The Photography Farm & The Catastrophic Rise of the Styled Wedding Shoot

Kat

Devlin Photos

April 15, 2013

The Photography Farm is a three-day workshop for wedding photographers, hosted by Lisa Devlin on a beautiful 12-acre farm near Gatwick. I've been involved with The Farm since it's inception, helping to style the shoots and speaking to the 'farmers' about blogging, working with wedding blogs, advertising & marketing and building a successful online brand. I love The Farm. It's quickly become my home away from home, a place I look forward to escaping to and somewhere I get to meet a whole host of new and exciting emerging wedding photography talent. I always leave the safe confines of the 16th century farmhouse with a head full of ideas, a new jolt of inspiration and a renewed invigoration for where the UK wedding industry is heading.

Simple & Organic Bridal Inspiration

Kat

James Melia

March 30, 2013

To me, the thing that makes a really great editorial shoot isn't all the pretty details (although they help), the beautiful model or the amazing backdrop - it's the narrative and the story that the images tell. As soon as I saw this shoot sent over by wedding photographer James Melia I instantly started wondering what this girl's story was and what the photographer and stylist wanted to tell us.

Colourful Alternative Bridal Shoot in a Castle

Kat

Lorna Lovecraft

March 23, 2013

Struggling to find the kinda of clients they really wanted to work with in Yorkshire where they're based, photographer and videographer Lorna Lovecraft & Darryl Forrester decided to take matters into their own hands and show these kinds of alternative couples why they should be booking them.

Indoor Forest Wedding Shoot

Kat

June Cochran

March 2, 2013

Wanting to do something different to the vintage-loving crowd, wedding photographer June Cochran opted to have her latest project shot inside, at night and with a warm cosy vibe. This idea but juxtaposed nicely with bright pops of colour and daring and edgy flower arrangements. "Pretty much every single stylized wedding shoot I've seen is at magic hour, outdoors in a field, and as vintage and pastel as it gets", she writes. "That's beautiful, but I wanted to shake it up and push it out it the box."

Bohemian Beach Tea Party

Kat

Yuna Leonard

February 23, 2013

The bitter Winter weather seems to finally be waning and it's almost felt like the start of Spring across the south of England this week. So what could be a better way to celebrate than a perfectly boho inspired beach photo shoot?

If Music be the Food of Love…

Kat

Sarah Gormley

February 22, 2013

This shoot, inspired by both vintage and vinyl elements was pulled together by wedding photographer Sarah Gomley. "I wanted to create a wedding shoot that would be relevant for passionate musicians on a tight wedding budget, so this vintage vinyl shoot features an array of DIY touches", she writes. "For a guest book, we used silver sharpie pens on vinyl records, framed to make hangable mementos for the happy couple. We also took small black-rimmed DVDs and printed stickers for their center to make handmade vinyl-themed table number signs. As decoration for the bride and groom, we hung 3x3 black and white photos on an all-black clothesline."

Bridal Fashion That Doesn’t Suck from the bridalNEXT! 2012 Winners

Kat

Gem Harris

February 15, 2013

Last October I was honoured to be asked to act as a judge for the bridalNEXT! awards which were taking place as part of A Most Curious Wedding Fair. Alongside fellow judges Peta Hunt, fashion editor of You & Your Wedding Magazine, Rachel Atwell, owner of swanky London wedding boutique Luella’s Boudoir, and Hazel Holtham of vintage store & blog Rag and Bow we selected Veronica Dearly as our overall winner, and the one to watch for 2013. As part of the prize Veronica and the three runners up were invited to take part in an editorial fashion shoot. Now I don't know about you, but if this is the caliber of bridal talent coming out in 2013, it's going to be a very exciting year indeed.

A Valentines Ball

Kat

Cristina Rossi

February 14, 2013

I wasn't going to publish any Valentines-specific content this year. Like many of you, I'm of the persuasion that St Valentines Day has been taken over by the mass media and is now just pushed on us by greetings cards companies who want to make a quick buck at our loved-up expense. Gareth & I don't celebrate it (well maybe we'll order a takeaway, watch a movie and get a little tipsy - ahh the romance) so I've never been one to be like "OHHHH VALENTINES IS HERE, HURRRRAH!" Me? Cynical? Never!

Having a Festival Wedding? Check out FabulousWedFest!

Kat

My Fabulous Life

February 9, 2013

Are you having a festival themed wedding? 2012 was certainly the year that this idea exploded into weddings, but it would appear it isn't going anywhere during 2013 either! This festival-inspired wedding shoot was pulled together by wedding photographer Becky Joiner and Muddifords Court in order to promote their latest venture, the FabulousWedFest wedding show which is taking place on 16th March. Shot in and around the venue itself, and using suppliers that will actually be exhibiting at the fair, this shoot shows that festival weddings are far from over. It's clearly a theme that we're going to see gaining popularity in 2013 and beyond. Wellies at the ready guys!

Antlers, Coloured Vintage Wedding Gowns & Plaid… Bridal Fashion Just Got Flipped on it’s Head

Kat

Laura Fulmer

January 17, 2013

Bridal fashion doesn't have to be boring or ordinary. Oh no, why not take those old-fashioned ideas and flip them on their head?! Antlers, coloured gowns, cardigans, plaid... the possibilities are endless!

