An intimate post-lockdown summer wedding shoot in Sussex

29 Jun 2021

Here's how to organise a post-lockdown wedding, with tips and advice from wedding industry experts

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Photographer Danielle Chambers tells us about the inspiration behind the shoot and the suppliers involved at Findon Manor in Worthing.

Tell us about the inspiration behind the shoot:

After we had the end of lock down on the horizon, but not quite in reach, I decided I wanted to put in motion a shoot that would bring people together. I wanted to capture fun and love – some of the things we have really missed out on this last year. Like all aspects of life, the wedding industry has been severely hit by covid-19, and it saddens me hearing about all of those love stories that are still waiting for their I-do’s.

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Theme and colour scheme:

I put together a style board that encapsulated spring. I envisioned blushes with hints of sage and deeper tones of maroon.

Dresses and bridal accessories:

Bella May Bridal provided the dress, veil and jewellery. The dress chosen was 'Amelie' by Danielle Couture Gowns. I wanted to create a classic and sophisticated look, we all immediately fell in love with the figure hugging gown and its beautiful train that sprawled out magnificently.

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Cakes and flowers:

The cake and flowers were chosen once Stacie from Rose Gould Printing had put together an elegant invitation suite. We discussed the colour and types of flowers, and Bryony from Bryony Mae Flowers set to work on putting together a fabulous bouquet filled with ranunculus, anemones and sprigs of eucalyptus. The iced flowers on the cake were beautifully hands sculpted by Clare from Clare’s Cake Boutique, and complimented the bouquet beautifully.

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Capturing the moments:

As well as having fun and showing genuine love and emotion, I wanted to create a look that was sophisticated and desirable to the everyday bride. I wanted to show authenticity and realism.

Our models, Issy and Sam, are engaged, so during the shoot we built up tension like there would be on their big day. They got ready separately – Sam waited on the landing of the staircase waiting to see his bride-to-be in her stunning dress for the first time. Issy walked down to meet her man, she tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to see her - you could almost hear his heart burst when he laid eyes on her.

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Did you face any challenges during the shoot?

Issy and Sam live in London, and so my first challenge was coordinating a dress fitting, and extra details with them living a good hour and a half away. My second, and probably biggest challenge was that, due to covid-19, we were only allowed up to 15 people in the venue at any one time. Wendy, the events and general manager of Findon Manor was very accommodating and allowed us to use the venue for the whole weekend. I went in with Mel from Scorpius Events on Saturday to set up, and I picked up the cake - this meant that on the Sunday we could focus on shooting the day.

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Top tips or advice for couples getting married:

It’s clear that most weddings might run similarly to that of the shoot for most couples for a while. Masks, limited numbers, sanitising everything like mad - this can seem like it would take the magic out of the day, but focusing on the love will help erase any of those worries.

In addition, as everything has moved to remote viewings and zoom meetings, if you can make sure you still meet your vendors and explore the venue in person before booking this will be very beneficial. Personal connections with the people who are helping to organise and run your wedding day is paramount - you need people who understand you as a couple and who are on the same wavelength – the rest of the planning will come easy once you have ‘your team’ on board.

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