It is no secret that I am absolutely smitten (verging on obsessed) with all things Downton Abbey – has everyone seen series 4 now? I fear I rather put my foot in it last year, with THE wedding. But fear not, for this isn’t a revelation, rather a proclamation of my undying love for everything Crawley, and the most gorgeous wedding inspiration shoot to boot!

Today’s fabulous inspiration shoot started simply as a vision between the super talented Celebrating Love by Marcie and Kimberly Brooke Photography (whose obsession with Downton Abbey nearly rivals mine) almost two years ago. From the moment I caught sight of it, its perfect styling and beautiful photography had me swooning and I just knew you would love all the charming elements as much as I do. Anyway, that’s enough from me, I am going to hand you over to the lovely ladies behind the lens, Marcie and Kimberly…

“As with all crazy creatives, right after doing a bridal show together we were ready for our next project. Kimberly felt Victorian was going to be making a comeback and I started envisioning it immediately! When I caught Downton Abbey fever and found The Stone Mill 1792 venue I knew it was time to make this shoot happen. I replayed the wedding scenes ten times! Pulling together a period piece can be tricky but this group of vendors were incredible.  We actually pulled this together in just three weeks!

Downton Abbey runs right into the beginning of the roaring 20s so we just touched on The Great Gatsby look a little through the party guests dress and some of the jewelry and hair. I tend to be partial to neutrals, which are fitting for the era and the location. Stacey Bowen Flowers brought my vision to life with the gorgeous overflowing pieces she created. They were incredibly old fashioned and romantic full of roses, peonies, hydrangeas, Queen Annes lace and plumosa.

The cake  sigh.  I sent one blurry photo from the show and a few ideas to La Cakerie who couldn’t have created a more perfect cake. So soft and elegant. And Kimberly Brooke, our photographer brought all this to life thru her camera lens. Her talent and vision for the shots created this journey back in time to inspire modern weddings with vintage styling.  She captured the moments of old fashioned love, romance and fun perfectly…….”

“Loralee Lewis had contacted me about collaborating and her style was beyond perfect for this shoot. She is lovely to work with and created all the paperie and the Just Married rosette banner even incorporating the characters names from the show.

Cindy at Old Hat Vintage Clothing welcomed me to peruse her collection. The 2nd floor of her house was like stepping back in time. We looked thru many true vintage dresses. Some too fragile to even consider. I envisioned the 2nd model as more of a party guest/friend of the bride than a bridesmaid and when I saw the dress she is wearing in the shoot, I knew that was my inspiration! Cindy from Old Hat Vintage was also a huge help in styling our models. We weren’t able to do an authentic vintage wedding gown, so K&B Bridals graciously lent this beautiful vintage inspired lace gown for our bride. Taking the gown and our vision to Faye Daniel Designs rewarded us with jewelry sets and stunning veil and headbands.  Her custom jewelry truly tied the whole look together.

Makeup artist Heather Kum nailed the soft makeup look perfectly, drawing inspiration from photos of the Downton Abby characters. Pam Hepner styled their hair and is the owner of the The Stone Mill 1792 venue, which provided our backdrop.  Perfect vintage styling. Pam located the Model A Ford. It was the first car owned by a sweet 86yr old man, who talked lovingly about his wife he had lost several years ago. TRUE LOVE never goes out of style.”

Oh it is all just heavenly! What a wonderfully creative inspiration shoot and talented bunch of wedding professionals who created it! That cake takes my breath away each and every time and see it.

A big thankyou to everyone involved and especially Kimberly Brooke for being so kind as to let me share this with you today.

Amy

x

Photography ~ Kimberly Brooke Photography // Styling & Event Designer ~ Celebrating Love by Marcie // Florals ~ Stacey Bowen Flowers // Cake ~ La Cakerie // Stationery ~ Loralee Lewis // Wedding Gown ~ K&B Bridals // Custom Jewellery ~ Faye Daniel Designs // Hair & Venue ~ Pam Hepner and The Stone Mill 1792 // Make-up ~ Heather Kum // Vintage Gown & Props ~ Old Hat Vintage Clothing // Tuxedo ~ Benns Menswear