Tropical Elegance in Devon

You could be forgiven for thinking this exotic, elegant styled bridal shoot was shot in a tropical paradise. Paradise yes, tropical… not quite. The setting for today’s inspiration was Hotel Endsleigh in the beautiful Devonshire countryside, a delightfully quinestessntially English setting with gardens to-die-for.

Amber from Liberty Pearl Photography lead the team for this project and the results are gorgeous. Using bold colourful bouquets with lots of greens and foliages, beautiful hand made local pottery (by her husband’s Great Grandfather no less!) and Darlington Crystal glassware, the result is a chic take on the tropical trend.

I photograph a lot of styled photo shoots, but whilst I was planning my own wedding I found inspiration from the trends and styles I was being drawn to as a bride-to-be! Being the photographer you don’t usually get involved in the planning process of styled photo shoots so I wanted to give myself the challenge of being ‘the stylist’ and I LOVED it! Being organised is my thing, so I loved the planning side of things.

I also wanted to show some ethnic diversity because I feel this is rarely featured in bridal magazines and blogs. I have so many African and Asian friends who are getting married but struggle to find bridal inspiration that isn’t uber traditional.

The team behind this shoot are a glorious mix of established and new to the wedding scene – with cakes by award-winning Edible Essence, Flowers by Bloom & Flourish and stunning handmade silk finishes by Kate Cullen we really did have the dream team of wedding suppliers. My husband’s great grandfather is a famous potter so I also wanted to feature his beautiful tableware in the shoot too! 

I find nature so beautiful, I love the Arcadian landscaped gardens at Endsleigh Hotel they are stunning, and I love flowers, so I wanted to use very simple wedding dresses to accentuate the bold tropical flowers and stunning backdrop of the gardens. 

Credits

Venue Hotel Endsleigh

Photography & Styling Liberty Pearl Photography

Second Shooter Grace Elizabeth Photography

Film Charlotte Dart Photo & Film

Flowers Bloom & Flourish

Cake Edible Essence Couture Cake Co.

Dresses Days of Grace, Ted Baker & The Mews Bridal

Shoes Rachel Simpson

Make-up Oksana Beauty Salon

Hair Regan Hair

Jewellery Victoria Sewart

Stationery Sincerely May

Crockery The Leach Pottery

Glassware Dartington Crystal

Cutlery The Cutlery Commission

Handmade Silk Kate Cullen

Special Thanks to Models Joylyn Katsvairo & Masuma Rahman