Styling a Blank Canvas Wedding Venue

There is a lot to LOVE about a blank canvas wedding venue; the endless decor options, the supplier flexibility and of course the opportunity to really put your own stamp and weave your personalities into your special day.

Faced with yet more postponements during the pandemic and really feeling for their couples who needed to change their wedding plans again, Naomi and Rachel from Bloom & Gather wanted to do something to reflect positivity and champion their industry pals. They decided to bring together a wonderful creative team to showcase Willow Grange Farm and demonstrate to couples the kind of magic that could be created at a blank canvas venue, when the time came. This editorial is a reflection of hope and positivity, while also showcasing some GORGEOUS venue styling and modern bridal style.

Naomi says…

One of the parts of our job that we love is getting to turn an empty space into something beautiful and we knew that we wanted a venue where there would be no restriction on what we could create – it also helps when you have a venue that’s already as charming as Willow Grange Farm is!

If we’re being honest, we knew when we began planning that our chosen palette wouldn’t be the traditional choice for the rustic wooden panelled barn, but that’s why we LOVE it even more! As lockdown continued to go on and we faced postponements and more let downs it made us determined to create a contrasting look of bright hope in the midst of the dark and moody vibe of the barn.

Lockdown love stories inspired us to create something that was smaller and more intimate but didn’t compromise on thoughtful design. We took a lot of inspiration from contrasts and juxtaposition such as darkness and light; the mixed emotions of love and forced separation; and the changing of seasons without the change of circumstance. All this inspired us to go with the theme of ‘Brighter Days Ahead’.

We went with a spring inspired palette of pinks, oranges, and yellows. Fresh fruit inspired stationery and large fresh floral arrangements contrasted with the darker barn, to create a wedding look that was brimming with life, even in the darkest of times. We decided to go for a modern romantic wedding look and wanted everything to feel both beautifully classic and contemporary.

We loved the dusty pink colour of the bridesmaid dresses and the tulle shoulder ties, while our bride wore a gorgeous A-line dress with floral details that tied in perfectly with the overall theme of the shoot. We were so excited to be able to use some of Garter & Veil’s wonderful pieces to enhance the models’ looks. We felt that the delicate earrings and hair pieces were the perfect accessories to complete the bridal party outfits.

Some of the more unusual decor features we included were the escort wall and lounge area. The escort wall was bespoke and handcrafted over a week by our team and featured named envelopes that when lifted revealed an escort card for each guest. We also featured a lounge area; we thought the vintage sofa and more modern armchairs encapsulated perfectly the modern romantic look we were going for. We love to build in little touches where guests can get involved in the wedding decor and we hope this inspires couples out there to do the same!

Lastly, we wanted the tablescape to feel bright yet romantic and to bring all the decor elements used so far together. We used a mixture of textures and bright colours; natural linen cloths and napkins; Himalayan salt candle holders; cut fresh fruit as table decor and modern lemon inspired menu cards. We’re all about the little details and we love to use running themes (such as fruit in this instance) throughout our design to keep things feeling cohesive.

Working with Rachel from Untamed Florals was such a privilege. From the very start she was invested in understanding the palette and theme of the shoot. We went back and forth on the floral palette and how best to work the brighter colours of the palette with the moody vibe of the barn. On the day she even incorporated fresh foliage from the venue to enlarge and elevate the ceremony and lounge area arrangements and it all looked so perfect!

We hope that this shoot encourages couples to know that a creative and modern looking wedding can be a reality and not just a dream. We also hope it inspires couples to incorporate more unconventional decor and details into their wedding design!