“Ever since I saw you, I can't think of anyone or anything else." – Melanie Karsak, Wonderland Academy: Year One

Once Upon a Time…

Welcome to a fairytale, an intimate dinner party for two.

Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, this wonderfully whimsical shoot took place in the gardens of a 5* luxury boutique, The Elm Tree, in the beautiful village of Hundleby.
Coordinated by our online Guest List planner, Amy Lauren Weddings, we speak to Amy to discover the masters behind the magic.

Natural Romance

‘The shoot was designed to showcase the beauty of an outdoor wedding tea party, filled by romance, beauty and an array of colours, local English wildflowers and styling to suit.
The flowers were one of the key aspects of the shoot and choosing the right florist with a complimentary ethos was imperative for me.

The first thing that Fran, from Limewood Flowers and I discussed were sweet peas, these are just the epitome of whimsy yet are so elegant as a wedding flower and in season at the time of the shoot!

As an eco-friendly florist, Fran works primarily with seasonal British grown flowers – cutting out the carbon footprint that imported flowers have (among other eco nasties). The furthest any of the flowers travelled was from Dorset.
The bouquet was exceptionally beautiful, with an array of unique sweet peas. The sweet peas used are a particular variety that has blended colours on the petals, making them a florist dream and a nightmare to source as everyone wants them.

Aromas To Amaze

Another aspect that was particularly unique and one of my favourite elements of the shoot where the scented candles, created specially by the talented Jane Helliwell, scent stylist.
The scent that filled the table was amazing, I wish I could have bottled it! I adore candles and finding the right scent for your wedding day is an aspect I encourage couples to consider, and Jane is the perfect person to help you create that.

To enhance the beauty, Fran used many other types of flowers including scented garden roses with trailing jasmine and the most perfect blue scabious. All these flowers had a very airy and country garden feel fitting with the whimsical theme.
“I love that working with local growers means that every week is different, and I get so use so many fabulous flowers that most people have never seen before.” – Fran, Limewood Flowers

The moss table was an idea we had right from the start to add a different dimension to the table, with the pampas grass added to create real drama but without being too dominant and drowning out the elegant flowers.

The way the shoot came together was simply exactly how we envisioned. The flowers by themselves are amazing but put them in a gorgeous garden and add a table of beautiful crockery, an out of this world cake, stunning bridal wear, stationery and a cart full of sweets, plus all the other elements: that is what makes a vision come to life.
[ngg src="galleries" ids="353" display="basic_thumbnail"]

THE DREAM TEAM

Venue: The Elm Tree
@the_elm_tree_hundleby
Coordinated by Amy Lauren Weddings
@amylaurenweddings
Design and Direction: @pinkpeoniesinspiredshoots
Photography: TTS Media
@tts_media
Macarons: The Macaron Girls
@themacarongirls
Wedding Dress: The Ivory Room
@the_ivory_room
Stylist: Stories of Style
@storiesof_style
Sweet Cart: Rachel Jane Events
Sweets: Jassies
Cake: Lily Rose Catering
Giant Card Pillows and Backdrop: Light It Up Hire
@lightituphire
Candles: Jane Helliwell – Scent Stylist
@scent_styling_co
Jewellery and Bead Tiara: Hats and Tiaras
@hatsandtiarasuk
Hair Accessories: Love to Sparkle
@love2sparkleuk
Flowers: Limewood Flowers
@limewoodflowers
Flowers sourced from
• @evolveflowers
• @oldfarmhouseflowers
• @puggsmeadowflowers
• @owlgardenflowers
• @theflowergatherer
• @bertieandfred (for the silk ribbons)
Prom Dress: Champagne and Lace Prom Wear
Stationery: Raspberry Toast
@raspberry_toast
Suit: Blidworth Menswear
@blidworthmenswear
Hair and Makeup: LSW Artistry
Models: Laura Whittle Model and Forrester Williams