Dare to be Different at Number Ten

And this downright devourable styled shoot at Number Ten, The Octagon Barn totally epitomises that simple yet significant message from the venue’s owner, Sammi. This modern-meets-rustic-meets-industrial (I could go on…) promises couples the perfect space to get creative, weaving their personalities throughout every element of their wedding day. The team wanted to curate an editorial that showcased just how can you do this – from the wonderful and wacky (you can never have too many disco balls in my opinion) to the subtle touches such as the twinkle of fairy lights. Plus, if you’re a fan of a pink colour palette with a gritty edge, you’re going to adore every image from this editorial.

So, without further ado. I suggest you get scrolling and make yourself a little better acquainted with Number Ten. It’s time to get those creative wedding juices flowing folks!

Sammi says…

An old grain store exuding industrial vibes and a modern edge, Number Ten is located on the same farm as The Octagon Barn. However, this dreamy new location comes with a difference, offering our couples a complete contrast to our beautiful rustic 17th century barn.

This vast space can seat up to 450 wedding guests comfortably, providing a blank canvas space to suit any couples’ theme. It fuses contemporary touches with a gritty warehouse vibe, which welcomes both minimalist colour palettes as well as the bold, bright and beautiful. For our recent editorial, we curated a vibrant styled shoot to effortlessly showcase  what this space can do, whilst adding the romance of ‘old school’ in various places allowing even those who are a little more traditional in their styling to envision an idyllic day here. It also has all the original characteristics and features of its previous life, which couples have always embraced with our sister venue and therefore made perfect sense to us to leave in Ten too. ‘Old school meets new world’ was very much the order of the day.

Throughout our editorial, we wanted to demonstrate that a large open space doesn’t need to be daunting and that no matter your budget, you can incorporate elements which will lift a space from an old working unit in this instance, into a beautiful, romantic, yet thoroughly modern venue. Cue a bright, modern colour palette with an industrial edge that we just can’t get enough of.

Number Ten has the luxury of encouraging couples to let their imaginations run wild and really get creative – we welcome the big, bold and totally over the top! But, equally, we wanted to show that you can do modern and bold, but soften it with opulent florals, ferns and trees. Working with an incredible team of wedding suppliers, we used the shoot as an opportunity to have fun, while showcasing how a huge space can be broken down into sections to create intimate areas  – where you’ll have your very own tiny oasis areas within your day, which guests can enjoy and really embrace.

With romance and opulence being a big feature, we chose bright reds and pinks, and controversially splashes of black. This was a daring choice, but worked spectacularly to create a mood of absolute glamour against a modern backdrop. If used correctly, there is nothing to fear from using black within your wedding. We are in fact seeing more and more couples incorporate black accents throughout their colour palettes, choosing it to create a mixture of both glamour, but also the element of edginess which weddings later in the season (Halloween etc) can sometimes require.

We were lucky that it was the beginning of peony season so these beautiful blooms were incorporated into all of the florals, creating a big, blousy and bouncy floral feel, as well as the stunning colour and scent that they are so renowned for.Disco balls hung from the industrial balcony and scattered around the venue to bring the bold and edgy feeling to Number Ten, but also to add the element of fun and party that all couples love.

When it came to the aisle style we wanted to bring a little bit of old Hollywood glamour meets thoroughly modern. To achieve this the bride wore a dress from Pure Brides called Carmen from Abella. It was a sleek, and fitted dress which harked back to a more glamourous era, but which worked perfectly with the industrial space. The groom wore a black suit from Duncan James of Walsall. In true old Hollywood, it was a tuxedo and accentuated the essence of old school charm, which again was ideal as a total standout from the galvanised steel and concrete of the venue itself. Ashley Kay was the Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist for the day, aiming to create a soft, but glamorous look with gentle curls and a very easy to wear up-do.

Number Ten is the perfect venue to work with any theme with almost 6,000sq ft of space to carry any props and decor. To make the venue more intimate we went with sofas, cushions, fabric table runners and the ceiling was draped in beautiful reds and pinks. Twinkling fairy lights, a fairy wall and light-up letters added ambience and effective lighting to the venue, while lots of candles on the tables to create a soft mood, and provide an almost ethereal atmosphere amongst the steel, and concrete of the interior. Trees both natural and faux filled the venue with greenery, creating a softer edge to the otherwise industrial space.

The wonderfully talented Charlotte Staff curated stunning floral arch of roses, peonies and the prettiest pink gypsophila, which was hung in the venue and was the perfect photo prop for the couple (and a feature behind the top table). The overall theme was to create an element of opulent romance against the backdrop of galvanised steel, and the ultra modern space. Almost to act as a complete juxtapose of two worlds blending beautifully to absolutely stunning visual effect. Amanda from Timeless Florals also provided stunning faux flowers in hugely bold steel urns for the shoot. These were to show how well a marriage of faux and fresh can work together. Showcasing that the modern faux is not only beautiful, but can work for those on a slightly tighter budget.

This shoot is to show what can be done with what looks on the surface to be a totally industrial space. We hope that those couples looking to truly create their own day, with a huge WOW factor, will look at the total transformation of this incredible venue, and see that anything is possible. We sought to showcase how elements of light/dark can completely change the tone of a venue, and in this case shows what the softness of opulent florals can do to a thoroughly stylish space.

There are elements of fun throughout the shoot, to show that only one or two elements sometimes need to be added (like disco balls and trees) to enable the venue to take on a new persona. Budgets at the moment are leading couples to make choices about which elements of their day they can lose to perhaps help with financial restraints. We hope this shoot shows that if you are able to visualise and trust in your chosen suppliers, they can work wonders no matter what your budgets are.

Both modern and more traditional couples can take the romance of this shoot into whichever setting they are planning on. But the biggest message is to be bold, be you and most importantly do it your way.