling ideas from Nain's heritage with a quintessentially beautiful English wedding. I have always adored ethnic styling and the items we had worked so beautifully with the gorgeous bohemian day Nain and Daniel were planning. 

The beautiful duo got married on the 18th August 2018 at the beautiful Knowlton Court, The incredible Lee Garland was the photographer on the day and with flowers by the lovely rebecca from Velvet Rose Flower Studio and the most incredibly beautiful dress by the brides brother Yashvardhan Bangalore it was just perfection!

Nain shared the album with me and I literally swooned!! Lee has a way of capturing the little details and the natural  flow and emotion of the day so effortlessly... I honestly felt like I was there... Here are a few of my fave shots including lots of the styling we did...

Nain bought us in to style and dress the reception marquee in the beautiful grounds of Knowlton Court. With hand dyed linens from India and subtle bohemian details the end result was just dreamy... We also hired out our folding screen backdrop which made the most perfect seating plan focal point and guestbook area.

The whole wedding was a joy to work on and we wish Nainsri and Daniel a lifetime of happiness and love <3

What an incredible day huh?! Again a massive thank you to Lee for taking such incredible images and capturing the details we bought and created and to the gorgeous Nainsri and Daniel... Wow... what a perfect day and what a perfect couple you make! Thank you for asking us along to be apart of your beautiful day!!! <3

The theme for 2019 is The Artsy, the Arid and the Abstract, think subtle tones of stone, peach, terracotta, apricot and soft blues and pinks... Modern and stripped back at the same time, earthy and minimal but with small over the top touches and thought out composition and choices. Less is more, but the less IS MORE... if you get me!? The wonderful Way Out Wedding actually did a whole post on the 2019 MCWF theme which you can read here.

So.... I hope you're now utterly excited...  The London show is from the 1st March - 3rd March 2019 at The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London. 
Tickets are now on sale and you can get them by clicking here. We can't wait to see lots of you there!

MCWF 2019 Campaign Credits:
​Photographer | Katy Thomas
Flowers | Bloom of the Block
Cake | Hebe Konditori
Hair and make-up | Portraits Bridal
Dresses | Grace Lane London; velvet johnstone; Katya Katya; Phillipa Long; Prim & Clover
Shoes | Kat Maconie
Veils and hat | AM Faulkner
Embroidered veils | Daisy Sheldon
Head scarf | The Hexad
Underwear | Monki and velvet johnstone
Beaded leaf | Macon et Lesquoy
Jewellery | The Hexad; Arowm; Florence & Dot; Lennie Beare; Luna Bea; Stonehearts Club; Eclectic Eccentricity;Corrie Williamson
Mobiles | Corrie Williamson
Art direction, styling, set design and food styling | Most Curious founder Becky Hoh-Hale, assisted by Ann-Marie Faulkner and The Wedding Enthusiast

Something a bit different from me today... 

Last month I was asked by my lovely friend Alice Hume to assist on a big commission she was offered. As it seems to always be the case, the brief came to Alice with quite a short turnaround time and typically just as she'd booked a well needed holiday with her boyfriend, not wanting to miss out on a fantastic opportunity Alice asked if I could help her and of course I jumped at the chance. 

I should give a bit of context I feel before I continue... Alice is a wonderful and talented weaver who I met when I attended one of her navajo weaving courses a few years ago. Alice and I clicked and we've been friends ever since. Alice is one of 12 studio tenants at the amazing Hotwalls Studios in Old Portsmouth. 

The commission was from the international brand allbirds and the brief was to help create an iconic window display for their brand new, just about to open, first UK store in the amazing Covent Garden. 

Allbirds launched back in 2016; the brainchild of New Zealander Tim Brown. Tim came up with the genius idea of creating a sustainable new type of footwear made from merino wool. Tim later teamed up with Joey Zwillinger, an engineer and renewables expert and together, they crafted a revolutionary wool fabric made specifically for footwear. The outcome? An entirely new category of shoes inspired by natural materials, and an ongoing mantra to create better things in a better way.

Following the launch of their first UK store The Evening Standard wrote a fab article about their rise of allbrids and their brand new Covent Garden store which you can read here.

