Whispers from the Cornish Woodland

Ripe with colour and romance, this styled shoot celebrates the beauty of autumn in Cornwall. 'The light at this time of year is mellow and low in the sky and often everything seems almost bathed in a golden light,' explains Becca Stuart of The Garden Gate Flower Company who styled the shoot. 'I grow a lot of my own ingredients for floral work and by autumn my garden is groaning with an abundance of dahlias, late flowering roses, grasses and so much more.'

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The stripped-back rustic charm of the Stable Yard at Boconnoc made the perfect backdrop for a relaxed and intimate autumnal tablescape. Hugged by benches cloaked with sheepskins, the table, dressed in natural linen, saw florals gathered in old earthenware bottles and local pottery by John Webb. 'These bottles were dotted down the tables and blended with larger Leach pottery bowls of delicate violas, blousy roses and dried lunaria,' says Becca. 'Hugging the whole table from above were dried hops suspended in a copper frame, and finally beeswax candles with varying sizes created an autumn glow around the table. In embracing seasonal, locally grown flowers we were able to truly bring the outside in, as both tone and colour mirrored the gardens of Cornwall in autumn.'

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The locally sourced theme extends to the bridal ensemble: wearing a dress handcrafted from organic silks by Cornwall-based designer Claire L. Headdon, the bride carries a bouquet of blooms enveloped in old man's beard, which is found in the Cornish hedges in late autumn. 'Wrapped carefully in golden silks by Lancaster & Cornish, the bouquet was a beautiful blend of cafe au lait dahlias and milky cream roses,' says Becca. 'As a floral gardener, autumn is a rather special time of year for me as it's the final cut before the garden goes to sleep once again for another year.'

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