Warm & Cozy Scandinavian Hygge

In love with this heartwarming Hygge inspired shoot, submitted by photographer Brigi of Brigitte & Thierry Photography; perfect for the chilly, rainy spell I’m experiencing in Adelaide at the moment!

Hygge is close to Brigi’s heart which is why the team wanted to create something unique and a little alternative to other trends out there at the moment.

“The inspiration came from Danish pastries, neutral colours and dried flowers. It is not every day that you see various sorts of bakery products, very simple rustic cakes and dried flowers in weddings. The main scope was to provide inspiration to brides and grooms out there who want something different and don’t necessarily dream of a hot summer day for their wedding. There are just not enough winter weddings out there and this Scandinavian Hygge intimate wedding was our way of re-creating one this year.” Brigi

The shoot took place at the beautiful Patricks Barn in Sussex, England, where Brigi felt that the interior resembled a Nordic cabin, and with all of the natural surroundings the team had the luxury of being able to take a nice little walk with their bridal couple.

The beautiful “wild and undone” hanging installation was created by Copper & Moss, along with all other dried flowery goodness and the bridal bouquet. Matching neutral coloured props and decoration was provided and styled by Idyllic Days, while lanterns were brought in by Hire Your Day. The base for the tablescape was a gorgeous rustic table with chairs and stone coloured ceramic plates, all hired from Co-Ordination Catering Hire. To complete the vision of the gorgeous Scandinavian scene, it was important that we were all on the same page when it came to colour scheme. These four fantastic creative suppliers worked together brilliantly and the whole day at the barn was entirely dreamy.

“The wintery wedding of course – in my opinion – could not have been complete without Lisa Lyon Bridal’s furry bridal shawl. The gorgeous dress was also created by Lisa; she’s such a talent!” Brigi

One of the highlights of this Scandi Hygge wedding is definitely The Garden Chef’s mouth-watering baked creations.

“I kind of wish we could capture the delicious smell of her gorgeous-gorgeous cakes in some way and publish it along with the images because it was truly heavenly. Danish pastries are one thing that we rarely see in weddings, yet in this case they were somehow the main pillars of our vision for this shoot.” Brigi

When it came to wedding stationery, the team wanted something simple, neutral and beautiful that would complement the Scandinavian atmosphere they had going on. Kelly & Toby from White Cottage Weddings experimented with textures and colours and came up with a beautiful suite of stationery, that encapsulated the vision for the shoot along with place-settings, menus and even the flags hanging on the walls.

“All in all we had a perfectly dreamy day at Patricks Barn filled with creativity, beauty, and heavenly deliciousness. The concept of “hygge” has always been close to my heart and I am really happy that we could come together with all off these amazingly talented suppliers and create a wedding style so hyggelig.” Brigi

Supplier Love

Orange Glow and Warming Vibes

We’re battling colds over here, but this styled shoot is warming our bones RIGHT up…with pops of fiery red and orange, and a warm sunset glow to die for, this gorgeous wedding inspiration shoot is packed full of warm and inviting glow. 

Conceptualised and submitted by photographer Koyahni Collins and coordinated by Kim Solecki of Borrowed & Blue Events, there are so many striking aspects of this shoot…from the florals by Bespoke Blossoms to the stunning pearl headpiece created by Emma Glover, and not forgetting the dress lent by Blush Bridal.

“The wedding season begins to slow down in October here and yet the colours of fall are in their most vibrant glory. As an artist I felt drawn to capture the beauty of these colours as a wedding pallet; the sun against the moody tones of autumn combined with real romance. Leaves like sunset, skies crisp and clear, wild love. Let’s inspire more couples to get married here during autumn and even winter! A way to stay inspired myself after a busy summer season and refresh my creativity. With the help of an amazing group of creatives this cooler weathered, modern-bohemian, love story came to life.” Koyahni

And boy did it come to life.

