Refined English Inspiration

There is something very refined and elegant about the English Gentry and this is what photographer SARAH CARPENTER had in mind when working with THE SOUTHERN SOCIAL EVENTS & EXPERIENCES to style this shoot – all inspired by images of her own Grandparent’s 1949 wedding.

“England is known for being proper, put together and all together rich in traditions and grace, and my family (even though they weren’t wealthy) portrayed this image with tail coats and top hats, gloves and big blooming florals. I wanted our shoot to mirror the elegance and glamour of England during that time period, but I also wanted modern brides to feel like they could have this wedding. My grandmother had a very simple white, long sleeve bridal gown, so we went with this stunning strapless dress by Justin Alexander and added a lace jacket to give it a more conservative feel. Tea is probably the most cliche and most accurate English tradition in my family as my grandparents were very serious about their tea times and would never answer the phone for anyone during their afternoon tea, so we decided to make it a huge part of the shoot.“

ééòPRETTY IN INK CALLIGRAPHY hand painted tea cups for our place cards, using water colors to create simple English rose buds and painting guests names on the saucer while having the table number inside of the cup. The rest of the stationery was also hand painted with the same patterns and also had a touch of calligraphy to them. I love the way Ashley used an image of the WILLOWOOD RANCH Chapel on the invitations. Floral china and tea cups were set up to add traditional pieces to an almost bohemian style set up. Crystal champagne glasses and clear, glass candle holders all brought subtle touches to the table setting as well as a beautiful compote centerpiece by Petals couture. I love that Emily from PETALS COUTURE used English Garden Roses, Peonies, Ranunculus and Spray roses to really bring out the garden side of English culture. My grandmother’s bouquet was cascading so to give this shoot a modern feel, we decided to have Emily create an uneven, almost foraged feeling bouquet to match the centerpiece. And of course, we couldn’t get away from an English wedding shoot without using a vintage car. We ended up with a 1936 Oldesmobile, which ways very sleek!ééò