Muted Minimalism: City Chic Wedding
A few months ago I took part in a shoot entitled Muted Minimalism. For those who know my work, this is very fitting for my general style, so when wedding planner Lianne from Blonde Army asked me to create the stationery I naturally jumped at the chance. Here’s some of the photography from the beautiful shoot and some words on inspiration and the theme from Lianne herself.
The Brief: A Timeless Story embodying effortless, elegant and modest styling. 1930’s vintage meets sophisticated modern showcasing the beauty of each element together and as stands alone work. A colour palette of monochrome, gold, mustard and greenery. Less is more.
Words from Lianne: “As a wedding designer I am always looking to push boundaries and create new trends and aesthetics. I wanted to create a modern and elegant design in a classic setting to demonstrate that a traditional venue doesn’t always seek traditional styling.
I came across Kent House in Knightsbridge, London and knew instantly it would provide me with with the perfect back drop for what I was trying to achieve. I love it’s original features including the herringbone floor, tall windows and drapes, marble fireplace and cascading staircase.
It’s a neutral space but still oozes history and character which meant my minimal styling would work just as I wanted it to and that each styling element would be a statement in itself, including the venue. I didn’t want to over style and add lots of colour as it would distract from the true beauty and history of the venue.
I worked with a colour palette of monochrome with accents of gold and mustard. Simple, chic and timeless elegance. I combined vintage props and modern design to have an undertone of that old time classic love but keep it fashion-forward and edgy. Understated styling that makes an impact.
One of the most important aspects for me was the stationery. This is the first glimpse your guests see of your wedding and it needs to reflect the style and vibe of your day. I worked with Natalie of Nat’s Paper Studio and she instantly understood what I was asking her to provide. She created something simply elegant with clean lines and minimal content. The textured card stock was thick, demonstrating quality, the vellum provided delicacy and the hand made wax seals showed care and attention to detail. The menu cards incorporated the place names as I wanted to keep the table as uncluttered as possible. The menus were also finished with a gold tassel setting off the monochrome design perfectly. A work of art in their own right and they really represent the vibe of the day.
My floral design was where I wanted to create something different. I was very keen to keep the florals to a minimum and create more installation pieces rather than centerpieces. I worked with the wonderful ladies at Stems and Bows and they really understood my brief of ‘more high end fashion event than wedding’. They updated the ‘floral arch’ to a wall backdrop using 3 mustard vases and a mixture of pampas, white blossom and tall foliage. I loved how we could rearrange the vases to create different scenes and use them in different areas of the venue.
The brides look was created by an absolute dream team. Minimal, modest and fashion inspired was the brief. Sylwia Kunysz (MUA) made the models skin glow and enhanced her natural beauty with soft copper tones. Zoe of Knot Your Average Bride created tousled loose waves for an effortless look. Mcfayden Millinery provided a stunning, hand made 1930’s inspired chapel veil which added that vintage contrast to the brides modern and fresh look.
The whole shoot was captured by the amazing Lisa Jane Photography. Her style immediately appealed to me as it is raw, edgy and honest. I like the way Lisa frames her shots and how she captures details which is far from the traditional way. She really plays with light and shadow which I knew would work so well the monochrome palette and the silhouettes and shapes I created throughout all styling elements."
From a design point of view I was really pleased with how everything came together - I'm sure you can agree it looked stunning. Lianne did a sterling job and the shoot was exactly how she had described it to be. Loved being involved and hope to work with the mighty Blonde Army again soon.
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Words by Lianne from Blonde Army
Concept, planning and styling by Lianne of Blonde Army | Photography by Lisa of Lisa Jane Photography | Stationery by Natalie of Nat’s Paper Studio | Videography by Rachel of Rachel Takes Pictures | Venue is Kent House, Knightsbridge London | Flowers by Victoria and Nicole of Stems and Bows | Bridal wear from Sigita of Jan Si Fashion | Shoes by Freya Rose London | Veil from Jodie of McFayden Millinery | Make Up by Sylwia Kunysz | Hair by Zoe of Knot Your Average Bride | Tux from New and Lingwood | Bridesmaids Jumpsuit from ASOS | Desserts by Danielle of Bespoke Bakes | On the day assistants were Chenai of ByChenai and Abbey Joy Mordue | Mustard tapered Candles from Curious Egg | Models featured are Bride, Sophia Katyea / Bridesmaid, Claire Wills / Groom, Tom Wardlaw