We’re obsessed with the bright and bold use of colour and neon in today’s fun and funky farm styled shoot. Roll up, roll up for a carnival celebration of colourful wedding love!
This concept was dreamed up by wedding photographer extraordinaire Jules Fortune. Jules’ photography is all about being joyful, natural and colourful and she planned to harness that vibe and then amplify it. What transpired was this gorgeously festive, boho shoot created by a team of suppliers based in Lancashire.
We’re totally not over the snaps of this one! Everytime you look, you’ll spot something new. From the multicoloured tableware, the happy designs of the stationery and the vibrant colours and patterns used on the cake, to the incredible two piece bohemian dress and the true joy on our (real!) couple’s faces. There’s a half balloon-half foliage arch as a focal point, some adorable livestock for good measure and who doesn‘t love a cheerful pop of yellow sunflowers here and there?
You’d be spoilt for choice and hard pushed to choose your perfect insta opportunity in the form of the neon and rainbow pastel angel wings! There’s also a VW bus called Billy Jean and then, in case that’s not enough for you, an amazing retro scooter, just perfect for riding off into the sunset. We’ve caught up with Jules herself to get the lowdown on this lockdown shoot.
With images by Jules Fortune Photography
CONCEPT
Jules says: The shoot is entitled Festival Brights. I pulled together a fantastic group of talented local wedding suppliers to showcase the idea. Some I had worked with before, but some were new friends I found via searching Instagram.
My wedding photography is all about being joyful, natural and colourful so I wanted to incorporate that vibe on a grander and louder scale and it became this festive, boho themed shoot. I wanted to move as far away as possible from the current trend for dimly lit overly moody wedding photography. I feel weddings should be happy & bright occasions and that should be reflected in your wedding photos.
Couples that book me to photograph their wedding want to show their individuality and be themselves rather than following a crowd or trend. The bold colour theme was an opportunity to highlight this. Although this wedding was bolder than most weddings, I must admit!
LOCATION
I have photographed several weddings at UNVEILED Network Member The Wellbeing Farm so know it well. I thought it would be the perfect venue as its style and feel is very relaxed and fun. It also has beautiful rolling fields and hills as a backdrop to the venue, so it really feels like a festival site, set completely in the middle of nowhere!
STYLING
We had a mood board for ideas and feel, but basically I just asked everyone to go bright! I then left the suppliers to their own creative visions. The suppliers would send me photos or sketches of their ideas, so we were all in loop with how it was coming together before the actual day.
I’m a planner! I’m like that on actual weddings too. I like timelines, discussions, and a few set ideas before the big day, although it’s generally very organic on the day itself. Wedding photography involves a lot of skills, one of them being time management, so time planning is essential.
Most of the suppliers I had worked with before. John from New Venture is one of favourite videographers that I have worked with, so I was pleased when John said he was getting involved. I knew that Karen from The Little Green Platter Company would provide something unique and colourful and was delighted when she designed her stunning watermelon fruit platter for the shoot. Spencer from the Bubbly Campervan Hire brought the ever so chic Billy Jean camper van and his new addition, the retro scooter, which were ideally suited to the festive theme. Antha Events showcased their awesome neon angel and balloon arch. Bride’s Little Helper provided the cute stationery.
There were new friends too, such as Amanda, our lovely celebrant and Rachel at La Beau Fleurs who made a beautiful bouquet and flower crown. Cake Occasion provided the colour and scummy cake and other tasty delights.
I had also never worked with Amore Events Styling, but I loved their Instagram page. I asked Rosie if she would like to get involved. We discussed the idea of a trestle table just set for four so that it was an intimate feel. She dressed it with bright flowers and tableware, and designed the beautiful ribbon backdrop too, which I loved.
When it came to the day of shooting it all came together beautifully, just how I had pictured it. It was as if all the suppliers had read my mind!
ATTIRE
Jayne at Foxglove Brides totally got the brief and picked the two-piece outfit which I thought was perfect. I have not seen anything like it before and it is a bold choice but ideal for our theme. I loved those sleeves too.
Vanessa and Conor at Bridgewater Menswear were amazing too. I wanted a plain coloured suit, so the dark red was perfect. It was Rachel, our florist from La Beau Fleurs, that came up with the idea for Taidgh, our male model, to go barefoot, which again worked perfectly with our styling.
Earth Links provided the beautiful earrings and headbands and Bird & Bone Designs provided our cool personalised leather jackets, which looked fantastic and kept Moira nice and warm on a chilly September day! Our models, Moira and Taidgh, are a real couple, so their chemistry was off the scale. It was so fun working with these two.
BEAUTY
Lily and Remi say: “We chose a relaxed and romantic style for hair and makeup. Loose curls with a fishtail plait to one side to give detail and soft pink hues for the makeup with a pop of bright pink on the lips to introduce colour. This look is perfect for the bride who is not afraid of a little colour and who wants to bring their personality to their hair and makeup look for their big day.
For the second look we changed the lip to a gorgeous classic red and then brought the festival vibes with our gold glitter and stars design. Perfect for the bride who is ready to dance the night away.”
RESULTS
The shoot was so much fun. A great team who really put the effort in. It was so rewarding to see my idea coming together!
One of the highlights was the retro scooter that Spencer from Bubbly Camper Van Company brought to the shoot. He had just got it a week or so before and was a great addition to the shoot, fitted with the retro vibe. The addition of giant balloons added to the whole wackiness of this theme.
My other highlight must be Amanda, our Celebrant. She got in touch with model Moira before the shoot and together they created some vows that her partner Taidgh and herself would say to each other. It was so beautiful and created some real emotion. It felt like a real wedding! Amanda also made some bright hand ties especially for the shoot which was a nice touch.
My personal aim, as well as getting the whole shoot together was to try new ideas, poses and angles. You have tried and tested poses that you know will work during a real-life wedding, but you do not always get time to try new ideas. This was a great opportunity to do just that.
I think this is my dream wedding – maybe not as bright! I just love that there is nothing formal about this wedding, including the ceremony. So relaxed, full of laughter, fun and good times. To me that is wedding day perfection.
I am currently putting all my energies into more styled shoots. Planning these shoots during this quiet period due to Covid-19 is really helping me to stay motivated and push myself creatively. It is always great to meet new suppliers within the industry, as you learn so much from each other. As they say, you never stop learning!
I never normally have this much free time, so I am using my time wisely and having the best time doing it. Watch this space for more styled shoots – until 2021 anyway, when it’s real weddings all the way!
