An outdoors adventure with vintage transport along the beautiful riverside, followed by celebrations in a grand hall dressed in marsala and tweed with chalk board and marble design features.
See more images in our gallery and the amazing local suppliers who came together to make this shoot possible in this blog post
Photography by Farrow Photography
Really proud to have won the UK Academy of Wedding and Event Planning’s greenery SS17 Pantone® mood board competition judged by Aisle Planner this year.
http://www.weddingacademylive.com/2016/10/24/announcing-pantone-design-competition-winners/
Image Credits (clockwise):
Bouquet via Intimate Weddings
Tablescape and Cake via Blooms By The Box
Tie & Buttonhole: Photographer Jaime Y Photography via Wedding Loft
Drinks: via Classic Bride
Shoes via Marriage.com
Bouquet: Photographer Will Hartl via Brides Magazine
Stationery: Photographer Jenny GG Photography via Modernly Wed
It’s almost ironic that as soon as the weather is taking a more autumnal direction that I should start to think about next year’s springtime! Yes, the leaves might be changing colour, there may be conkers on the ground and I have even spotted mince pies in the shops today! But this is the exciting time of year when those lovely folks at Pantone® compile their top ten colours for the following spring.
We are in the throes of London Fashion Week at the moment in the UK, which is hot on the heels of New York Fashion Week (NYFW). The experts at Pantone® watched the colour trends as they happened at NYFW, with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and compiled their top 10 colour fashion report as a result of what they saw on the catwalks. There were about 119 different shows to watch at NYFW so it’s no mean feat for them to record how many people are using variants of colours. Interestingly there were a number of collections that grouped lots of colours together and gave some amazing combinations.
So, after I was left quite disappointed with the Fall 2016 report, I needed something to regain my faith and the Spring 2017 colours have done this in abundance!
Don’t get me wrong they haven’t reinvented the wheel – its a happy evolution from the 2016 Spring colour palette. What is really striking though is the dominance and prevalence of one colour in particular. Blue appears in varying shades, such as Niagara (a denim blue), Lapis Blue (a great navy colour named after a stunning semi precious gemstone) and Island Paradise (a cooling turquoise). These take the 1st, 3rd and 5th spots respectfully on the list and are beautifully relaxing, calming and proving that, according to Pantone®, these colours ‘offer options that are not just typical of seasons’ but a great transition between the seasons.
Plus it’s great to see that the supporting, accent colours are not subtle and withdrawn – its out with pastel and in with party pops of vibrant citrus colours in the form of Primrose Yellow, Flame, Greenery and Pink Yarrow. You’d be forgiven to picture slices of lemon, orange, lime or watermelon adorning glasses of long, cool summer cocktails, enjoyed whilst laying in a hammock on a tropical island paradise.
This palette of ten fresh and vibrant colours brings bright, light and sunny colours to help us get through the next few darker months! The names of the colours also add to the vision of spring flowers popping up with primroses, yarrow, dogtooth and luscious foliage (in the form of Kale). Teamed up nicely with a lovely neutral (Hazelnut) for a real flavour of nature.
There’s still some influence of the 2016 colours of the year and Pale Dogtooth is certainly reminiscent of Rose Quartz.
The top ten colours for Spring 2017 are:
It’ll be great to see how couples incorporate these colours in to their weddings next spring. If some of the unusual colour combinations from NYFW are anything to go by then we are in for some vibrant and tropical colour partnerships plus perhaps some beautiful blue gemstone décor.
Pantone® is the world-renowned authority on colour and the Pantone® Color of the Year is always really influential in any popular colour themes in fashion, interior design and weddings.
I’ve been desperate for a yellow or an orange colour to get top billing for a couple of years and I cross everything that Primrose Yellow (or even Flame) could even be the Colour of the Year in 2017 (or will it be two colours again?!) I can’t wait for the release of the news in December to find out!
A beautiful sunny late August bank holiday saw the wedding of Vikki and Dan at Cogges Manor Farm in 2015.
Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns for weddings. This is a special location for the happy couple who are regular visitors to this local venue. Plus it was a perfect blank canvas for them to add loads of personalised details to the day with hessian, white lace, dusky pink ribbons and roses. This wonderful rustic rose pink barn wedding was captured by Neil Hanson Photography.
The bride and her attendants arrived in style in a white carriage pulled by two pristine white horses courtesy of Fabulous Occasions – what a way to make an entrance! The bride wore an exquisite low back white wedding dress which consisted of a figure hugging satin underdress with a lace overlay which had a beautiful V-neck as well as a breath taking deep V-back. This was purchased from Proposals in Witney and is by Essence of Australia. The bride searched for a long time to perfectly colour match the ribbon sash herself, in order to coordinate it with the colour scheme of the day, and then attached a lace appliqué to the new ribbon.
