In April I was thrilled to be involved with a vintage wedding styled shoot, at the stunning new wedding reception venue On The Far Celebrations. The venue is part of the working Manor Farm near Wells in Somerset. It is on the very edge of the Mendip Hills and is therefore the highest farm on the Somerset levels. There is also a direct line of sight from the farm to Ston Easton House. The reason for which is that when Ston Easton was built the owner wanted a clear line of sight to the small (now redundant) church adjacent to the farm house. Due to covenants in land deeds the line of sight has been maintained with not a single tree causing an interruption. The church itself is gorgeous, albeit small, but due to it’s redundant status cannot be used for marriage ceremonies, there apparently is chance of a blessing though. You can find out more details via the Churches Conservation Trust.
The photo shoot was a fairly simple affair with only a small number of suppliers involved so to highlight the beautiful vintage bespoke dresses and accessories, beautifully complimented by stunning floral arrangements. We had two fabulous models for the shoot, Scarlett who models professionally, and Alice a friend of On The Farm Celebrations owner Ali. Poor Alice didn’t quite realise what she had signed up for but was absolutely amazing and quickly relaxed into the job.
Unfortunately the weather was on the whole not in our favour on the day switching from torrential downpours to bright sunshine, although there was more the former than the latter. This restricted the photos we were able to take outside to prevent damaging the dresses.
The dresses themselves were provided by Karen Reilly Bridal. Every dress is bespoke to the individual’s requirements, so you can guarantee your dress will be one of a kind. Julia Moore’s flowers were amazing and in addition to bouquets and an arrangement she also decorated her wooden arch that was erected outside the house during a period of sunshine! To compliment the dresses hair pieces and clutch bags were provided by Karen Wright Millinery which beautifully carried the vintage feel.
Preparations took place in the main farmhouse which also operates as a B&B. The large sitting room was perfect for hair, make up, general chatting and ultimately photos. Several large windows flooded the room with natural light, whilst it’s large size gave every one space whilst still maintaining a cosy feel especially with the feature fireplace. Indoors we also utilised the guest bedrooms, the hallways, downstairs rooms and we just had to use the gorgeous church.
Below are a selection of images from the day. I edited them with a more vintage feel to my normal style to carry with the theme of the day and suppliers.
I really must thank all the lovely ladies who were part of the day which was thoroughly enjoyable and I can happily recommend each and every one of them of being fabulous to work with. Links to all the suppliers involved can be found at the bottom of this post. I now only hope to be returning to Manor farm soon for a real wedding!
Venue- On The Farm Celebrations // Instagram – @onthefarmcelebrations // Facebook – On The Farm Celebrations
Hairpiece – Alison Wright Millinery // Instagram – @alisonwrightmillinery // Facebook – AlisonWrightMillinery
Model – Alice
Model – Scarlett Luxe // Instagram – @scarlettluxe // Facebook – ScarlettLuxeModel
Hair – Lauren Gosling Hair // Instagram – @laurengoslinghair // Facebook – laurengoslinghair // Web – laurengoslinghair.com
Makeup – Sarah of Hepscats // Instagram – @hepcatsofnam // Facebook – HepcatsChippenham // Web – hepcatsofnam.co.uk
Dress – Karen Reilly // Instagram – @karenreillybridal // Facebook – Karen-Reilly-Bridalwear // Web – karenreilly.co.uk
Flowers – Julia Moore // Instagram – @jmfloraldesigns // Facebook – JMFloralDesigns // Web – juliamoorefloraldesigns.co.uk