Being a coeliac myself, as soon as i see the term gluten free i get excited. It’s not often that i find it in the wedding world. So when this drop dead gorgeous wedding shoot was sent to me i was really happy.

Gwenda Jeffs from The Vintage Floral Design Co decided to organise a shoot with an eco friendly ethos. With sublime florals, vintage dresses, gluten free picnic food and gorgeous lighting. Eco friendly and gluten free weddings can look amazing.

Thanks so much to Heline Bekker for sharing her wonderful images with us today. Here is what Gwenda had to say about the shoot;

“The concept for this shoot emerged in a bit of a roundabout fashion, but it could be said that it all started with a lipstick – in early 2012, I went shopping for the perfect ‘vintage red’ lipstick. Ordinarily, when a shop assistant asks if I need any help, I politely decline – but on this day, the girl who asked me exuded such an instantly-likeable personality that I agreed. Over various shades of red, Lea and I discussed flowers and the vintage scene. We quickly became friends and she is truly one of the loveliest souls I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

As part of my work, I organise and style many inspirational bridal shoots and I’m always looking around for new ideas to explore. A chance meeting with Nikki of Simply No Gluten got me thinking about a shoot that showcased gluten-free food as part of an ecologically-sound theme – it just so happens that Lea is a coeliac, so who better to model for us? After a little arm-twisting, her boyfriend, Tom, agreed to model with her – and a more loving couple we could not have hoped for!

I attended a wedding last year at the Wise Wedding Venue (as a guest, for a change!) and I just knew that it would be the perfect location for us – as luck would have it, Sam Wise kindly agreed to host the shoot. I have worked with Heline many times and adore the way she captures beauty and romance in her photographs – she was a natural choice for this project. In enlisting the other contributors, I looked for people who had genuinely ‘green’ credentials. Sjaniel used organic make-up to enhance Lea’s natural beauty and Ciara of Dita Florita loaned us some exquisite vintage wedding dresses. Sandra of Little Cherry brought eco-friendly picnic items and décor items and Teresa of Wildflower Favours provided us with seeded paper items, including a personalised sign for our ‘bride and groom’. I hand-picked the organically-grown flowers from the gem that is Blooming Green, who are based just a few miles away from me.

My intention was to fill the styling with colour and pattern to show that ‘eco’ doesn’t just have to result in a sea of brown and green. The day went beautifully, with everyone pitching in (and even defying any fear of heights) to make each look happen. Tom is a very enthusiastic cyclist – and as she couldn’t beat him, Lea has joined him and has taken it up, too. As an environmentally-friendly mode of transportation, it was only right that their bicycles should join us on the day and to carry them off into the moonlight!”

 

 

Credit Where Credit is Due…

Venue: Wise Wedding Venue (www.wiseweddingvenue.co.uk)

Photographer: Heline Bekker (www.helinebekker.co.uk)

Make Up Artist: Sjaniel Turrell (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sjaniel-Make-up-Artist/159837555026)

Vintage Dresses: Dita Florita (www.ditaflorita.com)

Cake & Dessert Table: Simply No Gluten (www.simplynogluten.co.uk)

Seeded Paper Goods: Wildflower Favours (www.wildflower-favours.co.uk)

Floral Design: The Vintage Floral Design Co. (www.vintagefloraldesign.co.uk) with flowers sourced from Blooming Green (www.bloominggreenflowers.co.uk)

Picnic & Décor Items: Little Cherry (www.littlecherry.co.uk)

 

Wow wee. How divine, and those sweet treats looked delicious. Thanks so much to everyone involved for allowing me to share this shoot on WWW today XOXO Lou