I thought I’d share with you another styled shoot conceived, planned and styled by me. Yes I know cakes are my thing, but once in a while I love to unleash my creativity by collaborating with some of the best luxury wedding suppliers in the industry. Some of my previous shoots include Tulip Fever, The Two Fridas, Van Gogh’s Lucid Dreams , which all went viral, so I was a tad nervous when I came up with Pearlencia.
The premise of pearlencia was the pearl; unique and often known as the “Queen of Gems”. The favourite of Her Majesty the Queen (she is reported to have at least 3 duplicates of her often worn three strand pearl necklace), they symbolise unblemished perfection, modesty and purity.
The most popular adornment in bridal wear historically, they are often used to embellish wedding dresses and other bridal accessories.
The sole gem that is borne inside a living organism, the pearl is really a matchless gift of nature. Every pearl is unique, one of a kind and a very special creation.
I envisioned and created this shoot as an ode to the pearl, taking inspiration from the image of a gloriously beaded pearl head band created by my good friend Boe of Botias.
THE VENUE
The light and airy atrium of 10-11 Carlton House Terrace was the perfect setting for the shoot. The premises, built in 1831 to designs by John Nash, are steeped in history. The building was previously occupied by four-times Prime Minister William Gladstone, and was a First World War Hospital for Wounded Officers.
DECOR AND DETAILS
The chosen palette was a smorgasbord of pearly tones including white, iridescent cream, ivory, very pale pink and grey and hints of gold and silver.
The tablescape flowers consisted of large white and cream avalanche and bianca roses, a variety of spray roses and hydrangeas beautifully arranged in groupings in bud vases by renowned florists, All for Love.
The clear back white Louis chairs and the crystal candlelabras topped with hand made beeswax candles in pearl white were supplied by Kashi of Eden Event Design Ltd and London Event Hire.
Each place setting featured tableware from Duchess and Butler. We used their beautiful white ceramic pearl dinnerware set with beaded border, fiori crystal glasses and milk white vintage goblets.
The exquisitely embroidered and pearl beaded linen napkins, lace edged handkerchief and garter were made by Heidi of Extra Special Touch and the table linen was from Over the Top Rentals.
The specially commissioned elegant stationery was designed and created by Ananya cards. The invitation and menus were painstakingly hand embroidered with seed pearls and inscribed with silver calligraphy. They also created the iridescent marble pearl disc name cards which were a very cool addition.
The incredible 9 foot high balloon installation which served as a ‘pearl’ backdrop to the tablescape was by luxury balloon stylist, Balloonista. She used a mix of white, cream and grey pearlised balloons to create a wonderful effect.
HE DRESSES
For the first look, the model wore the glamorous lace and pearl embroidered ‘Truth’ by Ersa Atelier. The figure hugging fit and flare dress was paired with a number of Botias accessories, which included the earrings, an incredible pearl studded headband, a matching cathedral length veil and pearl slingbacks.
For the second look the model wore ‘Aime’ by Alon Livne White. The strapless silk dress worked perfectly with the rather magnificently crafted Elizabethan pearl cape Botias accessories created specifically for the shoot.
BEAUTY
The hair and make up was by the amazing Boe of Botias who expertly made up the model, coiffing her hair to perfection. She used a soft and natural palette of blush and rose pink, keeping the bridal make up light and natural. The hair for the first look was a sleek low bun with a centre parting studded with pearls. The hair for the second look was a voluminous up do which reflected the avant garde look we were aiming for perfectly.
THE CAKES
Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium created six pearl inspired luxury wedding cakes for the shoot, in her distinctive style. They included an ornate 4 tier bas relief and pearl studded split cake, a fault line cake surrounded by large pearl bubbles, rough textured pearl cascaded cakes and a dramatic 4 tiered ‘pearlode’ carved cake. The main 7 tiered cake was decorated with wafer paper frills, wafer paper circles of different sizes and edible pearls, finished off with edible silver leaf and paint.
PHOTOGRAPHY
All this was captured beautifully by fine art photographer Anneli Marinovich . We can all agree that she has succeeded in capturing the essence of the pearl in this rather special shoot.
Credits
Concept, Planning, Styling and Cakes Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium https://www.elizabethscakeemporium.com
Venue https://10-11cht.com/
Photographer http://www.annelimarinovich.com/
Bridal Styling, Hair and Make Up https://www.botias.co.uk/
Bridal Shoes, Accessories and Pearl Cape https://botiasaccessories.co.uk/
Dresses Truth by Ersa Atelier and Aime by Alon Livne White at https://morgandaviesbridal.co.uk/
Floral Design – https://www.allforlovelondon.com/
Chairs https://www.eventhirehub.com/
Table Decor and Accessories https://www.edenevent.com/
Balloon installation https://www.balloonista.com/
Stationery https://www.ananyacards.com/
Chargers, plates, and crystal https://duchessandbutler.com/
Napkins, handkerchief and garter https://www.extraspecialtouch.co.uk/
Table Linen https://www.ottrentals.com/
