ENDEAVOUR WOODLAND WEDDINGS SWANBOURNE | BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
On a cloudy April day, a group of fantastic wedding suppliers gathered in the stunning setting of Endeavour Woodland Weddings, to create one of the most colourful and vibrant wedding set-ups I’ve ever seen!
The original concept was devised by Pink Peony Weddings, and we worked in partnership together to make it a reality. With a beautiful woodland setting deep in the heart of Buckinghamshire, Endeavour Woodland Weddings was the perfect venue. It’s a sustainable site created from its natural setting, with tree canopy walkways, willow tree arches and a barn nestled among the trees.
When it came to creating the shoot, colour was the main focus and it worked amazingly against the natural wood of the venue setting. From the colourful streamer backdrop, the pop of colour on the eye make-up, bright and striking flowers, dip dyed napkins and coloured smoke bombs, it was a true celebration of colour. Traditions were also let go – tattoos were celebrated, the wedding cake was bold and bright and the table setup a horseshoe trestle layout for a unified seating arrangement.
We were so pleased to work alongside It’s Got A Kick Horsebox Bar and Vintage Camper Booths VW and glitter bar, which further added to the laid-back festival feel of the shoot. Importantly, the day showed what happens when local suppliers come together and support one another to create a unique and inspiring vision they all embrace.
We started the day with hair and make-up, expertly handled by Hair Up By Lydia and Bridal By Kaycie. The colourful make-up palette used by Kacie perfectly complemented the theme of the day, and the soft, natural curls styled by Lydia created the ideal relaxed and fun hairstyle which we wanted for this shoot.
The vision and styling was expertly pulled together by Kelly from Pink Peony Weddings. She is extremely talented, professional and super organised beyond belief, with so much creative flair. I was so pleased to have Kelly on board to help me with the overall look and feel of the shoot! After an initial meeting to brainstorm ideas, she sent me a mood board – fun, vibrant, rustic natural woods, soft candle light, bright florals and natural foliage.
After lots of behind the scenes work and countless planning calls, contacting all of the suppliers and getting arrangements in place, shoot day finally arrived! I was super excited and there was such a great buzz and high level of energy from everyone involved in the shoot! It really felt like we were all pulling together in the same direction which made the shoot run perfectly and also meant that we all had great fun throughout the day.
I arrived at Endeavour Woodland Weddings around 10am, and things were already starting to take shape, as Pink Peony Weddings and Bloomfield’s Florist had already started their preparations for the set up, so there were already some amazing colours, flowers and decorations in place which looked great! I knew it was going to be a good day right from the get go.
Jonathan, a good friend of mine, had agreed to be our male model for the day – given this was his first modelling shoot, I’m sure you’ll agree he totally smashed it and was a real natural in front of the camera.
After getting plenty of action shots I moved on to capturing some more detailed shots of things like the stationery (provided by Pink Peony Weddings), the cake (from The Cake Lab UK) and the rings (from Pyman Jewellers).
The stationery was just beautiful – packed full of colour – and everything was so well coordinated and fitted in perfectly with the relaxed festival theme we had chosen!
When it came to choosing a cake supplier to approach, I was so impressed with what I saw on The Cake Lab UK’s website/Instagram that I knew I had to ask if she would work with us. I had actually already sampled some of her work as our family had enjoyed one of her stunning creations for my sister-in-law’s 30th birthday, and it tasted incredible! Stephanie’s cakes look like works of art, beautifully decorated and with such a signature style. What she created for us in the end was just perfect!
Pyman Jewellers are local to me in Leighton Buzzard (Bedfordshire), and I was really grateful to them for loaning us the stunning silver wedding rings for the shoot, which looked great!
Couples portraits – Cristina & Jonathan clicked instantly and looked like a real couple straight away (they’d never actually met before the shoot!). They both made each other laugh which really helped everything to feel relaxed, and they got into character so well. I try not to pose my couples too much and get them to interact as naturally as possible which always makes for the best results.
It wouldn’t be a festival themed shoot without a Horse box drinks bar or VW Camper Van & glitter bar. This section of the shoot was one of my personal highlights as it tied in so perfectly with the theme and allowed the models to fully relax and have fun whilst enjoying a glass of prosecco. This sort of set-up would look so awesome at a real wedding!
Finally, we did a few more couples portraits towards the end of the day and found a beautiful open field which worked perfectly for a backdrop. In keeping with the colourful festive vibes we couldn’t resist incorporating a few smoke bombs into the shoot for good measure. Then we finished up with a quick stop off at the ultra cool fire pit and peaceful area beside the pond for the last few shots of the day.
We hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as we did creating them!
The super talented team involved in this shoot:
Photography: Brad Gommon Photography
Stationery & Styling: Pink Peony Weddings
Venue: Endeavour Woodland Weddings
Dress: Loveandlovedbridal
Videography: James Feaver
Flowers: Bloomfields Flowers
Cake: The Cake Lab UK
Favours: Emily’s Lollies
Hair: Hair Up By Lydia
Makeup: Bridal By Kaycie
Suits: Fogarty Formal Hire
Model: Cristina DiMeo
Hair Piece: SKOORAH
Rings: Pyman Jewellers
Horse Box: It’s Got A Kick
VW Camper: Vintage Camper Booths
Confetti: Proper Confetti
Banner: Daydreamer Creative Studio
Denim Jacket: Sewnbym.e
