Elegance in the Shed

Written by Caitlin Hoare
Even a purposefully elegant styled shoot at Giraffe Shed manages to look achingly-cool!

I don’t know how they do it? Awesomeness is just engrained in this place. You could certainly never describe this rural Welsh wedding venue as boring, it’s literally the opposite. As well as being a brilliant and inspiring blank canvas space, they also manage to surround themselves with clever, creative and uber-talented wedding professionals such as photographer Mark Horton, stylist Luna and the Lane and florist Pheasant Botanica – the genius behind that epic hanging floral installation.

Elegant? Yes. Epic? Yes. Boring? NO!

Notes from the Venue

‘Elegant Shed’ was the concept for the first-ever Giraffe Shed Workshop hosted by The Untold. We wanted to show that our venue could also do elegance as well as modern, edgy and alternative. The Giraffe Shed is a photographer’s dream venue, flooded with natural light thanks to that beautiful huge window and it’s a space that can be transformed into whatever you envision.

The idea was to show what the Shed CAN BE, which is why styled shoots are so beneficial for venues as we can show what can be achieved within the space. We wanted to showcase an elegant version of the Shed, using dark muted colours that contrasted with the abundance of natural beautiful light.

Grace wore the Harlow gown from the new E&W Couture collection which features a small subtle heart print. This detail brought out the fun aspect to a strapless gown which also had a keyhole and tie front, and then all the volume was at the bottom for lots of swishing. The bridal look was so beautiful, and so stylish. Josh wore a camel suit from Next and a burnt rust shirt which looked great against the brick walls of the Shed.

The table was styled so beautifully by Luna and The Lane, featuring blacks, burgundies and softer pinks through the candles and crockery – complemented by Chloe Ainsley Creative’s incredible work on the wedding stationery. The textured paper with Chloe’s geometric designs were PERFECT. Sam at Sam’s Sweet Treats created a trio of beautiful cakes, textured soft pinks with berries and florals, so elegant but with a modern edge.

Donna from Pheasant Botanica created the spiral floral installation which hung at the centre of the Shed. I wanted to keep it forever! Donna also created the contemporary bouquet, and statement floral pieces surrounding the table, using the rich deep berry tones from our palette. Not only is Donna an incredible florist with deep rooted knowledge about anything that grows (!), she is also an amazing designer and creator. She made the whole spiral piece and built it on site creating the most incredible floral installation we’ve ever seen.

Seeing what can be done at a venue can really help couples when they are making plans and decor choices. Coming to a blank canvas venue can be daunting on your first viewing, but after seeing shoots like this, even if you just take one aspect from what you’ve seen, it makes your design and planning process much easier.

And hey, if anyone fancies getting Donna’s floral spiral back in here for round two, WE ARE SO HERE FOR THAT!!!!

Credits

Venue + Workshop The Giraffe Shed

Concept + Planning The Untold

Photographer Mark Horton Photography

Florist Pheasant Botanica

Cake Sam’s Sweet Treats

Stylist Luna and the Lane

Stationery Chloe Ainsley Creative

Wedding Dress E&W Couture

Hairband Maison Archives London

Hair + Makeup Rebel Rock Hair and Makeup

Suit Next

Couple Grace and Joshua

More from the blog

Discover our Venues

Refine your wedding venue search by location, capacity, type, and style.

Visit Venue Finder

Be Inspired

Planning advice, real wedding edits, and venue showcases to inspire you.

View Blog

Suppliers We Love

From photographers to bridal fashion and styling, find the best wedding suppliers right here.

View Suppliers