We’re not sure what our favourite part of this shoot was…it’s all so beautiful and visually entrancing. But quite possibly it’s the juxtaposition of the elaborate lace train of the dress, set against the rustic fields…who says you can’t have an all out glam dress and still be a rustic, knees up kinda bride!

And we have to show some love to the men too…the male model’s suit had just the right amount of boho running through it with the tweed waistcoat and the fedora hat. An awesome contrast to the brides super feminine look. But hey, it totally works!

“I came up with the idea and the theme for this styled elopement in the early days of Fall. I designed each look and chose the location, story and style.” Kohayni

After reaching out to some fabulous suppliers she had already worked with, Koyanhi took on Kim Solecki to help coordinate the remaining vendors and to organise the details. We love Kim; she knows her stuff and can really bring a sense of industry knowledge and understanding to a shoot or a real wedding.

“Everyone seemed really on board with the vision and I appreciated that. I sent out a mood/inspo board to the team and everyone was inspired from there. I think I can speak for everyone in saying styled shoots are really just our chance to play and have some creative fun. However, coordinating these styled shoots is time consuming. The inspiration is the easy part! Kimberly was a great asset, with lots of connections.” Kohayni

Hear, hear…we know exactly how time consuming they can be!

Kohayni and Kim managed to pull together a first class team who understood the brief perfectly. From the florist Bespoke Blossoms, to Emma Glover whose jewellery designs were utilised. Even down to the models…Kendra, the female model, is a friend of Kohayni’s and great to work with, so when the team reached out to her, she was down to be apart of the shoot. Kim led Kohanni to Justin the male model, someone she’d never worked with but who fit the look she was searching for.

The shoot date shifted around a bit because of bad weather which was a challenge. However, in the end, it all came together though and everyone was very professional and played their role beautifully.

“We are all friends, and in this relatively small community it’s fun once in a while to get together and be creative for ourselves.” Kohayni

Supplier Love

Seasonal Flowers: Considerations From The Experts

When it comes to choosing wedding flowers, seasonality isn’t always something which is considered. For many of us Pinterest and to some extent, Instagram, often conjure up multitudes of imagery which doesn’t truly illustrate which flowers are available in which season.  

Now here at Wed in The Wild we absolutely adore flowers…but we are no experts! However, we do have lots of super talented florist friends who are completely passionate about growing their own blooms and recommending the best in season florals to their lovely brides and grooms.

So what is ‘seasonality’? Well, it’s essentially what is in flower at different points of the year. We likely all know sunflowers appear in the summer, and that mistletoe makes an appearance in winter…but how much do we really understand the workings of our natural world?

Flowers by The Country Garden Flower Company. Photography by Jess Soper

When it comes to seasonality Patrick, from the Country Garden Flower Company based in Essex, UK,  explains that some of his clients are keen gardeners or have experience with their parents or grandparents gardens and as such, have a general knowledge of what may or may not be available at a certain time of year. However, he goes on to explain that with “the average person being exposed to every flower, nearly, at more or less all year through in supermarkets/conventional florist shops, you cant really expect folk to know exactly whats in season”.

Living in a world where we can access most things we want, whenever we want, Morgan Howells from Fleur.ish (California, USA) explains that most of her customers are “not entirely informed as to whether or not their first pick flowers are in season”. It is her job, as with many other florists, to explain what flowers are in season and give possible substitutions that will be in season at the time of their clients event.

Flower Crown by Fleur.ish. Photography by Ariele Chapman

Caroline, of Fleur Provocateur (Somerset/Dorset, UK), encourages her clients to look out of their windows, and their car windows, a year before their weddings so that they understand what is naturally on offer; berries in the hedgerows, leaves on the ground, roses in gardens.

Florals by Fleur Provocateur. Photography by DHW Photography

So, we guess it’s not always easy to tell when a particular bloom is in season?

Allison Schreck of Bramble Floral Design (Oregon, USA) explains that to the untrained eye, it is super tough to tell what season a bouquet or installation is from, especially when there are so many parameters…different counties, states, countries and continents all have different growing cycles so sometimes, it is really impossible to tell.

