E D I T O R I A L . 1 2

MANDARIN ORIENTAL HYDE PARK

This glamorous London based wedding editorial was curated by Daphne Mercier Events and brought to life by a huge team of suppliers.

The glamour of the hotel celebrated throughout the story.

“The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park was the perfect backdrop for my vision as it brought a timeless luxury element to the shoot and provided a variety of elegant indoor and outdoor spaces to work with.

The stunning ballroom, opening onto one of London’s royal parks can of course host large parties, however it is also a great location to host more intimate celebrations this summer such as this wedding breakfast for 18 guests” - Daphne Mercier.

So much of the Mandarin Oriental features grand, ornate, traditionally stunning architectural details. But the hotel still has a very modern feel throughout. The rooms are so tastefully decorated to be contemporary, luxurious and intimate. They make the perfect setting for wedding preparation images as seen in these stunning portraits by David C Photography.

Our stunning bride wears sumptuous Fleur of England lingerie while she prepares for her bridal look. The delicate lace and ethereal silk make these the perfect, light adornments to relax in. These beautiful boudoir images are a lovely way to capture the bride’s anticipation on the day and they make the most beautiful keepsakes for your future spouse.

The bridal accessories used echo a delicate and modern look.

The hand made clay floral headband and earrings created by Viviembellishbridal are a true labour of love.

Each and every petal hand sculpted for unique texture and joined with a glass bead in the centre of the flower. The various shapes and sizes are then arranged until aesthetically pleasing. True fine art heirloom pieces!

The jewellery throughout is courtesy of Lily Arkwright. These timeless, gorgeous diamond pieces are the rings of dreams, and good for the soul too when you know they are produced by an ethically sourced, UK based company.

If your accessory of choice is the perfect pair of shoes you will not be disappointed!! Each bridal look shown throughout was paired with stunning matching ‘I do’ Jimmy Choo’s. Strappy YVETTE metallic sandals, the perfect ROMY crystal adorned heels, bejewelled beauties THRYA and dainty VIOLA sandals with tassels; they are all swoon worthy!

How’s a girl to choose just one favourite?!

For the stationery pieces I wanted to give a contemporary but soft feel to the set.

The venue illustration was to be a definite inclusion, an epic piece which deserved it’s own card to show the illustration in it’s entirety and then printed in digital gold foil on acetate, for a contemporary, but planet friendly alternative to acrylic!

Florals are a large part of the scheme with coffee roses used throughout I felt my Gentle Hermione Collection a great fit, but this time featured with a bespoke coloured illustration to give a gentle nod to the fine art and furnishings used throughout the hotel’s decor.

The main body of the save the dates and invitations are minimal using a blind debossed rose illustration and larger text details, these paired with gold hot foil pressed text on beautifully tactile cotton paper are a classic finish, ensuring the overall effect is kept understated.

Finishing embellishments such as tassels, wax seals, twine and torn deckle edges all add to the tactile trappings of the suite.

Maybe it’s naughty of me to play favourites, but I simply cannot help it!

The second Berta, (Muse by Berta, from The Wedding Club) gown shown in our editorial is just stunning! It has me feeling all the envious feels! The nude mesh and the delicate lace overlays are so feminine.

Talented photography team David C Photography seem to agree completely - “we wanted to create images that were truly luxurious and resonated with the modern fashion-conscious couple. We feel that the bridal gowns revealed are beautiful and work to perfection for modern glamorous brides.”

The bouquet by Mary Jane Vaughan coordinates with this particular dress beautifully, the soft pastels of the florals all sit with the nude mesh tones and when the look is captured amongst the venue’s white walls and classic features this is a modern and yet timeless look to be proud of!

This is not the first time I have had the privilege of being in the same editorial team as David C Photography. So I knew the images would be gorgeous! That being said there were still images that stopped me in my gallery scrolling tracks and these confetti images are definitely an example.

The second in particular is genuinely a favourite, a definite one to be framed if I was this bride! And out come all those envious thoughts again, as now I need a wedding do-over with copious amounts of confetti from Your Confetti in an attempt to capture something similar!!

The Groom’s attire was kept classic with two suits from Moss Bro’s.

The ceremony suit in a textured charcoal and the reception look in a sleek, contemporary navy, each with the very important matching bow tie!

Not to be out done the Groom’s shoes are also from Jimmy Choo.

SAWN and FOXLEY can be seen throughout the images, a very contemporary look with patent leather and two front decorative tassels.

The wedding breakfast has been styled to opulent perfection!

