Rein & Shine: An Equine Inspired Bridal Shoot!

We wanted to show to you a luxury country tale featuring a down to earth girl on her big day, heading into marriage with the love of her life… with her first love, her pony, right beside her! She’s a romantic daydreamer with a tomboyish side and her equine Prince Frankie is only too happy to assist in the proceedings. Shoot stylist and florist Lesley, of Velvet & Broon flowers, added a dash of humour and a heap of colour to this shoot inspired heavily by her life and personality. We showcased a variety of dresses with stylish country-inspired jackets and accessories, perfect for the practical, fashionable country bride. We catch the bride unaware in many shots for that down-to-earth feel, present in intimate moments between posed photographs. Our bride is having fun on her wedding day, there is nothing stuffy or traditional about this celebration!

Words by Katherine of Honey & Horseshoe Events. Images by Katie Mortimore Photography. And the backdrops from Clotstudio.

We used four beautifully unique dresses on the day, all to create looks which are achievable by today’s romantic rural bride. The Adoria dress designed by the Farnham Bridal Boutique was styled with a decadent velvet jacket and bare feet, contrasting the luxury with the humble, and the delicate feminine detailing is alluringly at odds with our bride’s attempts to hop the fence in her finery! Also from the Farnham Bridal Boutique is the more fitted Primrose dress in a sweet shade of purple, which worked so well with the abundance of colours surrounding our bride on her perch on the swing seat under the old tree. A striking alternative to the classic bridal white or ivory, we next opted for a bright raspberry dress by Needle & Thread London for our bold bride, and finally, a classic fishtail dress which was set off in style by a country hat and tweed jacket, and looked simply divine draped across the back of our bride’s pony!

Velvet & Broon Flowers carefully selected seasonal, locally sourced flowers which celebrate her passion for colour and form and created arrangements bursting with personality for our country bride. Personal touches such as thistles as a nod to Lesley’s Scottish heritage, and romantic roses like the ones Lesley’s grandmother always had a garden full of, touch again on our passion for making a wedding truly personal and unique. Blooms that are diverse and exciting in colour, shape and texture were used such as dahlias, scabious and hydrangeas, as well as Virginia creeper for depth and interest and orlaya for a lacy, bridal feel. The bouquets and floral arrangements reflect our luxury yet down-to-earth theme, with natural, earthy ferns and grasses mixing alongside striking zinnias and chrysanthemums. As with every detail of this shoot, no element was added by accident.

The Little Wedding Warehouse provided some gorgeous vintage furniture and reclaimed wood handmade tables for the shoot. Their red velvet rococo sofa is one of their most popular pieces for weddings – it provides a relaxing seating area for your guests, and looks great in photos! The velvet sofa in olive green worked well with the country theme and our equine and canine guests seemed to like it too. Handmade in Kent, the reclaimed wood tables provided a perfect setting for our busy, opulent grazing table. This featured aspects of stylist and florist Lesley’s life, reflecting a need for our bride to have her day personalised and her lifestyle shine through. Small, thoughtful touches were included as a nod to faraway family, for example, Turkish delight and crystallised fruit in homage to Granda and Grandma, and rum truffles and chocolate gingers for Mum & Dad. This reflects the grounded side of our bride, adding decadent but meaningful touches to the wedding day.

The shoot was curated to Velvet & Broon’s specifications by Katherine of Honey & Horseshoe Events, a lover of country and rural occasions and horse-mad to boot. A specialist in stylish rustic outdoor and country weddings bursting with personality, this shoot was always going to see her in her element. Likewise was photographer Katie Mortimore who is also an equine and country specialist. Her favourite session type by far is an equine cherish the dress shoot, perfect for brides who can’t have their equine loves partake in their big day.

The detail was important in this shoot, and we brought in hair and makeup artist Sarah Windsor who created two different looks for our bride, incorporating a stunning jewelled crown by Love2Sparkle. Our bride’s striking emerald engagement ring from Custom & Co Jewellery sparkled against pony Frankie’s nose and glittered among the decadence of our grazing table featuring an opulent cake, continuing with the theme of opulence vs down-to-earth.

Our bride, model and horse-lover Chrissie, took a ride around on Frankie before saying her I-dos, and her adventurous side shines through as she takes a barefoot trot through the decorated trees. After this, she embraces her wild side and climbs a tree for some beautiful, natural shots featuring classy country accessories and a chic bouquet. Our bride is full of humour, adventure and personality, and we wanted this to shine through in our shoot and show that your wedding day should be full of fun and everything that makes you, you!