I think it’s fair to say that I’ve caught the styled shoot bug. My third styled shoot took place a few weeks ago, this time a Scandinavian Christmas wedding, set at Aston Hills Barn in Matlock. This one really got me in the festive mood and I’m sure you’ll see why!

A few years ago, my husband and I travelled to Finland just before Christmas and I was completely captivated by how magical it felt under the snow-capped trees. The only means of decoration they’d used were candles and fairy lights and yet it created the most romantic Christmas scene. It was this memory that inspired my poem titled “A Wintry Romance”, which in turn formed the basis for this shoot. 

Christmas is a time that’s full of magic and a Christmas wedding should be no different. I wanted to recreate the scene that inspired my poem to demonstrate that such magic doesn’t always have to involve tinsel and baubles. I pitched the idea to Bethan from Finishing Flourishes and together we came up with the idea of using elements from nature to transform the rustic barns at Aston Hill Farm into a winter wonderland. The barn was filled with pine trees and dusted with artificial snow. Playing on the literary aspect, Bethan also created some small pine tree table centrepieces from an old book. 

The magical wintry wedding dress made by Ryley and Flynn Vintage featured a delicate pearl and crystal trim along the neckline and around the waist, dramatic cape sleeves, a floor length circle skirt and a stunning train. A detachable cape veil with crystal clasps completed the look.

Two verses of my poem were delicately hand-lettered onto two tall fabric backdrops by The Handmade Sign Company and hung perfectly either side of the aisle. The stationery, created by The Cheshire Calligrapher, also featured snow-dusted spruce to create a quiet elegance for the invitation suite. The jewellery and hair accessories, handmade by Crzy Best, were inspired by the line “the pine trees were sprinkled with glitter” and sparkled beautifully just like snow. 

The simple yet elegant Scandinavian styled cake table from Little Chelly Cakes had just a hint of Christmassy red berry decoration and gold leaf. Perfectly complimenting the cake table were two pyrography wood slices with bespoke poems burnt by hand into the wood by Cowshed Creations. 

The models, Kiana and Tom, are a real-life couple who have been married for ten years and have five children. They said of the shoot, “The day was incredible. It reminded us of how much love we share for each other and how strong we have become over time. We had such a laugh together and this shoot has inspired us to renew our vows with our children accompanying us to mark how our love has grown.”

Rosanna Lilly perfectly captured the true to life emotions of the couple through her beautiful photography and Karl from Mitchell Films paired Scandinavian Christmas visuals with spoken poetry from myself to create a magical short film that brings both tears to my eyes and a smile to my face every time I watch it.

I’m excited to say that the shoot has now been published in Boho Weddings just in time for Christmas! So, all that’s left to say is Merry Christmas everyone and a very Happy New Year. 

All of my poems and quotes are protected under Copyright ©️ Sally R. Wilkes of Rhymes To Remember and are registered with The UK Copyright Service. They may not be reproduced in any form without my written permission. 

The full list of suppliers for this shoot is as follows:

Concept and coordination – Rhymes To Remember and Finishing Flourishes
Venue – Aston Hill Barns
Stylist and florist – Finishing Flourishes
Photographer – Rosanna Lilly
Videographer – Mitchell Films
Dress – Ryley And Flynn
Menswear – Blidworth Menswear
Hair and Makeup – Mazz Loxton
Poems and quotes – Rhymes To Remember
Fabric backdrops – The Handmade Sign Company
Body art – The Mobile Painting Parlour
Nails – Courtney Sherlock Beauty
Napkins – The Embroidered Napkin Company
Stationery – The Cheshire Calligrapher
Pyrography wood slices – Cowshed Creations
Earrings, necklace and hairpiece – CrzyBest
Cake – Little Chelly Cakes
Hand painted boots – Jodie Illustrates