How to Find your Wedding Ceremony Style

posted inCeremony Inspiration, Weddings

Finding your unique wedding ceremony style can be daunting and a little overwhelming. Your Pinterest board may showcase an array of pins in a Boho style with tassels and tanned leather galore! But once you really delve into your own personal style and become more honest with yourself, you may discover that actually it’s more romantic or rustic. Maybe you’ve always pictured a summer wedding but after discovering the beauty of a springtime wedding, that’s more your thing?

This blog is going to give you 7 amazing tips on how to find your unique wedding ceremony style.

When you do start planning your wedding, suppliers will ask you over and over again: “What do you like?” “What Style are you going for? “What’s your theme?” In contrast, couples may look for suppliers and ask them the same questions because either they don’t realise they are looking for a particular style yet and are still exploring, or are looking for clarification that the supplier is a good match for them as a couple.

By finding your style and finding what’s important to your marriage, this will inform every decision from every angle you make when creating your wedding day look, vibe and energy and it will underpin how you live your live together.

We interview Helen Noble, Celebrant of Surrey who shares her top tips on how easy it is to find your unique wedding ceremony style. Helen’s style is very much nature based and here she shares with us the most beautiful styled shoot in a Bluebell woodland reflecting this ceremony style, giving us the low down on the location, suppliers involved and advice.

Watch this incredible video of a Bluebell woodland styled shoot featuring suppliers based in Surrey for the ultimate inspiration! Let us know how this makes you feel, it makes us feel so warm and fuzzy inside!

Here are Helen’s top tips for finding your unique wedding ceremony style…

1. Choosing the right location

I wanted to show case Surrey. I love surrey, I love where I live, and I wanted to celebrate that and showcase one of its gems! There are so many things that are wonderful about Surrey. For me ancient Bluebell woodlands are so precious to the UK and so, so precious to Surrey. What makes them precious? Exclusivity. A Bluebell woodland wedding is exclusive because the Bluebells are only there for a moment in time, around about 3 weeks… Blink, and you’ve missed them. Much like the Cherry Tree Blossoms in Japan. You will be one of only a few people to have their nuptials surrounded by a gorgeous, scented blue carpet!

It makes Surrey an absolute go to wedding destination and the Bluebell woodland is so incredibly unique as being magical. We are all a dab hand out alfresco dining now too, but with this luxurious back drop of mother nature’s finest, it really adds to the feel (hopefully with a sprinkling of fairy dust too)!

2. Getting the right theme for your wedding

What do you mean by theme? It’s a wedding! Isn’t that theme enough? Well, no actually. This is because what your ideas of ‘wedding’ are, means it’s different to each and everyone of us. For me, this Bluebell woodland wedding shoot was all about one theme in particular. Every decision, every thought and even my motivation was about the relationship between contrast and harmony...

The strength and height of the trees against the low delicate blue carpet of Bluebells were in perfect harmony.

The glass pillars filled with white candles from Soiree Surrey were in contrast to the soft natural forest floor but in harmony with the shape of the trees.

The metal and shape of Soiree Surrey‘s full moon-gate was a manufactured object in contrast to the incredible floristry from Carrie Macey at Topiary-Tree. With her use of foliage moss and gorgeous roses which captured mother-nature creeping in and taking over ‘humanities’ attempt of putting structure in the Bluebell woodland – not to mention that dreamy bouquet!

The music from the birds in the trees were the most harmonious compliment to the Violinist! There was something for all the senses from the cold metal of the wedding bands from Lawson John Carr and the tactile wooden ring holders from Fudge Meade. Then of course, there was the smell of the Bluebells!

It was so darn beautiful and really awakened all of the senses!

3. Choosing the right style of clothing

What you wear says so much. It needs to do so much, too! Plus you want it to ‘fit’ in both shape, style and functionality. The two big numbers – the Bride and Groom were show stoppers. They shouted style, harmony and contrast! It’s all about the union of these 3 things that this styled shoot is all about.

I absolutely love the 3 piece suit from Hire5 Menswear for our Groom Andy, in the strong Bluebell coloured suit which blended in beautifully to this exclusive backdrop.

His Bride, Anita (one of my real couples), was in the most stunning, strong satin white gown from Wedding Frox. Those lace boots from House of Elliot connected nature to humanity, earth to its inhibiters. They seemed to grow from the earth and mirrored the magic that Carrier Macey created in my ceremony space, as the Celebrant that I had envisioned for my styled shoot.

Any crowning glory of a bride, quite frankly, needs to be a crown. The ceremony crown from Rachel Chaprunne worked in harmony for the ceremony with its yellow gold shining in the sunshine, and the porcelain white complimenting the strong cut and white of the gown from Wedding Frox.