Bouquet by Bramble Floral Design. Photography by Marci B

For Patrick, who grows and cuts all his own flowers, online planning tools have made it all the more difficult to manage client expectations. He goes on to explain that whilst a great tool for showcasing a couples leanings on general styling, “Pinterest descriptions are only as good as the person who uploads and has labelled the picture’. What Pinterest doesn’t account for is arrangements created by florists that have free access to blooms with season stretched availability, rather than what is naturally available to florists utilising their own homegrown blooms.

Bouquet by Fleur Provocateur. Photography by Photos By Jim

Equally, Caroline goes on to say that Pinterest needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. It’s an “absolutely fantastic place to start for inspiration, but couples need to remember they are shopping without a price tag, and the many of photos are taken from styled shoots”. Pinterest has no seasonality reference point, and this is the role of your florist. 

Bouquet by Fleur.ish. Photography by Ariele Chapman

It is so refreshing to hear the views of four very talented people who are so passionate about seasonality and so welcome to sharing their knowledge with their clients for the best possible outcome. To leave you with some parting comments, we asked each florist why they are so passionate about seasonality…

“My clients love a natural, elegant, slightly wild feel…they love Oregon and the PNW. The best way to honor those loves and to best showcase them is through seasonality! And also, because it enables me to buy local – supporting local, using things out of my garden, and avoiding crazy elaborate shipping situations.” Allison

Arch by Bramble Floral Design. Photography by Hazlewood Photo

“I love that the seasonality of flowers is constantly giving us designers a new pallette to create with! Mother Nature is a miracle and I am always looking forward to what beautiful bounty she has for me every week at the flower market. Flowers make people smile, feel loved, feel appreciated, feel special…I love that I get to share that with the world!” Morgan

“As a passionate gardener, using seasonal flowers is more appropriate and best! In the future when a bride looks at her photos, you should be able to tell what time of year the wedding was held, from looking at the flowers.” Caroline

Freshly cut, by The Country Garden Flower Company

And the one that gets us every time…because, you know, we need to look after the bees!

“When you use seasonal flowers you are getting the best blooms that are flowering in their natural, unforced, time. When you get to grow and use these guys to bring to life some ones special day there is nothing better. A flower doing what its supposed to do, with added bonuses, usually scent. This is too often missing from forced imported counterparts but how much does this add to any flower. Another bonus is knowing just how many pollinators you’ve helped along the way; the garden is alive with bees and butterflies throughout Spring to Autumn. We even have neighbours that have taken up keeping bees knowing they will get well fed!” Patrick

Supplier Profiles:

Patrick – The Country Garden Flower Company (Essex, UK). Specialises in providing home grown and other British seasonal flowers to brides and and party throwers for their special days. Pushes design styles and concepts just that little bit further using flowers combined with a whole host of other materials in a wild but beautiful way – always up for a challenge!!

Website | Instagram

Morgan – Fleur.ish (California, USA). Has been in the industry for 25 years, and just as passionate about floral design today as she was when she was 15. She is as eclectic in life as she is in design, and she loves to create the unexpected, nay, the impossible! Her company thrives on our commitment to create happiness and cultivate kindness. “Floral Design with Humanity in Mind”  and they will take any opportunity to be good humans.

Website | Instagram

Allison – Bramble Floral Design (Oregon, USA). Values sustainable, low environmental impact practices. She cares about making your flowers feel like a part of the setting, like they’ve always been there and they belong there. She sees wedding flowers as the element that ties everything together and makes the whole wedding feel the way you want it to.

Website | Instagram

Caroline – Fleur Provocateur (Somerset/Dorset, UK). Established ten years ago as a leading flower design company in the South-West. Passionate about flowers, inspired by the countryside, and lead by professional design backgrounds.

Website | Instagram

Featured image by Greg Coltman Photography