The days of old world glamour instantly come to mind when you see the champagne tower images. The champagne coupes filled and stacked perfectly is so very, very inviting and sure to wow the guests!!

Here the venue’s beauty is a jaw dropping experience for guests walking in to view the “exquisite dining table in the magnificent ballroom showcasing rich 24-carat gilding and breathtaking chandeliers.”

“I chose unique warm colours to compliment the decor, adding touches of gold, refection and transparency to elevate the design. The furniture pieces provided by Options Great Hire tied everything together…..The tableware in subtle hues of cafe latte with the Sicily dinner plate complimented by a taupe glass presentation plate, the Romance side plate and a smoked coloured water tumbler. As expected, the Trianon cutlery set and Marquis glassware reflected the gold touches of the Ballroom mouldings beautifully. Playing with volumes, reflections, transparency, and having different heights on the dining table without impacting guests’ conversations was important to me. This is why I believe that Mary Jane Vaughan’s floral design in conjunction with the crystal candelabras added the right dose of drama and grandeur without compromising on logistics and guests’ experience.” - Daphne Mercier Events

“The colour palette with the warm caramel and coffee colours, with a touch of gold and coral was an inspired and stylish choice. We were able to create it with coral charm peonies, vanda orchids, cappuccino and sahara roses, to which we added lightness with white phalaenopsis orchids and bowl of cream peonies. We were also thrilled to showcase our crystal candelabra in such a magnificent ballroom. It all came together brilliantly with the tableware and furniture.” - Mary Jane Vaughan.

As always there is so much to see from this shoot, and to so many I feel I have not even mentioned you or done your participation justice and for that I apologise profusely!!

Truthfully the hardest part of journal posts is choosing from the hundreds of gorgeous images and trying to keep the post succinct. (Also trying to ensure I do not overload/break the website ha!) Please remember these are my favourite aspects and from my perspective, other suppliers will I’m sure, on their websites show different aspects in more depth. So if any of the content has you intrigued, please do find the suppliers from their social handles below.

Happy to help with further details if needed too! Just let me know how I can help!

A very special thank you to Daphne Mercier Events for asking me to be a member of such a talented team!!

M A N D A R I N O R I E N T A L H Y D E P A R K

E d i t o r i a l s h o o t t e a m

P l a n n i n g , D e s i g n a n d S t y l i n g - @ d a p h n e m e r c i e r e v e n t s

P h o t o g r a p h y - @ d a v i d c p h o t o g r a p h y

V e n u e - @ m o _ h y d e p a r k

F l o r i s t r y - @ m a r y j a n e v a u g h a n

C a k e - @ c a k e s b y k r i s h a n t h i

F u r n i t u r e a n d T a b l e w a r e - @ o p t i o n s g r e a t h i r e

V i d e o g r a p h y - @ d e n e e m o t i o n

E v e n t P a i n t i n g - @ s t e p h a n i e p a i n t s t h i n g s

D r e s s e s D e s i g n e r - @ b e r t a @ m u s e b y b e r t a

D r e s s e s R e t a i l e r - @ t h e w e d d i n g c l u b

S h o e s - @ j i m m y c h o o

S u i t s R e t a i l e r - @ m o s s b r o s

J e w e l l e r y - @ l i l y a r k w r i g h t u k

A c c e s s o r i e s - @ v i v i e m b e l l i s h b r i d a l

L i n g e r i e - @ f l e u r o f e n g l a n d

H a i r - @ g i n t a r e _ h a i r s t y l i s t

M a k e u p - @ a u s r a . r u k

M a n i c u r e - @ d r y b y l o n d o n

M o d e l B r i d e - @ m a r t i n a . s u k u p o v a . d a v i d s o n

M o d e l G r o o m - @ d a n i e l k a k o u l i d i s

F a v o u r s - @ c o c o _ p e o n y _

S t a t i o n e r y - @ p e o n i e s a n d p a p e r c l i p s . u k

C o n f e t t i - @ y o u r c o n f e t t i

R i n g B o x e s - @ b i j o u b o x e s 1

R i b b o n s - @ c f l e u r s d e s i g n

N a p k i n R i n g s - @ j 9 c r a f t s

D J a n d S a x o p h o n i s t - @ b l a n k c a n v a s e n t e r t a i n m e n t

E D I T O R I A L . 9

S K Y G A R D E N S L O N D O N

M O D E R N , C H I C L O N D O N W E D D I N G I N S P I R A T I O N

The ‘Fine Art Wedding’ trend is typically associated with country estate weddings, dreamy coastal settings, or even stunning Tuscan elopements etc; but that doesn’t mean it cannot be achieved in a modern city centre environment!

