Remember our James Bond styled wedding photo shoot at Compton Verney last autumn? Well it’s gone international now. After being featured on top UK wedding blog, OMG I’m Getting Married, the editor at Hitched spotted it and featured it as part of her Themed Weddings blog for Hitched Ireland in April. And this month, she’s just featured it again, this time on Hitched Canada :-)
Which has reminded me that I’ve never actually blogged it properly on this blog! So, without further ado, here’s the full shoot info.
Why a James Bond inspired wedding shoot?
With the latest Bond movie “Skyfall” released in the UK on 26th October 2012, I wanted to do an elegant Bond-themed wedding shoot to show how brides and grooms-to-be how they could incorporate Bond-inspired elements into their weddings. When I discussed it with my favourite wedding planner Louise Harris from Warwickshire Wedding Planner, she loved the idea and sprang into action immediately sourcing the perfect models and suppliers. After researching previous Bond movies, we settled on a black tie theme with white, black, red and green as our colours, inspired by the casino tables that James is famous for frequenting.
The venue: Compton Verney
I was thrilled when Louise told me Compton Verney had agreed to be our shoot venue as it’s one of my favourite places to go for artistic inspiration. The former stately home is an amazing art gallery and one of the top 100 wedding venues according to Brides Magazine. Set in wonderful Warwickshire countryside, the house and grounds make the perfect backdrop for an elegant celebration – a wedding photographer’s dream. We created portraits of our bride and groom in the stunning white Adam Hall, in the galleries and outside in the courtyard and the grounds, showing off the lake and the amazing bridge – all locations that are available for a real bride and groom to use on their wedding day.
The car: an Aston Martin DBS
James Bond has been associated with Aston Martins since the days of Sean Connery so Louise tracked down a fabulous Aston Martin DBS, the same model and Quantum Silver colour as the one driven by Daniel Craig in the previous Bond movie “Quantum of Solace” – an ideal car for the groom to make a stylish entrance on his wedding day. Stuart from The Clean Car Company did a superb job of presenting the car ready for me to photograph – we’ve now dubbed him our car makeup artist.
The clothes
Oliver, our “James Bond” groom, wore his own classic single buttoned DJ, and Sinitta, our Bond girl bride, wore a flattering slim fitting ivory sleeveless wedding dress with train by Rosa Couture, and a faux fur stole, both supplied by Village Brides of Long Compton.
Alternative flowers, jewellery and accessories
Both Louise and I had seen the elegant alternative bouquets and buttonholes in the Tam Vo Bridal Collection and felt they fitted our theme perfectly. Tam made our buttonhole and bouquet using lilies that look and feel completely real (they certainly fooled me when I first saw them), but unlike real flowers will last for many years to come. She gave the bouquet a little extra sparkle courtesy of some Swarovski Elements*. The crystal necklaces, bracelet and head piece were also designed by Tam, as was the stylish ethically sourced buffalo horn bag.
Flowers for the venue
We felt simple structural flowers would fit the theme and Compton Verney’s recommended florists, Flower Thyme in nearby Kineton, created three contemporary arrangements in sleek black glass vases that worked perfectly in both the hall and in our casino/bar area.
The cake
We asked Lisa from Cake by Lisa Price to design an elegant centrepiece. Her four-tiered white classic wedding cake fitted the theme perfectly with its black ribbon and beads and a single red icing rose. It looked gorgeous in the Adam Hall.
The casino
James Bond is synonymous with casinos and cocktails so Compton Verney’s catering supplier, Aubrey Allen, created some very stylish canapés and rustled up a few Vodka Martinis for our couple and guests – a stylish way to greet your wedding guests before the wedding breakfast.
A card table rounded off the shoot for that Bond casino feel. A casino is a great way to keep your wedding guests entertained during your evening celebrations.
Supplier details
Photography: Linda Scannell Photography, contemporary wedding photographer
Shoot styling, planning and co-ordination – Louise Harris, Warwickshire Wedding Planner,
Wedding venue: Compton Verney, Warwickshire
Groom’s car: Aston Martin DBS available for weddings, TV and film work, photoshoots, promotional and marketing events, and shows and static displays, www.one77.co.uk
Car preparation: Stuart Porter from The Clean Car Company – Vehicle Appearance Specialists, Bespoke Valeting and Detailing Solutions
Wedding dress and stole: Village Brides of Long Compton, the main stockists for the Rosa Couture collection in the Cotswolds
Alternative bridal bouquets, buttonhole, jewellery, tiara and handbag: Tam Vo Company, bespoke accessory designer
Venue flowers: Flower Thyme, specialists in wedding flower design
Hair and makeup: Colleen Phelan, international freelance hair and makeup artist
Wedding cake: Cake by Lisa Price, Specialist in bespoke cakes, cupcakes and cakepops
Canapes, cocktails and waiting staff: Aubrey Allen bespoke catering service
Models
Bride: Sinitta Marie Hunter, www.starnow.co.uk/SinittaMarie
Groom: Oliver Turner, www.starnow.co.uk/oliverturner2
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