An alternative fusion wedding shoot in Buckinghamshire

Maya Kemp of Maya Kemp Photography revisits the details of this captivating multi-cultural shoot in Buckinghamshire

What was the inspiration behind the shoot?

My brother’s girlfriend was actually my inspiration behind the shoot. She turned up to an Indian wedding reception one day wearing a mixture of a Western top and Indian skirt. It was all very boho, and I loved how she looked different to everyone else in the room. Flat sandals, little jewellery and no make-up.

A lot of Indian girls these days don’t want the traditional Indian weddings with the bold colours and heavy jewellery and mixed marriages are becoming more common. I wanted to show that you can mix the two cultures and still have a beautiful, but subtle wedding.

Tell us a little bit about the venue and why it was chosen

Dorney Court in Windsor is an amazing Tudor venue with so many of the original features. The gardens are stunning and it has so much character. I am fascinated by British history and I thought it would be a perfect way of mixing Old English with Modern Asian. 

What did you choose for the flower arrangements?

I let all suppliers loose on their creativity so I wasn’t fussy about what flowers went in as long as the colours were within the colour scheme. My only spec was succulents and something loose.

What kind of look did you want to achieve with the make-up, hair and outfits for the bride and groom?

I wanted the groom to be in traditional Indian clothing but kept as simple as possible and with the bride I took a Western wedding outfit and added some Indian jewellery, a dupatta and some henna. Again, I wanted to show how you can integrate the two cultures. The bride had short hair so I wanted something loose with simple hair accessories. Accessories were kept as simple as possible. No bright colours; we used antique golds to tie in with the venue. 

What was the thinking behind the décor for the shoot? How did you tie it all together?

Asian wedding décor is normally quite bright and bold with lots of gold. I wanted something subtle, but with a hint of the gold. A lot of the detail was drawn from the dress itself.

Get the look:

Photography: Maya Kemp Photography
Co-ordination and styling: Champink Wedding & Events
Venue: Dorney Court
Floristry: Penelope Hunter Flowers
Cake: Cherry Tree Cakerie
Groom's outfit: The Sherwani Company
Dress: Bowen Dryden
Bridal accessories: Rachel Sokhal Bridal
Hair: Kim Sandford Hairdressing
Make-up: Jenny Buckland Makeup
Stationery: Lynda Loves
Table runners: Kate Cullen Style
Mehndi artist: Bhavi's Mehndi

For more Buckinghamshire wedding inspiration, browse the latest edition of Berkshire & Buckinghamshire Bride magazine.