When we moved from the Ceremony space to the Bluebell space, we were kept company with the bees, as they started to emerge from their hives to collect honey. The bride’s jacket from Depicted Denim was a fantastic style statement with its biker feel in dyed dark denim, it featured a hand painted Bluebell and honeycomb motif design on the back. Again, the dark colours of the boots and jacket worked in contrast to the slick white dress, but this time with the striking strong crown – which was an exclusive to us! “This beauty is made with white silk leaves and porcelain flowers with a pretty hematite gold pearl on each one” Rachel Chaprunne explained.

The jewellery by Adalise Jewellery was another fantastic way to really bring the contrast into fashion contrast. The hard beaten silver necklace and bangles were a great contrast not only in colour against the softness of the Bluebell wood, but also as a material that both me the Celebrant and Jennifer wore. Jennifer and I were both in Bluebell colour to compliment our surroundings. Jen’s dress from The Gate Boutique with its soft movement enabled her to accompany the bride up the aisle and the couple down the aisle. It was just so gorgeous!

The Hair and make up by Gemma Louise Bridal was key to tying us all together. Paired with Gemma’s artistic flare with both the hair and make-up, this enabled the make-up to be the bridge between the contrast and harmony! Deep purple lips, smoky eyes and tussled but structured hair for the bride embracing the strength of the woods, with me Celebrant of Surrey and Jennifer in softer colours, reflecting the delicate Bluebells.

4. Styling and designing the table layout

Oh how I wish I was actually having a luxury Bluebell picnic! I know I’d go for fig, cheese and cured meat wrapped up like a crepe cone for starters! Wouldn’t that colour just pop on these plates?

The table was all about texture for me. The strong gold of the huge charger, the tempting beads around the glass chargers (you know you just have to touch them), and then the fantastic feel of the specialty plates from Crystal Hire Ltd and the really lux napkins Just 4 Linen. The mix of texture on all the glassware from Crystal Hire Ltd worked so well with the incredible soft draping, moss lit pyramids, Gold slim candlestick, white and forest green candles all from Soiree Events made the whole thing a joy to behold, and really showcased my vision!

We captured the honeybees in the woods element by having honey favour by Sergio Bee Friends. This was complimented with glorious gold leaf favours tag featuring a personalised Bee graphic on them, accompanied by the soft ribbon, strong stationary paper and gorgeous design from Tiger Lily Wedding Stationery. The table styling looked fantastic, inviting, and absolutely worked with the wedding location!

5. How to story tell through cake

Well this encapsulated it all!

I chose Nia because of her love of story telling and her craft. As a Celebrant, the story is so important to me and I wanted this reflected in the cake. Those flowers are sugar and totally edible and pure art! As this is a ‘find your style’ focused blog about my styled shoot, I want you to find what you love and do more of it. I love story telling, I love art and I love cake, so Nia’s cake was a jewel in this glorious shoot!

6. Incorporating a signature tipple

Of course when you chose a Celebrant, freedom can be embraced and explored. Back in the day (pre covid) so many of my couples met in the pub for the first time. A year on and all that online courtship is coming to fruition with a drink as they meet for the first time, So…we had a toast! The Rose Gin from Silent Pool Gin adds a touch of its own contrast with the bitter and sweet tones, an added layer of the rose scent and taste, followed by pear garnish. It has also got a stunning designed bottle and glasses plus its local. It’s distilled in the Surrey Hills and captures the flavour of life in this Bluebell wood!

7. How to set the energy and tone

Then finally, the thread that binds this all together… energy. That’s where I come in as Celebrant of Surrey.

Your personal story, told in a style that’s all about love and energy. A Celebrant makes that a reality as you tie the knot, knowing you totally have owned your wedding style, and therefore know more about the kind of married life you are going to lead.

It’s also where the photographer Jason Leaman Photography and the Videographer Shona Nolan Videography capture it. Having a fantastically artistic, insightful, humble and talented photographer and videographer is priceless and timeless. This is one of your biggest decisions when it comes to style. Here, I chose Jason because I love his use of light and contrast and his compositions. I love how he can saturate it and bring out exactly the parts that he knew were important to me. It’s where Ego is left at the door and the art takes over.

Shona’s drive is the storytelling. Her motivation is about making it personal to the client (me this time) and the style is also about playing with the light and dark.

My style is showcasing this balance – through a lens, through love, through story telling, and about all truth. Light and shade, contrast and harmony, Soft and strong, humanity and nature.

“Find your truth, and you find your style.”