Bohemian Botanical Vibes at The Copse

This home-from-home wedding venue in Oxfordshire is a fave amongst newly-engaged couples and it’s so easy to see why. Wedding Weekends at The Copse offers a glorious self catering country house, high in the Chiltern Hills with views over its own valley of outstanding natural beauty. You can host your reception and ceremony surrounded by flower meadows and water in total privacy and seclusion.

Now layer on top this the utterly gorgeous styled inspiration shoot, by Wedding Planner Jenna Hewitt and Kitty Wheeler Shaw Photography, and I’m sure they’ll be a few more of you falling head over heels for The Copse.

I don’t know if it’s the Bohemian vibes, the pops of flame (a rather hot Pantone colour for Spring!) or the incredible botanicals by my new florist crush Willowgold Flowers that have me over excited! If this doesn’t kickstart your Monday then I’m not sure what will…

Enjoy!

Jenna:

The Copse was my inspiration for this styled shoot. This beautiful, new wedding venue sits in the heart of the English countryside and is owned by Penny and Tim Holley. A country house with extensive land, The Copse offers laid back luxury for couples looking for the flexibility to do things their way. I fell in love with it after I planned Penny’s son’s wedding there in August last year, it holds such a magical beauty and charm with a relaxed feel.

The house itself is beautifully furnished, cosy and inviting and It comes with cinema room, hot tub and 9 guest bedrooms but, for me, the garden spaces are my favourite and allow you to have an English outdoor wedding regardless of the rain. Ceremonies can be held in the courtyard under canopy, which can later be used as an outdoor dance area. Dining takes place on a wooden decked area overlooking the pond and, again, under beautiful stretch canopies. It was this outdoors feel I wanted to capture. The styling had to be natural to complement the gorgeous surroundings and outdoor spaces but I didn’t think that ‘English garden’ suited the whole essence of the place. This led me to the bold orange tones and earthy terracotta material.

I had a very specific idea behind each of the three bridal looks and each was created to capture a different part of the ‘wedding day’.

The first look was the most elegant and was about capturing that moment just before you get married. This featured a gorgeous oversized bouquet in the more muted and softer greys and greens of the colour palette. Florist, Jen Edmonds of Willowgold Flowers, foraged pieces from the venue to add to it. The dress, by Inbal Raviv on loan from Luella’s Boudoir, had a two-piece effect and was teamed with Marina Grey Cherry heels by Harriet Wilde and accessories by Donna Crain.

The second look was our funky fun, playful look, inspired by that post ceremony buzz, when the party begins! I chose a 70s inspired trouser and fringe top combination by Otaduy paired with a turban and tassel earrings from Anthropologie. To soften the look a little and bring it back to more bridal, we chose to swap the turban for a headdress by Kelly Spence for part of the look. Again with an oversized bouquet but this time with strong pops of orange autumnal tones and matching silk ribbons from Kate Cullen.

The final look was about capturing the end of the wedding day. The most pared back of all the looks I wanted a soft fishtail plait and softer feel and this featured barefoot sandals from Australian brand, Forever Soles. Across all three looks Zoe & Morgan provided us with very different designs of ring to suit each style.  Hair and make up dream team Patricia Soper and Mel Kinsman worked magic to translate the essence of each look and Kitty Wheeler Shaw captured it all perfectly.

In addition to the beautiful bouquets and tablsecape florals, Florist Jen did something phenomenal in designing the ceremony arch that I was passionate to include. Choosing a variety of flowers, English grown where possible, in a range of rich orange and apricot tones. The dahlia and chrysanthemum were used to get the right shades of terracotta and then to soften it Jen picked creams, greys and blues such as eucalyptus and viburnum blueberry. She also included her favourite flower of the moment, the chocolate cosmos, as a contrast to the lighter hues. Foraging in the countryside on location for sprigs of sycamore, rose hip and oak gave the arch exactly the look we wanted: seasonal and autumnal.

I brought authentic terracotta into the tablescape with huge charger plates and matching water cups from Portuguese curator Pedro da Costa Felgueiras of Saudade. We also had terracotta tile escort cards created using calligraphy by Merrie Haig. Always important to blend the terracotta with something softer, Merrie also designed a stationery suite in pale grey with flecks of gold leaf that did this perfectly.

The talented Laura of Yolk designed the cake. Her style suited our laid back chic look exactly, the result was a three tier cake, again with the terracotta middle tier blended between two buttercream tiers all flecked with gold leaf. Laura also made some delicious marshmallow accompaniments!

Venue The Copse | Styling & Direction Jenna Hewitt | Photography Kitty Wheeler Shaw | Flowers Willowgold Flowers | Hair Patricia Soper | Makeup Mel Kinsman | Dresses Luella’s Boudoir & Otaduy | Shoes Harriet Wilde | Accessories Donna Crain & Kelly Spence | Barefoot Sandals Forever Soles | Silk Ribbons Kate Cullen | Cake Cakes by Yolk | Rings Zoe & Morgan | Tableware Classic Crockery| Terracotta Tableware Saudade | Stationery Merrie & Bright.

Lots of love…