Matchimony Archives

With cloudless blue sunny skies today feels perfect for sharing this Indian summer wedding inspiration with you. With bridal wear by English Wedding member Felicity Westmacott, gorgeous photography by Fleur Challis and vibrant florals from lovely Mimi Fleur, it’s a breathtaking blast of wedding loveliness I just know you’ll adore! It’s a wonderful thing to be able to showcase Felicity’s bespoke bridal designs with you: not only is her work beautiful, choosing bespoke for your wedding dress or outfit will bring you so much choice in what you wear for your big day, from fabrics to style and silhouette to the tiniest little details.

Have a magical weekend, everyone!

As Autumn draws in, a last burst of summer weather is known as ‘An Indian Summer’ – lifting English hearts with the last of the longer days. This team of professionals used the inspiration of summer colours to compliment a fusion English/Indian styled shoot. They were hosted by the beautiful Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich which was dressed by Mimi Fleur in hot pinks and oranges including traditional Indian Mala garlands.

The beauty of a fusion wedding is that one has so many cultural influences to be inspired by and it is in honouring both the bride and groom’s background that a very rich and personal wedding day is created. The grandeur of the day was captured with skill by Fleur Challis Photography whose unobtrusive methods captured all the unique details and the beautiful colours.

The shoot was organised by Sam, ‘The Wedding Owl’ who used her wide contacts to bring together the fusion wedding look. Sam also runs E-lope, collaboratively with other members of the shoot team, organising micro weddings in Kent for couples looking for an intimate ceremony.

Our stylists dressed the tables with ochre coloured cloths, atmospheric cream, burgundy and gold lamps. They layered gold edged platters, beneath ochre linen napkins finished with cinnamon sticks for a hint of ‘spice in the air’. Sam sourced traditional Indian glass and silver to make some guests feel exotic and others at home.

Flowers in hot colours, fuschia, orange and gold as well as light as a feather pampas grass complimented the ornate interior of Trafalgar Tavern. Couples can exchange vows against views over the Thames from the huge windows shedding beautiful light on the whole set up. The catering team at Trafalgar tavern treated the shoot to delicious tastes of their menu (for photography, but we couldn’t let it go to waste!) and Sam added Indian silk brocade to the serving trays to keep everything on theme.

Our bride looked perfect in a thoroughly modern mix and match ensemble from Felicity Westmacott, Bespoke Bride with touches of India as a nod to her future husband. Felicity says “I layered silk satin, embroidered organza and Indian trims to create this fusion bridal look. I love creating ensembles with elements that can be added and removed, so my brides can change their look through the day. I designed wrap over silk crepe trousers that are split up the sides, they move beautifully and reveal metallic ribbons sewn on the inside hems when our model walks. I made a tiered skirt in embroidered silk organza to wear over the top, so the sexier trousers are a surprise for the evening party.

I love the top which was both modern and simple with a plain loose fitting front, revealing the ornate gold and pearl belt worn underneath. I designed an elegant low, draped back with a nod to the fusion look by adding traditional Indian blouse tassels (latkan). My favourite part of the whole look were the organza balloon sleeves, trimmed with more Indian trim to echo the gold and pearl belt. And because you just can’t hold me back I also made another pair of sleeves, this time coming from the shoulder and finished with wide buttoned cuffs. To recreate this look: think about layering elements that contrast sheer and opaque, using a neutral base to highlight bright or metallic trims and being sexy in a modern and culturally appropriate way.”

Another incredible bespoke maker provided ornate wedding capes, trimmed in gold and colourful petals to transform the modern look into something truly bridal.

The bride’s hair was dressed in two different styles to compliment the daytime and evening looks with pearl ornaments and jewellery also designed by Felicity Westmacott. Both the bride and her maid of honour (wearing a lace top and yellow skirt from Matchimony) had their make-up done in soft colours to really bring out their best features. It’s nice to change your hair and make-up for the evening part of the party if your MUA/stylist can stay.

The handsome groom, Piyush, wore a summer linen suit in a neutral stone colour. He also changed his tie and waistcoat to compliment his new wife’s more relaxed evening look. And our gorgeous bridal model, Evie, brought along her very friendly and relaxed dog, who let us dress them up in tassels and pose for photos as part of the shoot!