Oz: The Great and Powerful

Kat

True Love Photo

January 12, 2013

I am a Wizard of Oz superfan and I'm already seriously excited to see the new Walt Disney adaptation 'Oz: The Great and Powerful', which hits cinemas in March. So clearly this shoot, inspired by the new film, was going to end up on my blog. I love Beth of True Love Photo for sending it my way! The shoot was styled based on the previews she'd seen so think weird and wonderful, quirky and fantastical, eye-gouging brights and funktastic details.

Neutral & Neon Bridal Style

Kat

Readyluck

January 11, 2013

Inspiration can hit you anywhere, and for wedding photographer Lindsay Hite, it came while flicking through a fashion magazine. "The trend neutral colors paired with neon in fashion really spoke to me", she told me. "I love the almost surprising contrast between subtlety and outspokenness and was curious about how it would work in a bridal setting. I drew inspiration from far flung corners - from Lana del Rey's flower crowns, to bright bold colors of childhood celebrations and vintage circuses."

Snow White and the Huntsman & A Twist on Winter Weddings

Kat

Kait Winston

January 11, 2013

Winter weddings don't have to be all scatter crystals and snow sprinkled twigs. They don't have to have holly or ivy and you don't even need to wear faux fur. Honestly, there are many other options out there, you just need to dream them up! Just like wedding photographer Kait Winston did after one too many trips to the cinema. Inspired by the movie Snow White and the Huntsman, Kait decided that edgier was better and so wanted to showcase a more dramatic twist on the classic winter wedding.

Elegant Tim Burton Inspired Wedding Inspiration

Kat

The Photography Smiths

January 5, 2013

Starting with rich in shades of plum alongside black and gold, The Photography Smiths and stylist Anthomanic, created some regal wedding inspiration with an edge of Tim Burton. The dramatic and quirky set design included odd shaped vintage furniture, lace wedding dresses with dramatic mermaid silhouettes, black & white stripes, mini top hats and milk & cookies as favours.

Equestrian Wedding Shoot in Italy

Kat

December 15, 2012

Horses and weddings. Not an obvious combination of inspiration for a shoot (unless you're thinking horse-drawn carriage) but needless to say it works really well. The Autumnal colours, the soft tones and the moody setting make this shoot beautiful and really different. "Everything took place at the old Ippodrome of San Marone located in Civitanova Marche, Italy", wrote wedding photographer Paolo Manzi. "It's an amazing racecourse in the middle of the countryside. There are only a few race every year, but it's still a lovely place and was perfect for what we had in mind for the shoot."

‘Sisters of the Fall’ Bridal Shoot with Epic Autumn/Winter Nail Art Inspiration

Kat

December 8, 2012

I am a nail art FIEND so I was thrilled when this gorgeous autumnal styled shoot was sent over to me by photographer Becky Mitchell. Alongside nail artist Nancy loves Nails, who wanted to showcase some newest Autumn/winter inspired nail designs, the idea was to share some unique Fall wedding styling ideas. The shoot was set up in an abandoned building which really helped to set the tone of the vignette as a whole.

Twisty Tree Roots on the Banks of a River

Kat

November 27, 2012

"This project, the visual telling of love and passion, was inspired by late nights, acoustic guitars, and solo vocalists", writes wedding photographer Kelsea of Simplee Photography. "It is a collection inspired by all the things that I love, things that are beautifully interesting... details stripped down into elements." On the banks of a river, where twisty tree roots meets an Autumnal glow, Kelsea found her perfect location. Wanting to shoot something simple, natural and organic, she selected a vintage dress, feather earrings, masks from Russia and bits and pieces from here, there and everywhere.

Ghostly Penitentiary Bridal Shoot

Kat

November 23, 2012

Happy Black Friday to my American readers! Well in lieu of actually having a shopping discount to share with you, I instead thought I'd share a bridal shoot with a slightly macabre edge (black - macabre .. see my tenuous link?) OK forget it... but either way, this shoot is friggin' ace and I'm thrilled to have it on my blog today.

Surprise Pool Party Wedding Recreation

Kat

November 19, 2012

Oh I love a surprise wedding! And a surprise wedding + pool party!? EPIC! But this wasn't actually a real wedding (sad face) although it was set up as a recreation of the actual wedding of some friends of the photographer who were married 30 years ago. Jessie & Kenny had this actual wedding, in this exact same spot in 1982 (some of their wedding photos are at the end of the gallery - how amazing are they?!) So to celebrate, and to have an their anniversary party with a difference, they decided to relive the whole thing. This is a styled shoot with a difference and, yes, they really had the big party afterwards!

Voodoo Swamp: New Orleans Wedding Inspiration

Kat

November 10, 2012

Where do you find your inspiration? For photographer Jennifer, the idea for this shoot came to her in a dream. "I was travelling to New Orleans for a little vacation and on the way I dreamt about this shoot", she explained. "Alongside local florist, Kim Starr Wise, we came up with this concept - Voodoo Swamp. We wanted something moody and bring in the elements of the swamp. The floral was hand picked with orchids, magnolias, fiddle head ferns, and crocodile leaves and I really wanted Spanish moss."