Wow, we sure do have a treat for you on the blog this week!
We are thrilled to welcome Lindsay Coleman from Wide Sky Weddings to The Boho Bride Guide Blog. Lindsay is a wedding planner based in beautiful Scotland, UK.
Lindsay is kindly going to share with us her recent styled shoot in the Scottish Highlands. We can't wait for you to have a read of this post and admire the stunning images from this autumnal, scenic and sustainable inspired wedding shoot...enjoy!
The shoot inspiration:
The inspiration behind this shoot was three-fold.
Firstly, Lindsay wanted to demonstrate the beauty of a wedding in the Cairngorms National Park in the autumn. People tend to choose summer for their wedding, but other seasons here are even more beautiful and she wanted to illustrate this.
Secondly, Lindsay wanted to highlight the Cairngorms National Park as an amazing destination for couples to consider when planning their dream wedding location, and we couldn't agree more!
Finally, Lindsay wanted to demonstrate that a wedding can be sustainable as well as incredible by using environmentally conscious suppliers.
The shoot featured the couple only, but she intended for people viewing the images to interpret it in one of two ways – either the wedding is an elopement with just the two of them, or it may be a larger wedding but with the couple escaping for a while, to enjoy some private time together away from their guests.
Although the shoot took place in Scotland, instead of featuring traditional Scottish wedding themes, Lindsay wanted it to be the landscape selling the dream. We think she has portrayed this perfectly!
The Destination:
The loch images were taken in the Cairngorms National Park and gave a stunning location for the boat shots, the picnic scene and water/woodland images. The team had woken to wind and rain, but thankfully by the time they started, the weather was perfect by the water, giving some sunshine, but also enough cloud for Catriona to capture the beauty of the loch and woodland.
The second venue was Castle Roy in Nethy Bridge. This 12th century fortress has recently obtained permission from Historic Scotland to hold weddings within the walls or in the meadow below. The castle walls created such a dramatic feel for the shoot, a medieval edge and with spectacular views of the Cairngorms in the distance.
Shoot Styling & Planning:
Lindsay from Wide Sky Weddings planned and styled the shoot. She began working on this shoot back in June and over the course of 3 months, brought on board a range of suppliers that changed from time to time. Lindsay ended up working with an amazing team and couldn’t be more proud of what they have produced.
As a planner, Lindsay offers her services to people looking to escape from busy towns and cities who wish to come to the Cairngorms for a wedding adventure set against a spectacular backdrop of the mountains. This may be an elopement or a larger wedding, and also works with couples wishing to renew their vows too.
Mhairi from The Gift Lounge in Grantown provided some beautiful wild grasses for the team to use at the castle as decoration and they just add that fabulous boho touch.
Bridal Outfit:
The dress for this shoot was incredible. Lindsay met the supplier, Jo from Julita London Bridal who recommended this particular dress, Gilded Lily.
Lindsay hadn’t realised until the day how perfect this dress was. The bride looked like a mermaid as she stood in the loch, the gold sequins sparkling beneath the water. When she was standing on the fallen tree the dress blended perfectly against the colour of the tree and as she stood against the castle walls, again, the dress merged with the colours of the ancient stone incredibly.
The fabulous vintage coat was loaned from a friend of Lindsay's who has owned the coat since her 18th birthday and for over 40 years. It looked perfect as an over garment for the dress and again, the colour was perfect for the theme.
Sustainable Bridal Accessories
The utterly gorgeous ‘Areli’ halo, worn by the bride, was made by Elizabeth Brown at Saint Beth Official. This was the final detail to perfect the look Lindsay wanted to create. It gave the style an added edge and complemented the feel of the shoot. The halo is made from up-cycled golden floral and leaf filagree, metal beads and hand painted to perfection. Stunning!
EverCreatures provided the couple with a pair of wellies each, as the obligatory ‘Plan B’ attire for any bad weather. Luckily, they were only needed to paddle in the loch!
Lindsay chose Evercreatures as they are a sustainable business. Their wellies are made from natural rubber (latex) that is harvested from a rubber tree. The latex is harvested by tapping the tree and so is a completely sustainable process.
Sustainable Wedding Jewellery:
Amy Ferguson from The Third Aye made the stunning bespoke wedding rings and the necklace for the bride. All Amy’s jewellery is made using Fairtrade, recycled silver and gold, and ethically sourced gemstones. The bride’s engagement ring and wedding band lined up to depict the contour lines of the Cairngorm Mountain range and the groom's wedding band featured a rough rock finish.
Reflecting the sequins of the golden dress by Julita, the back necklace had three gold discs with the natural texture of nuggets fresh from the hillside.
Hair & MUA:
Laura Ross from The Dolls House in Inverness was the fabulous hairdresser on the day. Her brief was to keep the look ‘fairly natural’. Laura created a stunning look for the bride involving beautiful twists with some of the hair, with the rest, curled and tumbling down. The crown needed to be fixed into the hair securely, and once in, it wasn’t falling out!
