Behind the Scenes: The Magazine Shoot
Back in February last year, my friend, Marie-Louise Coster, an amazing manicurist who regularly works her magic on nails at London and Paris fashion week, got together a team of professionals from the Bristol and Somerset area to put together a styled shoot.
Marie-Louise gave me a brief; the shoot was to show the beauty of winter weddings, celebrating the light, colours and textures of the season. I needed to create a brooch bouquet, hair piece and buttonhole to accessorise the look.
I opted for silver with subtle touches of purple in the bouquet, which featured a watch face at the centre. The buttonhole was created to compliment the bouquet, with a vintage silver brooch and delicate floral details of Swarovski pearl flowers and purple crystals to echo the detail on the brooch bouquet.
I took along a selection of hair accessories as I wasn’t sure how the model’s hair would be styled. I’m so glad I did; two pieces feature in the shoot - the Elizabeth vine and the Flora tiara, the former consisting of striking silver details and the latter featuring a vintage brooch, to tie in with the bouquet.
The Elizabeth Vine
The Flora Tiara
The team Marie-Louise chose were incredible; I arrived at Coombe Lodge on that cold, bright day to be ushered into a room, where makeup artist, Elle Hitchens and hairstylist, Emma, were working their magic on beautiful model, Katie. You could feel their focus when you entered the room, and it really set the tone for the morning.
I watched while Emma set Katie’s long, dark, glossy hair in curls to create waves with such ease, while Elle gave Katie a fresh, natural glow fit for a modern bride. They worked seamlessly together.
Then I met Egle Vasi, internationally published beauty and fashion photographer and I was in awe. She was so lovely and when she started taking the photos, it was incredible to watch. She knew exactly where to get the best shots and I learned so much from her in terms of lighting and positioning.
The little details: Egle making sure the dress fell just right
Marie-Louise and I sat down with male model Seb and caught up while the others were getting ready, before she set to work on Katie’s nails, which she polished in a nude pink colour with a little sparkle on the tip.
I felt like a spare part to begin with as my accessories were ready to go but having never done anything on this scale before, I wanted to help out and do my fair share.
Katie’s dress came from Clifton Brides and Seb’s suit from Men’s Hire Bristol. Seb’s suit was a blue tweed, the perfect texture for the season and it added a subtle hint of colour to the photos. I pinned the buttonhole carefully to the lapel and handed Katie the bouquet.
Katie and Seb were absolute naturals. I’ve never had the chance to see models work in real life but it was fascinating to watch. Katie’s tiny movements between shots gave variety and the pair of them looked so natural together, even when they were both freezing outside.
It was an incredible experience, and one that I hope to repeat again in the future. Thanks to Your Bristol and Somerset Wedding Magazine for featuring the shoot and congratulations to the team behind it for creating something so beautiful!
The Magazine feature in Your Bristol and Somerset Wedding Magazine. Photos by Egle Vasi
