This stunning wedding inspiration comes from luxury wedding planner and English Wedding member Elegante by Michelle J. Michelle’s eye for beautiful styling is second to none: the blues in this seaside wedding location are perfect. The atmosphere is romantic as can be… just look at the views as the sun sets…

I’d love to feature more Jewish weddings and inspiration features. I love reading Smashing the Glass, where this styled shoot was first shown last month. (If you’re a wedding photographer and you have a real wedding we could feature, please get in touch!) The contemporary Judaica is elegant and perfectly matched to the dreamy blue colour palette. The blue accents everywhere are perfect – the ketubah (marriage contract) is absolutely glorious and the chuppah (canopy) as delicately blue as the summer skies. Oh, and it’s positively loaded with the most breathtaking hydrangeas…

Michelle J is well acquainted with the beautiful Osea Island, a small privately owned island located just off the Essex coast and accessible via a tidal causeway. The island is offered for exclusive hire for weddings and special events. This includes the use of its four event spaces, all of its outdoor spaces and accommodation in a selection of small and larger self-catering properties, including The Manor House (often taken by the bridal party) and The Captains House (usually the base for the groom’s party).

Bringing The Hamptons to the UK for your very own destination-esque wedding celebrations!

For couples in the UK who would like all of the pros of a destination wedding, but close to home, with no flying involved, Osea Island is a great option. Reminiscent of The Hamptons in the US, the island has a cool, casual vibe and Hamptons style interiors in many of the properties. The blue colour palette chosen for the shoot is “very Hamptons” but more than that, it emulates the coastal setting. We added in white, and a pale blush peach but generally kept the palette very soft and muted. We teamed the colour palette with an elegant, sophisticated yet understated design scheme. This includes beautiful florals, lush linens, high class furniture and luxury tableware. We also added in crystal accessories to showcase the sophistication of the design without making it too glitzy.

 

We have featured two ceremonies as part of this shoot, including a Jewish chuppah (marriage canopy).
For our Chuppah, we incorporated the blue theming, the dreamy fabric and the seating just had to be the island’s classic Airondack chairs.
We staged our Chuppah (and serpentine wedding dinner table) in a garden bordering the beach front whilst the tide was in and watched the scene come to life as we progressed from daylight, through the golden hour into darkness. It was truly a spectacular and romantic setting for a Jewish wedding on a UK island.
For the Chuppah, the bride wore a beautiful Pronovias dress from Mirror Mirror London. Following the ceremony she changed into a silk crepe bias cut gown with silk organza cape, from Mirror Mirror Couture.

Our second ceremony – a non-denominational symbolic service – was staged in another of the island’s historic buildings, it’s repurposed “Power House”. The bride wore another Pronovias dress for this ceremony and we featured a ceremony arch and lots of candles.

The groom wore a statement blue suit from TuxLux London for the symbolic ceremony and a blue tux, also from Tux Lux London for the Jewish ceremony.

As a wedding planner and designer, I have always loved the idea of a serpentine dinner table and it just seemed the right fit for this styled shoot. I felt that it reflected the coastline, the waves, and also the ridges in the sand caused by the tide. Couple that with a dreamy pergola dressed with voile and the most epic fairy light canopy and we had the most spectacular setting for our wedding dinner table.

Our florals showcased the hydrangea flower; it’s a floral that I love but more than that, it’s the unofficial flower of The Hamptons.

The island’s event spaces include “The Bomb Factory” (yes, they built bombs on the island during WW2). This large building has been fantastically repurposed and can now accommodate upwards towards 300 guests for a wedding reception. We were keen to showcase this space (after all, if planning an outdoor wedding reception in the UK it’s essential to have a plan B (wet weather plan). So the shoot features an indoor dinner set up inside the Bomb Factory in addition to the outdoor serpentine table.

The design inspiration and the detailed scheme was the work of Elegante by Michelle J; but could not have been brought to fruition without a successful collaboration with a fantastic team of talented and passionate wedding industry suppliers.

Wedding planner – Elegante by Michelle J
Photographer – Stuart Wood Photography
Videographer – Perfect Moment Films
Venue – Osea Island
Florist – Gabriella Shemtov Floral
Dresses – Pronovias from Mirror Mirror London and Mirror Mirror Couture
Bridal headdresses – Dolecka Bridal
Bride’s shoes – Emmy London
Groom’s suits – TuxLux London
Hair – Cassandra Rizzuto
Make up – Make Up By Katy
Stationery – Dimitria Jordan
Production – Dreamwave Events
Ceremony Arch – Anthology Vintage Hire
Cake Table – Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium
Linens – Just 4 Linen
Furniture and tableware hire – Options Great Hire and Duchess and Butler
Judaica – Contemporary Judaica
Jewellery – Rockman Jewellery
Ribbons – Silk and Purl
Models – Daisy and Malcolm

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