She carried a magnificent bouquet by Distinctive Petals which included peonies, David Austin roses, wheat, gypsophila (baby’s breath), astilbe (false goat’s beard) and amnesia roses. The wheat echoed the venue’s wheat barn heritage and featured in several of the displays during the day. The peonies were also a pleasant surprise for the bride – these are her favourite flower but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to get them out of season but the wonderful florist pulled it out of the bag on the day!
The wedding continued to wow as the bride entered the picturesque barns adorned with hand-made bunting in vintage floral material, fairy lights strewn over the beams from UBE Lighting and she walked down an aisle made of straw bales covered in the same coordinating pink and white fabric. Once the ceremony was over, the guests mingled around the courtyard of the farm and enjoyed the glorious sunshine. They were able to find their names on an ingenious floral seating plan with potted plants of hydrangeas, lavender and roses stood in a wooden crate pyramid.
The table names were named after the bride and groom’s favourite local walks (their own pet names for the walks rather than their official names). For example, Fields of Love was the name of the top table which is the name they gave to the field where they were walking their dogs when they said they loved each other for the first time! The guests all sat down to enjoy a picnic courtesy of local caterer, Abigail’s Kitchen. Tables had a rustic feel and flowers were displayed in clear glass jam jars and milk bottles decorated with twine and fabric and stood on wooden slices (all supplied by the florist).
All the stationery was put together by the bride using recycled card, tags and twine bought from Razzle Dazzle Rose (who also printed their invite cards). Another wonderful personal touch was the carrot seed favours which were a nod to their romantic proposal of carrots spelling out ‘Will you marry me’ in an allotment. Read more about how the groom spelt it out in this real life romantic proposal stories blog post.
Before their first dance, the happy couple cut the charming ivory four tier wedding cake, with hand piped filigree highlighted with pearl lustre and decorated with a selection of varying shades of dusty pink sugar roses, beautifully made by The Pretty Cake Company.
The guests enjoyed a succulent hog roast from The Oxfordshire Pig Company, then danced the night away whilst Mark Cortez sang and the sun set on an amazing and truly memorable wedding day!
Not disguises by the seaside but some lovely models are required for a bohemian styled bridal shoot with a literature theme.
The shoot will take place at a stunning venue by the River Windrush in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside this October half term.
This project is supporting and showcasing local, independent wedding businesses – everyone provides their services and products for free and in return gets some wonderful lifestyle shots to use at a later date. This is a collaboration of like minded people that create great things together though don’t have the budgets to produce this kind of work if they all worked independently.
The shoot will be approximately 2-3 hours in the afternoon of Tuesday 25th October (weather permitting) and will provide some fantastic lifestyle shots for your portfolio. One fitting prior to the date may be necessary. Own transport is required to Minster Lovell, Witney, OX29 0RN.
We are looking for models fitting the following description:
WAVES – Female with long blonde/brown wavy hair, approximately 20-30 years old, 170 cms tall, size 10-14
BEARDS – Male with dark hair and beard, taller than the bride, approximately 25-35 years old, 40” chest, 32” waist
If you’re available and would like to be involved in this fantastic styled bridal shoot then please email Hanami Dream
For more information on the shoot take a look at Hanami Dream’s wedding blog
For those couples who like to think outside of the ‘box’ (or building!) when it comes to picking a wedding venue, you may be interested in having somewhere that is a complete blank canvas (perhaps literally a canvas!). Somewhere unique and flexible so that you can decorate and lay out everything exactly how you want. A shell of a place that can cater to your very own style, be built around your theme and be set in the location of your dreams.
For a magical, sometimes intimate and truly romantic experience, many are choosing a marquee alternative to ensure a personal and unusual place to say ‘I do’. With current trends of festival and Coachella style weddings, people are looking for flexibility from the next generation of marquee style weddings.
No longer just a white tented box to offer, there are now numerous tented options to choose from including marquees, katas, yurts, sail cloth tents, circus tents, canopies, Chinese hats, pavilion tents and tipis. They each offer something a little different. For examples, marquees may not offer as much character as a tipi but wouldn’t have as many poles inside. So it depends what style you are going for and what you want the space to say and do for your big day.
