Fruit of Love at Paradise

The décor isn’t for the faint-hearted, with a boho/vintage mix of textures, patterns and bold colours. Keenda, the Wedding Planner behind Events by Keenda, shows us how to embrace this venue’s interiors perfectly in this rich and decadent-styled shoot…

Keenda says…

The overall theme for the shoot was based on the fruit of love: the pomegranate. With a boho luxe vibe, we wanted to create an ethereal world with an eclectic mix of modern elements and authentic bohemian style.

My concept came from the rich colour and jewel-like resemblance of the pomegranate seed, and upon research, I discovered that the pomegranate’s early relationship to romance stems from a belief that Aphrodite, the goddess of love, planted the first pomegranate tree. The pomegranate is the passion fruit, also called the fruit of love. The first written reference to the fruit was in a romantic poem, The Flower Song, composed around 1500 BC:

To hear your voice is pomegranate wine to me: I draw life from hearing it.

Could I see you with every glance,

It would be better for me

Than to eat or to drink.

The full-colour palette consisted of navy, purple, gold, burgundy, dusky pink and black. These colours were used to work harmoniously with the venue’s existing colour scheme. With so many textures and colours, the styling has a vibrant feel which can reflect all seasons.

Paradise by Way of Kensal Green was the perfect canvas for the Fruit of Love shoot because of its shabby chic and boudoir vibes running through the rooms. The features, such as the fireplaces, hanging lanterns, rustic mirrors, mural and gothic garden, have a wonderful boho vibe. With its distinct characteristics, each room really lent itself to the various setups, all captured beautifully by Sophie Lake Photography.

I chose to go for two wedding dresses to show a change between the ceremony and the evening party. The first dress is by haute couture bridal designer Riki Dalal from the ‘Noya’ Shakespeare Collection. The Cordelia dress is luxurious lace with embellished beading, a beautiful dress full of romance but with a bit of edge. This paired exceptionally well with the bespoke ‘Wifey’ hand-painted calligraphy jacket produced by Michelle from Scritto—a statement outfit for the sexy, unique bride.

The second dress, Galatea from Willowby by Watters La Luna Collection, is a bit more fun, flirty and free-flowing, perfect for twirling on the dance floor. An excellent choice for the modern boho bride!

With the theme of love prominent, the shoes were from Love Art Wear Art, who created gorgeous limited edition shoes. They are all about comfort, quality and unique design – ideal for the creative bride to show her personality.

The luxury bridal accessories were handcrafted with love from eden b. Studio with designs inspired by the beautiful botanicals of the English countryside. We used the Thalia crown for the hair down, and for the up-do, we had the Lena hair vines, creating stunning, effortless looks for our bride.

Our hair and makeup artist, Storme, created two gorgeous looks that enhance the bride’s natural beauty, utterly unfussy for the free-spirited bride but super pretty at the same time.

The groom’s attire was from David’s Formal Wear; we wanted a chic but boho look. A navy blue suit with a tweed waistcoat and a simple buttonhole is perfect for the laid-back groom.

The overall styling was a mish-mash of modern elements and bohemian adornments. I loved the hexagon ceremony backdrop from Party Squared and the ‘Mr & Mrs’ lights from The Event Hire Company, showing a mixture of wedding trends.

The dessert table from Malarkey Cakes was set up in the conservatory, which had a tremendous exposed brick wall with a rustic mirror and some hanging ivy and twigs. I added a macramé backdrop in deep blue and black from Half Hitch Macramé to enhance it. The table was then dressed with fresh flowers and sliced-open pomegranates.

My florist was the lovely Gaynor from Bailey & Blossom, who got the brief spot on and designed some beautiful florals for the styled shoot. From the start, I wanted a gold pomegranate in the bouquet to accentuate the theme and some raw open pomegranates in the fireplace centrepiece. Also, with purple as my favourite colour, I opted for many blooms in various shades of this hue.

The venue has a great set-up for an intimate wedding, from the ceremony (which they are licensed for) to the dinner and after party! Each room has its personality and can be bespoke to the couple’s individuality. I absolutely love the space, and I hope you can use what we did with each room to inspire your styling and planning at Paradise.