Stationery design with prints in colours to compliment the theme included table plans on a hoop, name places with golden trim and invitations fit for Indian Royalty. The wedding cake was understated in size, as suitable for an intimate, city wedding and decorated with brightly coloured flowers each hand made in sugar.

It can seem intimidating to walk the balance between your own familiar culture and a new one, but with the right team of professionals on your side everything will come together perfectly. Planning a fusion wedding, whether English/Indian like this one or any combination provides so much scope for imaginative ways to honour the blend of cultures created by your new beginning in marriage. Trust your team, and your instincts and your perfect Indian summer wedding may be the end of summer, but the start of something truly magical.

The amazing team who brought this fusion wedding inspiration to life are:

VENUE: https://www.trafalgartavern.co.uk/
PHOTOGRAPHY: http://fleurchallisphotography.com/
STYLIST: https://theweddingowl.com/
PLANNER: https://e-lope.co.uk/
WEDDING DRESS: https://felicitywestmacott.co.uk/
FLOWERS: http://mimifleur.co.uk/
CAKE: https://www.simplyirresistiblecakes.com/
GROOM MODEL @piyushnigammusic
BRIDE MODEL: @misseveiewray
VEIL & CAPE: https://www.adornbyashley.co.uk/
HAIR STYLING: https://www.lalohairandmakeup.com/
BRIDESMAID WEAR: https://matchimony.co.uk/
TABLE LAMPS https://www.tablelamphire.co.uk/
WEDDING DECOR https://www.angelsandgypsiesevents.co.uk/
STATIONERY: @ribbonsnwren
LINEN HIRE: https://www.specialoccasionlinen.com/
MENS WEAR: https://www.thekentweddingcentre.com/grooms

Bespoke bridal designer Felicity Westmacott is an English Wedding member

Web: https://felicitywestmacott.co.uk

Bridalwear

An Indian Summer: beautifully creative fusion wedding style inspiration

By Claire Gould, 4 years ago

A glorious late summer inspiration shoot, with lovely Michele and Graziella, who’ve been featured on English Wedding before! I’m loving instagram right now as a place to discover some really lovely LGBTQIA couples who are modelling for wedding shoots like this, and today’s shoot is pretty special because we get to discover a little more about this gorgeous pair thanks to Stylish Celebrant Tony. The images are divine, with a sprinkling of much-needed sunshine! And I’m completely in love with the glorious yellow and blue florals on the wedding table, set in the grounds of the magnificent Marden Park Mansion. Thanks to lovely Jenny at Juno Weddings for sending this one in and introducing it with some special words below.

The aim of this shoot was to combine a fabulous real Lesbian couple with sustainable wedding elements in the beautiful English countryside. The amazing backdrop of Marden Park Mansion, surrounded by the rolling Surrey hills, provided the perfect canvas.

For this shoot I wanted it to be LGBTQ+ friendly and combined with the Pantone colours for 2021 (Ultimate Grey & Illuminating Yellow) to bring sunshine vibes to the English countryside. I wanted a sustainable element to the shoot which is demonstrated through the faux flowers used on the cake all of which will be reused and/or recycled. Inspired by Michelle and Graziella’s real love story their ‘ceremony’ was brought to life by Tony (celebrant) who used the couple’s journey as inspiration for their hand-fasting ceremony, combining 5 different coloured cords reflecting their love.

In researching their love story Tony asked Michele and Graziella what they love about each other, and these are just some of their comments

I love you because you know my fears, and stand by me as I face them
I love you because you can tell with just a look what kind of day I’m having
I love our ability to forgive one another and always find our way back
I love you because you make me feel like the most beautiful woman there is
I love you for the dreams you believe in, even when I have doubts
I love you for accepting every flaw, and building my strengths
I love you without knowing why, or how, all I know is I don’t want to stop

The love between Michele and Graziella, is so inspiring and I wanted their love to shine through the shoot and combining the bright coloured florals with the elegant surroundings bathed in sunshine brought my vision to life!

The outfits for Michelle and Graziella were supplied by Matchimony who I chose to work with on this shoot because I really identify with their business ethics and values. Their wedding outfits are designed, ethically sourced and tailor made in Vietnam, providing independence and income to local women who make their products and this for me speaks volumes about their ethical values, which married perfectly with the values of my own company and the styling for this shoot. It demonstrates that you can find ethical products for those couples who are more socially and environmentally conscious.