Following on from last week’s inspiration shoot, (that was a HIT with all you gorgeous readers!) I’d like to share with you another, this time inspired by the eagerly awaited summer smash ‘The Great Gatsby.’
*Yes, the Wedding Ideas team will be first in line to see that film when it hits our screens!* So, without further ado…here we go…
“It was late last year when we started to plan our 1920’s bridal fashion shoot. We were aware that the 1920s, and in particular the ‘flapper’ style was being revisited by several major fashion designers including Gucci and Ralph Lauren. The release of ‘The Artist’ and the forthcoming release of the new ‘Gatsby’ film appeared to guarantee that an interest in all things 1920’s was likely to become even more prominent in the coming months.
We soon started to put plans into place and were delighted when Caroline, Events Manager at The Dominion Theatre, said we could use their venue for our shoot. We had found sourcing the right venue increasingly difficult (lots of Art Deco exteriors but very few interiors!), and were thrilled when The Dominion came back with an almost immediate ‘yes’. Throughout the lead-up to the shoot, and during the morning of the shoot itself, we found the staff at The Dominion friendly and helpful. Jo, Duty Manager on the morning of our shoot, was very welcoming, and soon put us at our ease with regards to the tight time-scale we were on! She also successfully helped us navigate our way around the myriad of stairs and corridors at The Dominion!
Some things just seem as if they are meant to be, and other shoot plans soon fell into place. We had recently discovered the Posy Rosy website, their blog is a huge favourite of ours. We knew Anne-Marie of Posy Rosy would create something truly special for our shoot and sent her a mood board of images to give her an idea what we wanted. She soon came back with ideas and a design, and her finished bouquet exceeded all our expectations. She is certainly one of the nicest suppliers we have had the privilege to work with, and through the many emails we’ve exchanged over the past few weeks, she has become a friend. We also approached Nicci of Knots and Kisses, who soon sent us some wonderful Art Deco inspired stationery.
We then set about casting models for our shoot, and were soon in the enviable position of having nearly 100 applicants to choose from. We ‘long listed’ and then ‘short listed’ and after much deliberation selected Lucy and Jenilee, two beautiful models who perfectly suited our shoot and who were unfailingly polite and professional throughout.
With suppliers and models sorted we approached Elizabeth Avey and Lindsay Fleming Couture who both loved the concept of our shoot, and quickly offered us several dresses. David from Lindsay Fleming sent us the beautiful ‘Clara’ dress, and Elizabeth gave us a genuine 1920’s dress – tiny but absolutely beautiful! This dress was beautifully complimented by the gorgeous garters supplied by the hugely talented Charlotte of Atelier Rousseau.
Mel Tabner brought other suppliers on board including Sabina Motasem, Rose and Aster, Rachel Simpson and Britten Bags, and soon the whole shoot seemed to be falling into place. No photo shoot is without its difficulties, a few last minute changes had to be made, and time pressure was a real factor (The Dominion is a working theatre, currently showing ‘We Will Rock You’), as we knew it would be. We really could have done with another two hours shooting – but then we always say that!
The rest, as they say ‘is history’… and here it is, or at least our tribute to a little bit of fashion history… (and yes, we’re already planning our next shoot!).”
Words: Carol Jones: AphroditeNet Wedding Photography
