Vintage Wedding with Bespoke Monogrammed Napkins

We have some beautiful romantic vintage wedding inspiration for you today in a shoot that we couldn’t resist getting involved with. We created bespoke monogrammed napkins for the most dreamy tablescape and I’m sure you’ll agree they look just wonderful and finish the tables off perfectly!

Here, shoot coordinator and stylist Lauren Alexander of Lauren Alexander Weddings tells us all about how this vintage wedding inspiration was created…

“I wanted to bring together suppliers from all over the South West to showcase their beautiful hand-crafted work and highlight true talent in supporting small businesses with a bespoke end goal. I wanted to use the beauty and simplicity of the scenery of Bath and the iconic influence from the Georgian period, of course linking to Jane Austen. We wanted to showcase two main looks for our Bride and Groom, a more traditional vintage wedding look that would have been rather ‘Austen’ then a second look which was a more modern take on the theme.”

“Craft and using the beauty of architecture was a large influence for the shoot. It was important to me to elevate the venue, but not detract from the history and the gorgeous and iconic views of Prior Park. As mentioned craft for me and using suppliers who are passionate about bespoke hand-designed or crafted work is important. I was able to bring together 25 suppliers who all had their own special talents that were all unique yet complement one another brilliantly. From a hand-sewn hankie using Austen’s very own handwriting, to Georgian wallpaper pattern inspired ankle boots.”

Vintage Wedding with Bespoke Monogrammed Napkins

“The shoot was shot at the beautiful Prior Park College which is not just a world-renowned school, but also a fabulous venue for a traditional/vintage wedding or party. It has stunning architecture and impressive grounds, and there are many different areas of the buildings to use to suit any occasion. This shoot was held in the Palladian Mansion which is a Grade 1 listed building, and was built in Bath stone in the Georgian period. It is situated overlooking Bath, and you can see the Palladian Bridge which is breath-taking, taking you right back to Austen’s time and provides a beautiful backdrop.”

Styling – Lauren Alexander Weddings, Keeping it Vintage Devon

“As well as the coordinator I also took on the role as stylist. Looking into the world of Austen and the Georgian period, I wanted to bring to life elements that I had researched through the fabric, colours and the intimacy of a smaller Georgian traditional wedding, but bring it into a world that a modern couple would also enjoy. Fabric was a large impact upon this, as was the importance of candlelight to create a romantic and luxurious atmosphere.”

“I wanted to create something that was beautiful, classic and achievable for a couple who cherish the little things, who see the importance of sustainability, who love colour used in an elegant way and who appreciate a little quirkiness.”

Photography – Jennifer Jane Photography

“I was so excited to work with our photographer on this shoot! The shots were captured by Jennifer Jane Photography, based in Devon. Her style was excellent for the shoot because her photos are light, airy and give a true romance to the atmosphere. With a huge number of suppliers products to capture, she did an excellent job in making sure their work was captured! Jennifer kindly brought along her husband as our wonderful groom who really played the Mr Darcy character perfectly.”

Bridal Dresses – Carina Baverstock

“The two bridal dresses were kindly lent to us by the wonderful Carina Baverstock Couture. We were lucky to have two stunning dresses for our Bride to work with the two eras. Firstly a David Fielden Midsummer was perfect for the authentic side with the exquisite embroidery, higher neckline and slimmer silhouette. This was excellently placed with the other embroidery we used throughout the shoot. Then for the modern look we had the beautiful Thistle by Jenny Packham. A little more dramatic in volume, yet also sexy”

Flowers – Jasper and Quinn

“During the Georgian period, the fragrance and symbolism of the flowers for a wedding was as important, if not more important, than aesthetics. Brides would have florals comprised of herbs and seasonal blooms, collected from gardens and meadows. For this shoot, seasonal blooms were used throughout all pieces and heavily scented blooms such as lilacs and garden roses were included, as well as dill (the herb of lust) which would have been eaten by both the bride and the groom. Symbolism was included where possible – roses symbolised love, white lilacs symbolised innocence and purity, trailing ivy symbolised fidelity and delphiniums symbolised an open heart and ardent attachment.”

Cakes – Dainty Bakes

“Megan is a one of a kind baker, not only does she create beautiful and delicious cakes but she also considers and listens to the brief she is given, taken it to an even higher level. Within this shoot we researched what was seen at a Georgian wedding. A traditional, iced fruit cake was accompanied with a modern tiered sponge cake, amongst a selection of classic iced ginger biscuits, shortbread and macarons. The use of pressed and crystallised seasonal edible flowers brought a Regency pastime and sweet confection into modern day cake decoration. The floral theme continued into the flavour combinations, with the incorporation of popular Regency flavours including rose, lavender and orange blossom.”

Hair and Make Up – Shelley Gordon Make Up

“Georgian makeup, and in particular the regency era, saw a huge change in the application of makeup. This really interested me so I did some research and discovered that instead of the over painted white faced Rococo style, women were striving for a more natural complexion. I therefore decided to focus on a natural, flawless skin for Rachel’s authentic look using airbase airbrush makeup. I focused on the cheeks with liquid and cream blushes giving them a pretty, flushed and fresh appearance. For the modern Austen look I kept the fresh faced appearance but introduced liquid and powder highlight and a light sculpting powder to give a more modern glowy finish.”