The brief Alice received was comically brief... 'sheep and fluffy', the guys wanted a window to represent each of the three materials they now make their shoes from; wool, trees and sugar {find out more here}

Alice was obviously given 'wool' and was asked to create 9 large wool hangings from soft and fluffy merino wool.  Alice came up with a design just before she hopped on her flight and sent it over and I got cracking... We corresponded throughout Alice's holiday (Sorry Niall) and the moment she was back we spent a weekend together finishing them all off...

I had the pleasure of working in Alice's fab studio whilst she was away and enjoyed every minute if it (I officially miss having a studio) Here are a selection of photos I snapped whilst making...

I mainly stuck to making the more simple weaves, soumaks and tasselled ones and left the more complex twisted yarn ones to Alice who is obviously much more talented then me! We had a limited colour palette of cream, ivory and grey and the finished pieces were just what was requested, soft and fluffy and utterly representative of the materials used in the shoes. 

There were so textural and gorgeous I kept thinking how amazing they'd look as a ceremony backdrop... If you'd like something similar get in touch and let me know... I was so nice to create something so big and it was lovely to be able to use the loom Maxwell made me again! <3

On Sunday Alice transferred them all on to dowels ready to be hung and on Sunday they were collected by courier and taken to London. Alice went up to the store that week and assisted with the hanging. She also got to return a bit later once opened to see the store and the finished window display... I've yet to have a chance to visit and see but I can already see from Alice's photos the finished result was brilliant!

Before they headed to their new home photographer Alex Fountain captured the weavings! (Thank you Alex) You can check out more of his work on Instgram and on his website.

And the finished store and store front, {photos by Alice} cool huh? Thanks to Alice to asking to to collaborate and to Allbirds  for making cool shoes!

So it's the last day of October and Halloween... one of my favourite times of year! This year October has disappeared in the blink of an eye and we've scarcely had time to anything autumnal so this post couldn't come at a better time...

I'be pulled together 9 images to inspire a wedding, a dinner party or a special event pulling together gorgeous warm hues and mof course a pumpkin or two! <3 

So earlier this month I had the pleasure of being asked along to exhibit at The Bridal Bazaar organised by the gorgeous girls over at What Peggy Did Next. The event took place at Somerley House and is a fab combination of newly married couples selling of their preloved wedding wares and hand-selected suppliers covering all fields of the industry... The event had people literally queuing in rain to get in and we had the most wonderful day! The amazing Angela Ward Brown took some photos which I'd love to share with you and the suppliers involved.

I love these photos Angela took of our styled area... We were totally inspired by the stunning Picture Gallery we were in. The lovely Ava from Blossom Boutique created the most stunning flowers for me... I'll do another post soon with more photos of our set up!

The Bridal Bootsale is such a good idea and there was loads of pitches with gorgeous newly weds selling on trinkets and decor...
I love this idea as hate waste and think it's such a good idea to pass on the cherished items from one wedding to the next... They were hugely popular too and everyone sold so much stuff!! 

The gorgeous Ashley Wild was there with her stunning accessories and veils perfect for the alternative bride! I adores the tasseled earrings and choker which were used in the shoot... so gorgeous!

Obviously the talented Angela Ward Brown's tables was a riot of fun, colour and glitter!! Seriously her photos are just incredible.

Doris Loves was there with their light up letters and temporary tattoo station! :)

Nick & Mick, aka The Mixology Brothers set up the bar (conveniently right next to us) and came along with their awesome pop up bar! 

A few pitches down from us was the lovely Abby from Agnes Walker Jewellery... Her pieces were stunning... I especially loved her beautiful bee hair slides! So cute!! 

Sarah from Wild and Wonder Events teamed up with Joey from The Wild Fox and together they created a stunning 3D 'moodboard' full of inspiration and ideas!

Also joining us in the grand Picture Gallery, with a stunning display of bridal prettiness, was Hannah Elizabeth Bridal! <3

Julie Nicholl's created a beautiful display showcasing her stationery & styling skills!

Nanny Nellies Attic bought along a beautifully styled set up showcasing some of their props and decor!

In this central section Love with Letters and the gorgeous Neon & Blush girls created some stunning installations using balloons and huge artificial trees! And there you have it!! a stunning event in an evening more stunning venue! A huge thank you to the WPDN crew for having us along... <3

Other suppliers at the event: 

The Wedding DJs  |  Camila Arnhold Photography  |  The Fancy Float  |  Fluffy Puffin  |  Fizzy Fellows  
The Little Flower Truck  |  Flash Fox Photobooth  |  Jennifer Jones Styling  |  Zach & Grace Films