Bickleigh Castle styled shoot

Merging nature with romance and realism, the Pre-Raphaelite movement was one of the Victorian age's most evocative aesthetics, here captured to wow-worthy effect during a specially styled shoot at Bickleigh Castle, whose Great Hall, 6th century chapel and gorgeous gardens provided the perfect backdrop.

Organised by professional photographer Laura from Freeformimages, the idea was to showcase an array of suppliers while evoking the mood of the artistic movement through a carefully curated assortment of flowers, fashion and styling.

The bride's beautiful powder blue two-piece is as romantic as it is ethereal, with the petal bust pleated bodice created from a draping experiment by Lynsey from Dandelions & Pearls "after feeling inspired by a visit to the Dior exhibition at the V&A last year. Seeing a true master couturier's work in person was a dream come true and when I returned home I was so inspired that I set to work experimenting with draping and pleating techniques with no real finished garment in mind.'

'Ball gown/princess dresses are not usually our thing, so we decided to give it a more modern feel by making it a two piece cropped top and skirt. We love the flexibility of separates as a bride is much more likely to wear the pieces again making them a sustainable option too: When designing a bespoke wedding dress we like to think outside the box and create something a bit different from your traditional white dress,' she explains.

Unity Event Design were integral to the overall styling and provided the decor, choosing elegant golds to pair with the rich velvet, accompanied by an array of candelabras to create a warm glowing atmosphere. Meanwhile, the floristry portrayed the Pre-Raphaelite palette with panache courtesy of bright warm copper roses that contrasted with the deep hues of hydrangea and astrantia. Texture and depth was achieved with dried Protea flowers, blue green Echinop thistles and dusky pink Waxflowers, while a little trailing ivy gave the final romantic touch.

The finishing touches completed the scene, including stationery by Emma Castle who effortlessly captured the rich and romantic use of flowers, using their form and movement to frame the pages. "Each piece is finished with soft paper edges and hand painted gold elements are used throughout," she says. "Mixing two fonts - traditional script and a modern type face - allowed the historical feel to translate into a contemporary stationery suite."

Blending all other elements such as the decadent gold cake, beautiful hair and make-up, and exquisite vintage-style accessories lends greater authenticity to the creative homage while ensuring a modern twist for any couples inspired to share a similar vision for their own W-day.

Credits
Photography - Laura Farmer freeformimages.co.uk
Make-up - Kath Floyd stylesister.co.uk
Venue - Sarah Hay bickleighcastle.com
Hair - Toni Gogola tonigogola.co.uk
Stationery - Emma Castle emmalouisecastle.co.uk
Flowers - Denise Cole facebook.com/petalandposie
Cake - Claire Potts clairessweettemptations.com
Dress - Lynsey & Bev Beardsmore dandelionsandpearls.com
Accessories - Janie Wolverson theluckysixpence.co.uk
Styling - Leilah Parkinson unityeventdesign.co.uk
Linens - Hannah Mortimore theprettyaccessory.co.uk
Planning and coordination Daniella Wincheser-Leigh magpieeventplanning.co.uk
Violinist - Richard Toomer musiciandevon.co.uk
Shawls - Sophie Cadogan cadogans.co.uk