A French-Inspired Editorial at Hamswell House

It’s a pleasure to be back on the pages of the Blog this week and what a feature I have to share with you. Millia London’s dresses are as romantic as they come; complete with ruffles, layers and all the volume. This particular gown was chosen for its shade of blue, perfectly complementing Jennifer Jane Photography’s Toile de Jouy-inspired wedding aesthetic.

It’s pretty, it’s elegant and it’s the perfect antidote to those pesky January blues…

Jennifer says…

The shoot was set at the beautiful Hamswell House in Bath. An early Jacobean building, in lovely Cotswold stone. It perfectly exemplifies the English Renaissance period, with the European influences of the time giving it a French chateau feel. Combined with the picturesque scenery of the Hamswell Valley, there could not have been a more perfect setting.

Inspired by the simple patterns of the Toile de Jouy of the 18th century, I wanted to create a wildly romantic, but extremely elegant and luxurious wedding setting. The shoot took place in May when the gardens at Hamswell House were in full bloom. The soft, cool colour palette incorporated the popular French blue shade, alongside accents of white.

I wanted to have a really luxurious and romantic feel to the dress. Millia London‘s designs with their beautiful ruffles in a variety of styles and colours were perfect. The bride wore a stunning muted blue tulle in soft ruffles with a plunging neckline and low back, whilst the groom wore a black tux to complement the elegant and luxurious look.

For the styling we focused on the blue often used in the patterns of the toile de Jouy, keeping it simple with a blue tablecloth and blue candles, styled by Clover and Fern Weddings. Complete with elegant white crockery, with a small blue pattern on them, crystal glassware for that luxury feel, and antique silver cutlery. A white lace runner spanned the length of the table and little sweets treats were created as favours by Rachel Miller Cake Design for each place setting.

Jasper and Quinn created beautifully soft and wildly romantic florals for the table and the bouquet, using a variety of white flowers including roses, lilacs, astilbe, and lupins in a palette of soft whites and creams with sprigs of green foliage for a wild and romantic feel that complemented the blue palette.

I like to think that couples can pick and choose the elements they love to incorporate into their own day. Whether they love the blue colour palette and pick up on that, or the French vibe and incorporate the Toile de Jouy pattern into their wedding aesthetic. Alternatively they may love the simple and elegant feel of the white florals, or decide to go for the luxury and statement fashion with a black tie wedding and opulent coloured dress.