STYLED SHOOT: BLUE VELVET & DICKIE BOWS

One of our favourite photographers Mark of Mark Nortcliffe Photography shared this super stylish same sex wedding shoot he planned and photographed. Read all about the inspiration and wonderful team involved.

THEME

I wanted to do an Italian renaissance themed styled shoot. I was inspired by decadence and opulence of this era. Oxnead Hall in Norfolk was the only setting for me with the outside fountain courtyard and the richly laid out sunken parterre with its neat, symmetrical hedge rows and inter connecting paths. A sense of order and calmness.

Style and sophistication was the starting point for planning the shoot and involving local suppliers that would be able to deliver the vision was high on my list of priorities. I always knew it would be a same sex wedding shoot. Both styled in the same way but completing each other with variations on a theme. The boys outfits were provide by the Cambridge branch of John Lewis under the expert mens wear in store stylist Nick Kisby.

I visualised both Ben & Charles in Black dinner suits but was drawn to a deep, rich blue velvet jacket for Charles with black tailored dinner suits trousers and patent shoes topped off with a coordinating silk scarf and rich velvet bow tie. Ben wore a tailored classic tuxedo and trousers with a crisp white stud fastening dress shirt held neatly in place with a deep silk cummerbund and bow tie.

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Venue Styling

This is where lavish banqueting style table setting came into its own. The long wooden tables were dressed with a abundance of flowers, candles and elegant cut crystal glass. Each place setting was encased by rose gold cutlery. Plain white crockery was laid out so not to distract from the elegant place settings. Amie from ForKeepsUK had styled each place name and table name onto a marble effect hexagon shaped acrylic. The welcome sign was also made from the same material. The festoon lighting that adored the magnificent space was provide by Kerry at Epic Event Hire.

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Flowers

Emily from Thatch and Roses had created three, one metre high columns supported the lavish flower arrangements that lined the centre of the top table while nestled underneath were small posy arrangements. The towering masterpieces contained white chrysanthemums, pale green and cream roses, white carnations and an abundance of assorted trailing foliage. 

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Tablescape

Pillar candles, Candelabras and swathes of organza brought a softness to the tablescape created by Jo from Little Jem weddings. Small ornate terrariums with floating candles were suspended between the statement floral arrangements.

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Cake Designer

Keeping with the theme Amber produced a four tier wedding cake. Creating the illusion that the top three tiers of the cake were suspended in mid air Amber at Love Wedding Cakes had chosen to style a large square bottom layer covered with marble effect icing. A perspex cube provided an additional layer to hold the upper three tiers of this magnificent cake. Simple gold monogram of the couples initials adorned the middle layer. Handcrafted sugar roses topped of this culinary masterpiece.

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Stationery

It was important for me that everything about this shoot weaved seamlessly throughout. From the signage, cake design through to the stationery. Suzanne from Silk and Ink Designs had gone about to create an elegant stationery suite complete with gold leaf detailing and incorporating again the couples monogram. Hand tied in a black velvet ribbon and presented in black, gold lined envelopes. 

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Venue

Built around 1580 The site at Oxnead has a long and fascinating history.

The site has been occupied since pre-historic times, and archaeological finds include axe heads, knives and spearheads. During Roman times, Oxnead was a busy fortified town on the banks of the River Bure. At the time of the Doomsday survey (1086) the estate belonged to the Halden family. In 1368 it was acquired by Sir Robert de Salle, and by 1420 the estate had been sold to the Pason family.

The Paston family lived at Oxnead between 1420 and 1732 and much of their lives at Oxnead are recorded in a unique collection of letters and papers. Following the demise of the Paston family, the main house was demolished and only the service wing was left standing. The estate was bought by Admiral Anson (the first man to circumnavigate the world) in 1735. From that time a number of families have occupied Oxnead Hall including John Adey Repton (son of Humphrey Repton) and John Hedgecoe (photographer). The estate is currently owned by the Aspinall family.

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THE TEAM

Mark Nortcliffe – Mark Nortcliffe Photography
Mark Nortcliffe is wedding photographer based in Girton a small village North of Cambridge where I live with my husband Chris. My passion for photography appears to have always been with me. Sometimes to a lesser degree but never as evident as it is today. Temporarily putting my camera down for a few years while I focused on my retail career was at the time the right thing to do. Rekindling my relationship and diving back into photography was the best decision I ever made. Well, second to falling in love and getting married that is!

For as long as I can remember I have always owned a camera. I love the endless enjoyment photographs can bring not just today but the memories they create that live with us for years to come. Times change of course but the fact that through imagery we can preserve moments in time is just so amazing. With the introduction of digital photography, consumer SLRs and mobile phones we are all photographers. I love that as we are all history makers preserving a little of today for all our tomorrows.

Suzanne Meerylees – Silk and Ink Designs
Suzanne creates stunning bespoke stationery tailored to her clients exact specifications. She truly is a master of her craft

Amie Childs – For Keeps UK
Bespoke wedding signage and as the name suggests is for keeps. Individual pieces are crafted in her workshop in Norwich Norfolk. Her attention to detail and creativity is endless.

Kerry Ellis – Epic Event Hire
Kerry and Dan run a very successful business providing amazing wedding and venue decoration including Wedding disco and party DJ. With over 20 years of experience you can be confident your wedding is in safe hands.

Amber Briggs – Love Wedding Cakes
Amber is a master of her craft . Specialising in beautifully designed cakes. Each cake is one of a kind. Impeccable attention to detail her artisan wedding cakes are truly unforgettable.

Emily Lambert – Thatch & Roses
Emily specialises in luxury weddings and is adept to transforming majestic barns, stately homes and marquees. Seriously nothing is too much trouble

Jo Griffin – Little Jem Weddings
At Little Jem Jo and her team know how important it is for your wedding to be a beautiful affair. Offering a range of gorgeous rustic and vintage pieces they are able to style your venue to make your day one to treasure.

John Lewis & Partners – Cambridge
Nick and the team at John Lewis worked effortlessly to create a capsule wardrobe for the boys. Offering alternative styles and looks. John Lewis may not be the obvious wedding suit destination shop but their range is one to be desired.

Venue: Oxnead Hall – Unique Norfolk Venues

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Check out other same sex wedding shoots on our blog.

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