Fine Art is about highlighting the bespoke artistry of each supplier, and the journey taken to create each element of your day and this editorial is a true celebration of fine art design celebrated in the modern central London venue Sky Gardens.

This editorial was the second that I have been fortunate to work on for David Austin Wedding Roses. The iconic wedding rose leading this story is the gorgeous Leonora rose. A rose abundant with petals, but so very understated. Clusters of these open white blooms produce such an elegant bouquet and when mixed with it’s smaller buds that show glimpses of blush and yellow, large floral installations create depth and interest in very subtle ways.

Mary Jane Vaughan Designs showed the Leonora roses at their absolute best in pieces ranging from a tight, abundant bouquet, long table centre arrangements for the sensational tablescape and large opulent urns that are certainly the most attention seeking element of this decor design - in totally the right way!!

The details in this editorial are careful and considered. Minimal pieces that are reflective of a bride with elegant understated taste. This bride loves pieces that have been made with great love, time and attention to detail, the quality speaks for itself.

This is not a story with everything known to weddings chucked in for good measure! Instead a beautiful example of how less can definitely be more! A stunning example of this is the bridal jewellery by Nevill Argyle The two rings stack beautifully and each has a timeless design, creating a classic combination any bride would love to wear!

With so many areas of London known for their architectural details, as backdrops for portraits, this city spoils you! Whether neutral pillars and stonework, or monochromatic statues and bridge details there is a look for all tastes here.

Leadenhall Market, just a few minutes walk from Sky Gardens, is the backdrop for these modern bridal portraits, captured by Camilla J Hards Photography. I just love the pop of red these images bring to the editorial, with the main colours of red white and blue very evident in this gallery it’s a very fitting scheme to celebrate a fine art English heritage feel.

I just love this Suzanne Neville dress - so sleek and fitted at the top, the drama is all in the skirt! High at the front gives a modern, cheeky feel to our bridal look and yet the train at the back creates such an elegant, chic silhouette. It truly is a modern beauty for any fine art bride. The skirt has great movement in images and the stunning brocade detail of the fabric has a tactile, luxurious feel.

The high skirt allows the shoes to be a key seen finishing touch. For brides that are all about the shoes this dress was made for you!! Look how beautifully it displays the beautiful satin bow heels from Emmy London.

When designing the stationery for this look it was vital to keep the feel of the suite minimal, light and modern. The star was definitely the illustrated venue card within the suite. I refuse to use ‘stock images’ in my work, so I spent days drawing famous London landmarks that would create the skyline feature. Some artistic license regarding scale etc was definitely used to produce an aesthetically pleasing result; but I was so pleased to produce a piece that features London so obviously and yet so elegantly.

The stationery was to match the wedding palette of blue and white. Each piece hot foil pressed with a midnight blue pigment foil, on 100% cotton paper. It’s a tactile beauty that guests will love. Further interest was added with a Leonora Rose illustration printed in to the envelope, and finishing touches such as twine, wax seals and silk ribbon all add to the look without detracting from the design.

Any metallic finishes were in gold and this was echoed with the hot foiled address on the envelope’s reverse flap. Vellum was also introduced, echoing the transparent feel of the venue with all those windows overlooking London. It’s a suite full of so many little details that as a whole compliment each other.

The blue and gold stationery combination was carried through to the wedding table decor. Each place setting presented with a midnight blue menu with gold hot foil pressed text and name cards with blind embossed borders.

There is something so very classic about a dark blue and gold pairing, when the table also features a decadent abundance of gorgeous white roses this is a timeless tablescape bound to wow!!

Which leads me to the show stopping part of the shoot! The wedding reception at Sky Gardens - overlooking an idyllic London skyline. The Sky Garden is already a greenery oasis in the middle of concrete land, but when you add hundreds of stunning Leonora roses to the scene it is next level stunning!

S K Y G A R D E N S

Editorial shoot team

Produced for - David Austin Wedding Roses @davidaustinweddingroses

Photography - @camillajhardsphotography

Floral Design - @maryjanevaughan

Creative Direction - @kellysparkeswp

Bridal Gown - @suzanneneville

Hair & MUA - @botiashairandmakeup

Wedding Stationery - @peoniesandpaperclips.uk

Bridal Shoes - @emmylondonofficial

Wedding Jewellery - @nevillargylejewellery

Events rentals - @optionsgreathire

Bride - @alanawallaceofficial

F E A T U R E D W I T H