“Hair was generally less elaborate in Georgian times than former years with a more Greek and Roman influence. Favouring a centre parting with braids, twists and ringlets. I used this as my inspiration when designing both hairstyles. The authentic look has ringlets piled high with a thin braid across the front, a centre parting and a heavy fringe. In the modern look I kept the centre parting but braided the fringe into a French braid first leading into a crown of fishtail braids around the head. I was then able to incorporate the beautiful crown from the lucky sixpence by turning it upside down so it looked like a diadem sitting perfectly upon the braids.”

Stationery – Ink Flower Press

“Pride and Prejudice is one of those books I keep on going back to, so I was absolutely thrilled Lauren invited me to be a part of this project. Correspondence runs throughout the book, from hastily scribbled notes to long, heartfelt letters, so it seemed fitting to create invitation suite around the concept of love letters. The finished suite includes a quote from Mr Darcy, printed in a beautiful calligraphic script on gorgeous cotton paper. To lend an air of literary elegance to the invitation itself, I chose a book font authentic to the Regency period to complement the script. A delicate ivy illustration printed on vellum finishes the suite – the language of flowers was well understood at the Austen was writing, so the significance of ivy for fidelity would not have been lost.”

Bridal Accessories – The Lucky Sixpence, Claire Lloyd Accessories, Molten Ring Company, Kayte Fawcett Shoes

“The hair accessories for our Bride were kindly given by the wonderful Janie at The Lucky Sixpence. The pearl head chain was an ideal choice for a period look due to the classical nature of pearls. They have a timeless elegance and can be worn in a number of ways. The head-chain featured vintage original diamante details on the ends with floral motifs. Again these added to the classic but timeless traditional vintage wedding look.”

“Janie created the crown especially for the shoot. She started with a vintage original brooch piece in the colours for the shoot and built around it adding silver tone leaves and Swarovski crystal. The idea behind the crown was that it could be worn in a traditional way or upside down on the head (either across the forehead or around the back nestled into an up-do) for an alternative look.”

“The jewellery was kindly lent to us by Claire Lloyd from Claire Lloyd Accessories, again mimicking the pearls which were so apt of this era, and also a classic bridal choice, Claire’s pieces were absolutely beautiful with the dresses and complimented the entire look.”

“Lisa Redman kindly lent us two sets of gorgeous leather gloves. The long elbow skimming cream gloves were stunning with the authentic look, and more playful soft blue wrist pair were twinned for the modern look.”

“Rings were from Molten Wedding Ring Company and have a raw elegance which is timeless and perfectly suited to the period and modern looks in this shoot. 9 carat white gold rings were an ideal choice for these looks as it coordinated with the colour scheme throughout and the silver toned accessories.”

“Kayte Fawcett creates incredible shoes taking inspiration from patterns, and for this she took inspiration from vintage regency wallpaper to create gorgeous boots for both our harpist and bride.”

Crafts – Ink and Thimble, The Paper Potting Shed, Extra Special Touch

“Julia from Ink and Thimble created a stunning hand embroidered hankie for our couple to reminisce and act as a beautiful reminder of the day. She used Austen’s handwriting to create the initials, and used Georgian style white on white embroidery to up-cycle the vintage and reclaimed harpists dress.”

“Heidi from Extra Special Touch created her signature and gorgeous personalised linen napkins for the table, again using a font of the era and this just added that little extra depth to the table.”

“Mirela Gorun from Weddings by Laremi created this beautiful knitted shawl for our authentic Austen to wear, snuggled in the warmth and an absolutely beautiful handmade addition to the shoot that added depth, texture and history.”

“Sustainability was brought in through many areas, one of which was from the favours that were kindly given to us by Emma from the Paper Potting Shed. Within these gorgeous fabric bundles were seeds to sow after the wedding day, and these are personalised for the couple too.”

Harpist – Cecily Beer, Ink and Thimble, Tulle and Blue, Kayte Fawcett

“Our harpist Cecily Beer was an amazing addition to the shoot bringing the tradition into a modern time. Cecily wowed us all with beautiful playing throughout, and was a wonderful model for a vintage and reclaimed dress that was found in a charity shop. Some marks on the dress were delicately and expertly camouflaged with Julia from Ink and Thimble’s bespoke hand embroidery. Another beautiful sustainable element to the day.”

“Claire Lloyd also gave us some beautiful green hair accessories for Cecily to wear in her hair which would be perfect for a bridesmaid. Cecily’s look was finished with a bespoke and beautifully created cape by Jane from Tulle and Blue. Jane said the below about the shoot:

“The research for this shoot was incredibly enjoyable – the Regency period is one of the most beautiful in the history of fashion. I used Point d’Esprit fabric for the cape, taking inspiration from the lovely polka dot muslin’s that were used extensively during that period to make delicate feminine gowns. Ladies would often wear a dainty embroidered fichu or shawl in this fabric with ruffled trims so I incorporated this feature into the neckline of the cape.” Jane also kindly created a beautiful ring pillow for the shoot and garter.”

Groom – Suave Owl

“Our Groom had two suits throughout the shoot, moving from a traditional to a more relaxed modern vibe throughout. These were kindly lent to us by the wonderful team at Suave Owl who have an excellent collection of gorgeous suits – one of which was called Darcy!”

Video – Eight Wood Studios

“Laura from Eight Wood Studios did an incredible job with our behind the scenes and story video of this vintage wedding. She captured all the little elements of the day, and she was such a pleasure to work with. Her editing was sensational, she was quick and we really wanted to capture the story of the day as I was unsure the theme would fully transfer in photos.”