At the moment, I am really loving the trend for tipis. The dictionary definition of a tipi/tepee/teepee is
a tent of the American Indians, made usually from animal skins laid on a conical frame of long poles and having an opening at the top for ventilation and a flap door.
For me, the fun, unique, and intimate, tipi-shaped structure is a space your guests will never forget. They can come in different sizes and can cater for large or small gatherings. For example a single tent would be better for a smaller gathering, or as a structure for a chill out area. Whilst a large gathering can be housed by linking tipis together to create a wonderful festival vibe space.
Putting together any marquee style wedding is certainly more work than going with a bespoke hotel package but the world really is your oyster when you have a blank page to start from and you’re only limited by your imagination! Here are my tips when planning a tipi wedding:
For more guidance on what to think about when planning a tipi wedding, we suggest speaking to the lovely folks at Love Tipis. Here’s their introduction to some of the services that they have to offer, kindly written by their Event Coordinator, Michelle Mockbee.
From themes of woodland fairytale to the wild west or for the festival bride, tipis give a new approach to hiring a marquee. In the world of weddings this caters to a couple that desires an unconventional and stunning approach to celebrate your big day. (Beyond weddings, tipi hire is becoming a more common choice for family celebrations, festivals, charity events, retreats and corporate events.) Tipis may give the impression of being casual, however this feeling of relaxation comes from a coordinated team with months, or in some cases over a year of planning.
Tipis hired by Love Tipis originate in Sweden and are of substantial size, able to fit 12 Pine Wood Tables and Benches per tipi or a space for a concert and bar. The larger Giant Hat Tipis are 10.3m in diameter and link to other tipis. These tipis are also able to have the sides up, which gives the feeling of blending into the beauty of the natural environment. They also come with smaller tipis that link into the larger ones, allowing you to shape intimate tucked away spaces for a chill out or bar area. The number of seated guests determines how many tipis you will require. An average of 12 long tables with 8 to a table is able to fit per tipi, although this is a very tight fit. With round tables, the maximum you are able to fit per tipi is 7, which accommodates 10 people per table. Caterers will love you more if you hire long tables over round ones (they are easier to navigate).
There are other accompaniments such as a broad selection of LED lighting, indoor fire pits, bar, snug furniture and a dance area with a wooden dance floor. Some new additions at Love Tipis include some custom chill out or snug furniture featuring hand-stitched sheepskin cushions that settle in on apple crates. These seats serve as both luxurious seating and storage for your guests. They provide neutral tones to match any theme or colour scheme. Benches with cosy sheepskins have a lovely rustic feel, but your older family members, colleagues or friends might be giving you the evil eye all night and be quite uncomfortable. Remember you can always have a mix of chairs and benches.
Love Tipis work closely with clients to design the interior of the tipi from seating to fire pits. All the extra items you request takes up space. Exploring all the possibilities through floor plans, really allows the day to unfold before your eyes. The orientation/formation of the tipis, and how it all comes together allows for a stress free planning process. It’s their job to stress out over making sure everything fits, and they will walk you through the process so you can concentrate on the more important details, not the general logistics. They are also happy to come out for a site visit and walk you through the process. Your safety is their first concern.
For events that will go throughout the night, lighting will leave your guests breathless. Beyond fairy lights, there are many considerations. The neutral tone of the canvass allows lights to create absolutely stunning effects. For example, it is not the disco ball that catches the eye, but the reflections and patterns it makes on the canvass. LED indoor uplighters can be set to multiple colours or hooked into the sound system to change with the beat of the music. LED outdoor uplighters create dramatic effects on both canvas or up in trees. Festoon lights are brilliant for pathways and setting the tone outside the tipis. All of the lighting is LED, which is very useful if your event is being run on a generator.
Tipis have smoke holes in the centre, and they hire out firepits to go inside the tipis. They also offer outdoor fire pits to cosy up to under the night sky. In regards to walkways, they provide flame torches or vases with slow burn candles. They also have a variety of candle chandeliers to hang inside the tipis in dining areas. All of these choices are based on your budget and your theme. Love Tipis make sure that the lighitng you pay for compliments the look your are setting out to achieve.
Love Tipis have developed special relationships with certain companies to provide all encompassing packages for clients that could include glamping, accommodation, license for marriage, as well as catering with bar and dining. They work closely with three companies that provide a variety of settings and themes depending on the ambience you seek.
The Maybush Wedding Company based in Oxfordshire is a pub on the Thames that provides an exclusive package to the pub with a field that hosts bell tents and two Giant Hat Tipis for your event. There are also options of accommodation nearby, along with a beautiful and quaint canal boat to be hired. For those of you seeking a mix between the outdoors and the facilities of a pub with catering, the Maybush is happy to make your dreams come true.
