A behind the scenes snippet of the how and why of styled shoots!

This styled shoot was shot within Hackthorn Hall’s walled gardens where The Tipi Tribe have a stunning set up. I wanted to use a scheme which would balance the formal grandeur of the hall with the natural romance of the gardens. The creative brief was loosely inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream so the colour palette features muted pastel shades with pops of deep, rich pink. I wanted to bring together a plethora of textures so you’ll find fluffy pampas, cut glassware, full tutu skirts and macrame detailing.

Full disclosure, we shot this in June 2021 and I naively thought I could juggle parenting a newborn and keeping every aspect of a small business going. I couldn’t, and blog writing was one of the easiest tasks to drop so I want to say a massive THANK YOU to all the suppliers involved in this one for bearing with me, you’re all flipping amazing!

I’ll put links to all suppliers at the end so if you see something you like, you know who to contact.

Why do we participate in styled shoots?

To network. Styled shoots are a great way for suppliers to meet eachother and work together, especially when first starting out. It then makes it much easier for us to recommend eachother, and when we work together on real events we are already familiar with how each person will work on the day.
To try something new or launch a new product. Suppliers may want to showcase a particular product or maybe a new venue, a styled shoot will allow you to put whatever it is at the forefront, and get those all important shots.
To stay on top of wedding trends. We all love to see what is trending in weddings and events, as a customer you want to be able to come to us to produce something inspired by what you have seen and we need to be able to deliver! Styled shoots allow us to give things a go in a space where it doesnt matter if it goes wrong, so that we can get it right for our clients.
To build a portfolio. How can you showcase what you are capable of when you are a new business or just starting out? It’s true that a picture says a thousand words, so this is just one way we can show potential clients what we’re about and what we can do for them.
To get work published. Getting work on real events and styled shoots featured in magazines and on blogs is absolutely invaluable in terms of getting our names and our work out there to a much wider audience.

How are they organised?

Someone might already have a team in mind, or they might want to launch a new product or venue and work with suppliers to build a concept around the launch. Once they have reached out and put together a dream team of suppliers to collaborate with, a mood board or creative brief will be shared so that everyone can be guided and inspired as to how everything should look when it comes together on the day.

There’s generally a group WhatsApp or Instagram group chat which will be buzzing with creative idea’s and details in the build up to the shoot. For me, this is the most exciting part of it all. There’s nothing like inspiring and being inspired by a great group of people!

What happens on the day?

Just like any event day, the venue will inform what time access is available for set up, suppliers will arrive with a flurry of boxes and tools. What usually starts off looking like utter chaos as floral designs are built, tables are set and models are having makeup applied gradually comes together as the set up is completed.

Hundreds of photos are taken and if you have a videographer present, tons of footage is captured too. I honestly don’t envy the photographers, Chloe was absolutely incredible and there aren’t any photos of her doing her thing so I can’t even show you her face - definitely a learning point for next time!

Details are endlessly tweaked and fussed with but once everyone has had everything captured that they wanted; we breathe a collective, satisfied little sigh of relief and the pack away begins. Glassware is carefully boxed up, flowers are delicately removed from their arrangements, backdrops are disassembled, and outfits are carefully packaged up ready to be taken back. Sometimes edibles are eaten at this point, there has to be some perks right? I can confirm that the chocolate favours by K and K Chocolates were absolutely delicious.

Slowly but surely the venue is back to its clean and empty state as if nothing had happened that day!