Derbyshire Wedding

prohibited love: vintage & rock ‘n’ roll vibes for a styled shoot at the west mill

Rachel Hirst

A Vintage Bridal Shoot at The West Mill (c) HBA Photography (14)

The stunning styled shoot that we’re sharing with you today offers inspiration for all with urban, vintage, rock ‘n’ roll and contemporary influences playing a part,.

Shot at a cool, new venue to the wedding scene, The West Mill in Derby, the talented suppliers behind this striking shoot picked styling and decorative elements that would contrast beautifully with the converted cotton mill’s raw and stripped back interiors.

The result is a highly stylish and fresh set of images which provide fabulous ideas for everything from table settings and décor to beauty and attire. To explain more about the creative thought behind the shoot, we’ll hand over the blog to florist Nadia, who planned all the magic along with her business partner Penny and photographer Ben from HBA Photography.

With images by HBA Photography. Models Hannah Bartter-Clamp, Sophie Brentnall and Martyna Morkuniene.

A Vintage Bridal Shoot at The West Mill (c) HBA Photography (19)

A Vintage Bridal Shoot at The West Mill (c) HBA Photography (18)

nadia says:

Several members of the team on this shoot had worked together previously, and created some really beautiful images in the past that were soft, romantic and very feminine. This time however, they were really keen to style a shoot loosely based on the prohibition era of the 1920’s, adding in a modern, slightly darker twist. Sultry brides and rock and roll grooms was what we were looking for!

A Vintage Bridal Shoot at The West Mill (c) HBA Photography (26)

The West Mill venue has so many quirky, intrinsically unique features that they were keen to highlight the style of the venue as well as playing with a more edgy, masculine vibe. Most shoots are very much geared towards the bride so they wanted to create something that grooms could connect with too.

When it came to the styling, the team wanted to work with the raw, urban nature of The West Mill, with its exposed brick work, rusted ceilings and slate floors, so used accessories such as copper lanterns and handmade cement table numbers to really tie in with this.

A Vintage Bridal Shoot at The West Mill (c) HBA Photography (63)

The soft white and green floral styling by Nadia Di Tullio, again cut a great contrast to the mill’s interior. But they also wanted the glamour of the stunning Belle & Bunty dresses, Florrie & Eve hair piece and stylish Rachel Simpson shoes to cut a sharp contrast.

A Vintage Bridal Shoot at The West Mill (c) HBA Photography (56)

The models had soft, luminous make up, beautifully applied by Jenni Hughes, but the hair was just a touch more rock and roll, something Kiki and Holly, of Air Hairdressing, excelled at.

A Vintage Bridal Shoot at The West Mill (c) HBA Photography (50)

The rustic Speakeasy Bar looked really effective against the back drop of the cut glass chandeliers, and the silky smooth satin dresses, looked amazing next to the rough paint and worn metal panels. The contrasts worked beautifully and it was just what they had hoped for.

A Vintage Bridal Shoot at The West Mill (c) HBA Photography (47)

To complete the scene we had stationery from Best Day Ever, cakes by Yummy Little Cakes, vintage china provided by Darby & Joan and draping from Fabric Theatre.

A Vintage Bridal Shoot at The West Mill (c) HBA Photography (35)

The day of the shoot was ram packed full from start to finish, and everyone really pulled together to make it work. Ben didn’t stop shooting from the minute he arrived and was full of new perspectives that helped with the moody look of the final images. Penny was on top styling form as she coordinated the whole group all day, and Nadia was a dab hand with the flowers, candles and smoke machine!

A Vintage Bridal Shoot at The West Mill (c) HBA Photography (29)

Everyone involved is utterly speechless still when they look at the images and are so proud of what was achieved.

the big picture

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