The Bell Tent Company based in Brighton provides all-inclusive packages with bell tents and tipis that host for any occasion. They are able to provide a variety of venues for those seeking a glamping, festival or woodland feel. Their sites provide bell tents, luxury loos, hot showers and a real ale bar with signature cocktails. Depending on your menu preference, there are options of hiring in a wood fired pizza boxcar or Mexican style cuisine. To get away from it all for a natural and relaxed feel in a field or in the woods with bell tents, food and a warm fire, this is the company for your event.
The Beacon is an idyllic rural setting with 17 acres and three ponds nestled in the woodlands of Tunbridge Wells. The newly revamped pub is at the top of a hill overlooking small villages and lush rolling hills. Their all-inclusive package is where luxury meets the wild west. This venue is licensed for marriage ceremonies and offers a variety of options to host up to 100 guests for a Love Tipis reception overlooking the natural beauty of the ponds and woodlands. The Beacon is part of the local food movement offering a gorgeous menu, and a top-notch service. For those of you looking for that luxury feel, whilst still being surrounded by the countryside, The Beacon is a gorgeous option. Take a look at their wedding pack for more information.
Love Tipis are based in Oxford and Brighton, which lends flexibility in hiring with Love Tipis. Each venue sets a certain tone and aesthetic. The tipis are able to offer numerous styles that provide a standard of event that compares to no other. With a vast knowledge and experienced team that loves the product they provide. At Love Tipis they pride themselves in providing a high quality service to work individually with their clients and their venues. By providing custom floor plans, lighting and seating layouts of the tipis, they strive for a stress free process that is thorough and prompt.
For more information go to www.lovetipis.co.uk or contact info@lovetipis.co.uk or call the Oxford Office on +44 (0)1865 250027 or the Brighton Office +44 (0)1273 689891.
After a short hiatus (and a couple more babies between us!), Hanami Dream and Farrow Photography are proud to announce that they will be doing another styled shoot later this year.
Farrow Photography & Hanami Dream
They first joined forces in 2014 to bring to life some inspirational themes to show how you can enhance your milestone events (whatever the age of the guest). Their first shoot was based on Alice in Wonderland and they held a cute tea party to mark Alice Day (4th July).
Their next shoot followed shortly afterwards in August to mark the 75th anniversary of the release of the Wizard of Oz film. They were honoured to be able to showcase some amazing products from local suppliers in their Wizard of Oz themed children’s party.
Photography by Farrow Photography
Following the success of their previous themed photo shoots, they will collaborate once again to produce an amazing bridal styled shoot based around another well known story, The Wind in the Willows.
The shoot is planned for this autumn in the Oxfordshire countryside of the Cotswolds and we’re excited to offer the opportunity for local suppliers to join with us. So let us know if you’d like to provide products to bring our creative ideas to life in a wonderful new inspirational shoot.
The beauty of styled shoots (versus a real life wedding) is that this is your opportunity to be a little more extravagant and really show off what you’ve always wanted to do. You can indulge your fantasies. Maybe you’ve got a new product that couples won’t have seen yet or you want to create something really unusual that you wouldn’t normally do.
Styled shoots are a collaboration of like minded people that can create great things together but perhaps don’t have the budgets to produce this kind of work if they all worked independently.
Everyone works pro bono, so it is just your products that you’d need to provide to be involved. Nicola from Hanami Dream organises and styles the shoots and Sandra from Farrow Photography takes the shots. And the rewards are amazing with great imagery of your products in an amazing lifestyle surrounding, plus inclusion in all our promotion of the shoot and a feature on Hanami Dream’s blog, which is a UK Blog Awards finalist this year. So there’d be plenty of exposure of your beautiful products.
This is an inspirational and aspirational wedding styled shoot to provide images that we want to share with the whole wedding world. We live in a beautiful part of the UK and have some wonderful talented suppliers in the wedding industry right on our doorstep. So let’s show what our part of the world is truly capable of producing!
If you’re local and think you’d be interested in showcasing your products in our shoot then please email Nicola from Hanami Dream and outline what your product is and how you think it would fit in and enhance our theme. We’ve put together a mood board on Pinterest so you can get an idea of the kind of things that we’re after.
We are looking for some of the following (although this list isn’t exhaustive – if you can offer something we’ve not thought of we’d love to hear from you too):
We’ll only be including one supplier from each category (ie only one florist will be used for the whole shoot) to provide clarity and clear communication.