Stephanie Foran who owns The Dolls House in Inverness is an award-winning make-up artist with 18 years’ experience. The bride’s make up stayed on perfectly from 8am right until the end of the day, with only a touch of lippy needed after lunch. Make up was simple and beautifully understated with colours again, blending with the overall natural concept.
Groom Attire:
People assumed that being in Scotland, Lindsay would choose a kilt for her groom. However, the aim was for the landscape to highlight Scotland rather than any clothing, so she chose a very distinguished suit from the prestigious tailoring firm, Stewart Christie & Co in Edinburgh. This again blended perfectly with the autumnal colours of the shoot. The rich orange tie and handkerchief and even the thin orange lines running through the suit itself, suited the concept perfectly.
Locally Sourced, Seasonal Wedding Flowers:
The beautiful flowers came from Jae at The Flower Company Inverness. Lindsay requested an autumnal, rustic bouquet and buttonhole for her couple, using a seasonal mix of blooms.
The colours were amazing, deep reds, oranges, dark greens and browns, perfectly autumnal. They also lasted well beyond the shoot.
Eco Friendly Picnic:
The picnic-scape included a selection of beautiful picnic blankets and cushions made from recycled wool. The supplier, Rosie from Brolly Bucket in Glasgow, hires these out, along with the umbrellas (always needed on standby for an outside wedding in the Highlands!).
We had a picnic hamper, wine glasses and a silver cake knife from the Dell of Abernethy and a friend of Lindsay's sawed 3 wooden blocks to serve as rustic plates for her to place the ‘brie cake’, strawberries and wine on.
Wedding Cake:
The cake was supplied by Katie from Torta by Katalin. Literally everything on the plate could be eaten – homemade Mini fruit tarts, fig and chocolate truffles, cherry and coconut lamingtons, but also edible real flowers from a local organic grower, and fruit. The fact that everything was edible meant there was no waste at the end of the day and most of it was locally sourced. The colours were all rustic and blended in with the autumnal theme perfectly.
Local, Eco Conscious Wedding Food & Drink:
The picnic food was a delicious ‘Brie Cake’ from Claire at More Fine Food. Piled high on top of the round brie was an array of colourful meats, fruits and olives, again all fitting with the autumnal, rustic colour scheme. Claire uses local, seasonal produce to support other local businesses and to reduce her carbon footprint. All her packaging is eco-friendly and sustainable.
The sparkling Cuvee came from Nyetimber which Lindsay chose because it is a UK wine from an English company who are committed to a sustainable and holistic approach to the land, resources and the carbon footprint involved in producing outstanding wines. To get to the Cairngorms, it doesn’t have to travel from overseas and it tastes delicious!
They also featured the Original Angels Nectar, a blended malt from Highland and Speyside. It is a local company that also donate to the Cairngorm Trust, an organisation that supports environmental and community projects.
Wedding Photography:
Catriona from Catriona Parmenter Photography, was the perfect photographer for the shoot. Living in the Cairngorms she knows the area well and spent time prior to the shoot planning the shots we needed to create this specific theme. Her photos are very rustic and emotive, and she easily creates a mystical magic in her work. She worked conscientiously to ensure that she got all the shots that each supplier had requested, and she made the ‘couple’ and the location look truly stunning. Catriona is very mindful of environmental factors particularly when sourcing her equipment and the labs she works with. She was quite literally the perfect photographer for this shoot.
The Models:
Two fabulous models, Sylwia Kubasa and James Montgomery. James has never modelled before but I don’t think it will be the last time!
Lindsay's brand is very much about having fun, and without even mentioning this to anyone, these two fabulous people encapsulated the idea of fun naturally. The day was filled with laughter mainly due to the vibe coming from the couple.
A few words from Lindsay:
"I think collectively we were all overwhelmed with the overall look of the finished images, and how well each supplier’s contribution had worked in unison to create this perfect blend of colour and style.
I may plan an indoors shoot at a wedding venue that I will be working with in the future, Muckrach Country House. I will also aim to do a shoot for each season of the year in the future."
Keep your eyes peeled for Lindsay's future shoots as we know each one will be absolutely incredible, just like this one!
Best Wishes,
Jess
Resident Blogger at The Boho Bride Guide
@digitalwithjess
Meet the fabulous supplier team:
Wide Sky Weddings - Stylist and planner
Catriona Parmenter Photography - Photographer
The Flower Company Inverness - Florist
The Dolls House Inverness - MUA
Laura Ross Hair Design at The Dolls House Inverness- Hair
The Third Aye - Wedding Jewellery
Julita London - Bridal Dress
Saint Beth official - Bridal Crown
Stewart Christie & Co - Groom’s suit
Evercreatures - Wellies
Sylwia Kubasa - Bride Model
James Montgomery - Groom Model
More Fine Food - Brie Cake
Torta by Katalin - Mini cakes/fruit
Nyetimber - Cuvee
Brolly Bucket - Umbrellas, picnic blankets and cushions
Angel Nectar - Whisky
Jackie Hichens - Vintage coat
The Dell of Abernethy - Sheepskin rugs, picnic hamper, glasses, candelabra
The Gift Lounge - Wild grasses
Castle Roy Nethy Bridge - Location
Behind the scenes:
