The Siren’s Song

Images by Lucy Davenport Photography & film by roost film co.

I’m very much drawn to the rugged coastlines that we’re so fortunate to have in the UK. Whether it’s the tall swaying grass of the dunes in Sussex, the dramatic cliffs of Dorset or the stretches of sand in Northumberland – I love them all. So when I discovered The Great Terrace at Clovelly Court, in Clovelly Village Devon, with it’s own pebble beach and stunning quay vista I knew this would be the perfect place for a sea-inspired shoot with our Coco & Kat partner, Katrina Otter Weddings. This enchanting village has a timeless quality with its cliffs, gardens, pretty Manor House and cobbled streets.

With the venue chosen it was time to send the invitations to our guests. We had a custom stationery suite created by Calligraphy for Weddings with soft washed script on acetate and a beautifully blue envelope with vintage stamp.

Blue was an obvious choice for the coastal theme and to compliment, we opted for a palette of lilac grey & rose quartz.

To highlight how couples can interpret a palette we decided to create two tablescapes – one muted and one bold – this light and dark thread followed us throughout the shoot.

The blossom orchard provided a soft and romantic setting for our first alfresco scene. Delicate blush chargers from Duchess & Butler and antique silver cutlery from Helene Millot were framed by a simple silk tulle runner from Kate Cullen. Atop the runner sat an array of succulents, grasses, seashells and white pillar candles.

Our florist, Wild Spirit, created the main centerpiece around a large Tillandsia Xerographica airplant; a mix of succulents, smaller airplants, varieties of asparagus ferns as foliage and white ranunculus flowers and hellebores. Our cool blue coastal tones came through in the star shaped cluster flowers called amsonia. To complete the look, we had green sea glass place names for our bride & groom.

To stop everything from looking and feeling too ‘pretty’ our furnishings from Virgina’s Vintage Hire added a contrasting rawness. Stripped wooden chairs with unexpected pops of traditional seaside colours were a unique choice.

To reflect this first muted palette our bride wore a delicate peachy-pink beaded halter neck top and full tulle skirt from Flossy & Willow. A bespoke veil in the softest pink, made by Britten, worked perfectly with a plaited halo and soft loose tendrils. The divine bouquet, one of three created by Claire & Tami, completed the look. Dicentra Alba (White Bleeding Hearts) Blush Foxgloves, Panicum grass, hellebores, grevillia foliage, eucalyptus nicholli foliage and foraged grasses were used to create this pageant bouquet.

Our second tablescape shows that bold is most definitely beautiful – The deep Parisian Blue hemstitch tablecloth and Cassis Rose napkins by The Linen Works and the elaborate driftwood candelabra centerpiece by Nordic House were on loan from the lovely folks at Prezola. To continue the drama, we added in golden cutlery, pearl chargers, oyster shell candles from The Oyster Candle Co. and chunky wooden benches.

To anchor both tablescapes Kate Burt Cakes created this inspired grey marble-washed 3-tier cake with accompanying taster cakes brushed with gold. Delicately placed on billowing silk chiffon we added a simple urn of fresh greenery to frame. The golden seaweed, pink pearls and sugar urchin details were divine and would be sure to wow your guests.

Our second bridal look was an incredible Anna Campbell gown from Perfect Day Bride. The gorgeous pearls and beading reflected the cobbles of Clovelly’s winding streets whilst the scalloped design added a Mermaid-esque vibe. Once again we added a coloured veil and this time Britten chose blue to work against the ivory dress. This blue was mirrored in the silk ribbons adorning the bride’s incredible bouquet.

A large Allium was once again the focus and Claire threaded other flowers and foliage throughout, such as bear grass, coral fern, tillandsia xerographica, white ranunculus and eucalyptus.

Texture was key for this look and the sea breeze added a mesmerising movement to the fabrics and florals.

For the final look we wanted to channel something slinky and a little bit sexy; this metallic hued silk bridesmaid gown by Jenny Yoo at Coco & Kate stole the show. The cold-shoulder trend ticked the fashion box whilst the silvery fabric made our model look like she was emerging from the sea. We wanted to show two bridesmaid accessory options; first was this delicate crown by Feather & Coal with matching gemstones and feathery tulle detailing, followed by a traditional flower crown and bouquet.

For the crown Claire used a Spray rose called ‘blanchette’, Nigella buds (love in the mist), eucalyptus parvifolia foliage, thyme foliage, hellebores and grasses. The bouquet mirrored this beautifully with the addition of grevillia, amsonia, succulents, airplants and silver senicio foliage.

Capturing the day was our wildly talented duo – Lucy Davenport Photography and ROOST Film Co. Their combined softness and attention to detail is dreamy and we’re so pleased with how they interpreted our vision.