You can see from our previous shoots that we really like close up detail shots which show off everyone’s products that have contributed very nicely – it is all about the little details that bring any event to life.
We look forward to sharing more news as plans unfold for this colloboration.
Photography by Farrow Photography
We’ve had a gloriously sunny (albeit a bit chilly) day today. What a welcome change after all the recent wet and windy weather in the UK. Whilst it might still officially be winter, the blossom on the trees and the daffodils certainly think it’s Spring already here! Plus, every day we are gaining 6 more minutes of daylight and it’s not long until the clocks change and then we’re in the home straight to summer! Not that we’re wishing the year away but our thoughts have been drawn to the autumnal months already with the exciting announcement from Pantone® today.
Released to coincide with New York Fashion Week, Pantone® have announced their colour report for Fall 2016 with some more soothing colours following the trend of their predictions for Spring/Summer 2016.
Before you read any further, I want to get across how much of a huge fan of Pantone® I am. Maybe this is why I’m so disappointed and how I feel a bit short changed from this latest report. After the shock of getting two colours of the year in 2016, I was full of anticipation to see what the next big twist would be and what excitement was in store. But I’ve been left a little flat. It seems that half of the ten colours for Fall 2016 are duplicates from the Spring/Summer 2016 predictions. I feel like I’ve seen this before.
Forgive me, but to me the first 5 colours (of Riverside, Airy Blue, Sharkskin, Aurora Red and Warm Taupe) could easily be mistaken for Snorkel Blue, Serenity, Lilac Grey, Fiesta and Iced Coffee announced in the Spring 2016 report.
Don’t get me wrong, I really like these 5 colours, which (with the exception of Aurora Red) are beautifully delicate and calming – perfect for a wedding palette at any time of the year.
In addition, the other five colours are earthy, rich and grounding. They remind me of a fantastic laid back holiday in the autumn sunshine of Marrakech. Exploring the souks, relaxing on the terrace of a riad and looking out at the Atlas Mountains on the horizon as the sun sets. They take in all the varied beauty of Morocco including its coast, the lush valleys, stunning mountains and all the way to the desert. Isn’t it amazing how colour evokes so much feeling and memories as well as a sense of escapism!
The top ten colours for Fall 2016 are:
Pantone® is the world-renowned authority on colour and the Pantone® Color of the Year is always really influential in any popular colour themes in fashion, interior design and weddings.
I can’t wait to see these autumnal colours featuring in couples’ colour schemes and personally love the combination of Potter’s Clay, Spicy Mustard and Bodacious for being a bit different.
It’s always great to see fresh new colours and combinations, so this time I guess I’ve been left wanting (and maybe expecting) just a little bit more.
See some of our trend predictions for weddings in 2016.
Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and marriage. They can blend together families, traditions, cultures, creativity and lots of personal touches. Whether a religious, civil or humanist ceremony, a traditional or themed reception, these special days are about what is important to each individual couple.
Despite some couples’ originality, there are always trends that appear and popular themes that epitomise a particular era (think puff ball sleeves from the eighties). Sometimes fashion, films, television programmes, interior design, celebrity weddings and even current affairs influence these trends. Of course, there are some timeless and classic themes that never seem to go out of favour, and with the latest film in the Bridget Jones series set for release next year we’re sure the romantic theme will continue to be strong.
So what does 2016 hold for us? Well for one thing, it is a leap year. So will it bring about lots of proposals from women on the 29th February and encourage some excited wedding planning as a result?
It will be a time of revelry as a nation again as the Queen will be celebrating her 90th birthday on 12th June. This could prompt some street party themes using inspiration from the Union Jack colours. Red, white and blue could also be at the forefront of people’s minds with the culmination of the American elections as well.
Plus, let’s hope we’re also able to mark the achievements of our British footballers in the UEFA Euro 2016 finals in France and Spain, as well as our athletes in the Olympics next year. Maybe some sporting themes could become prevalent as a result of these events or perhaps weddings will be inspired by the Rio party atmosphere of the Brazilian venue of the Olympics.
2016 also marks 350 years since the Great Fire of London, 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare, 950 years since the Battle of Hastings and 50 years since England win the football World Cup.
Take a look at our curation of predictions for wedding trends to look out for in 2016 (and see more of our inspiration at pinterest.com/HanamiDream/):
Venue / themes
Décor
Flowers
Clothing
Colours
Cakes & catering
These are a few of our predictions for wedding trends in 2016. See more of our curation and inspiration at pinterest.com/HanamiDream/
May we take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
