The Official Style Guide: Boho-Luxe Lavender Inspired Shoot

Enchanting lavender fields, ornamental cow skull centerpieces and rows of gold flaked macaroons… These are only a few of the swoon worthy details featured in Adorn’s debut bridal editorial.

With a renowned team of industry experts coming together to create this magical day, the results are something out of Pinterest heaven. Spearheaded by the creative director of Adorn, chief stylist on the day, Katerina Vermes dishes out just how this phenomenal day came together.

Finding the Spark – The Inspiration Behind the Day

It’s crazy to think that our ethereal fairy tale wedding actually began as dark, brooding and almost anti-bridal. Rich colours of oxblood and plum were paired with silvers and a tattooed gypsy bride with raven hair frolicked through the forest with wolves. However, scroll through our initial mood board and you’ll clearly witness the transition of our original theme into the final dreamy result.

Dark shades were replaced with vibrant lilacs and pastel blushes, and our forest setting eventually gave way to the electric lavender fields of Sault Daylesford. It’s so important for brides to be open to adapting their ideas and initial desires. You never know what you’ll get at the end of your design journey but be open to the magic! Though our ideas were always changing, our core objective for the shoot was to craft something that hasn’t been seen before in the bridal world.
We also didn’t want to limit our style to one particular bride, but rather we hoped that all readers could take something special away for their own day.

This is why we opted for eccentric Bohemian influences with more conventional and romantic touches. We really endeavored to harmonize these two styles and create a perfect balance among our décor and the finer details.

Styling the Magic

Colour Palette

As our theme transitioned from Autumn to Spring; our colours naturally brightened up and adapted to our breathtaking location. We settled on lilac as a dominant shade and balanced this out with softer shades of lavender, blush and ivory. You’ll want to make sure that your palette isn’t too domineering so it’s important to add highlights like ivory and metallic gold to break up your overall look.

The Location

We were absolutely blessed to discover a location like Sault as the sheer size of the property allowed us to shoot several stories. Its French provincial lavender fields and restaurant façade perfectly complimented the romantic and whimsical influences of our theme, whilst the organic texture of its limestone walls and timber tables seemingly fit into our Boho-Moroccan style. Give yourself plenty of time to find your own venue, but generally you’ll know when you’ve found the one as you have that ‘wow’ moment.

Details and Décor – Inside

Our indoor dining table was perhaps the older, more sophisticated big sister of our outdoor setting.
The purpose of our indoor tablescape was to show brides how you can inject alternative and boho styled elements and yet still fashion an elegant and conventional look.

Sault’s large timber tables beautifully suited the natural décor in our tablescape. Amethyst crystals, rose and clear quartz’s were all strewn around the tables surface to project that ethereal-boho influence. If you’re a little thrown off by the eccentric nature of geodes – pair them with geometric vases with art-deco nuances for a more modern twist. Metallic gold cutlery and kitchenware with sleek lines were also used to contrast against the chaos of our wild greenery and roughly outlined stones.

Outside

This is where the style team really let loose and had some fun! We loved the idea of creating an outdoor high-tea reception among the sweet scents of a lavender field. This informal dining setting was heavily influenced by our Moroccan vibes, which really comes through in the textures and patterns. We chose a large tribal looking rug as the base for our table and complimented it with fur rugs, shaggy embellished cushions and ottomans – all within our gold and purple colour palette. An informal high-tea is a beautiful and offbeat reception idea for your own Summer wedding and will sure to be remembered by your guests. If you’ve chosen a stunning location for your own wedding like Sault, take advantage of it!

We recycled our gold kitchenware and wrapped them tightly with satin ribbon and scripted name holders for the boho-luxe look. However, our show stopper was definitely our embellished cow skull centerpiece! Keep reading to find out just how we brought him to life.

DIY

The mascot of the day, and the pure embodiment of our theme was unquestionably our stunning, embellished cow skull. He was actually an idea from our early theme but there was no way we could let him slip once our lavender style developed, so we spray painted him with white and gold and spent an entire night decorating him. We sourced lace, pearls and diamante’s from costume jewelry stores to portray a more feminine look on the eccentric base. Don’t be afraid to include such an avant-garde motif in your own wedding! By making a design element like a cow skull a central piece – you’ll definitely be giving your guests something to talk about and you’ll have a unique token for the rest of your life to remember your special day.

Florals

Our floral arrangements could honestly have acted as the only décor piece throughout the shoot – they were that impressive. We relied heavily on greenery in the arrangements to break up all of the colour that we used whilst portraying a really wild and effortless look. Pair the greenery with roses for that romantic touch and adhere to your lilac colour palette by including blush and purple toned wild flowers. Succulents are also a really important element in this theme as they’re a match made in heaven when paired with geodes and stones. They’ll also bring on a more modern and minimal feel among the provincial roses.

Sweet Treats

The talented team from Mary Eats Cake, provided us with the most delectable spread for our outdoor reception. A favorite from the day were the breathtaking macaroons in shades of lilac and lavender, garnished with gold flakes and sprigs of lavender. Look at including summery berry tarts in your own big day to compliment the colours in your floral arrangements and if you really want to impress – find a floral tea or infused water to create a purple toned drink that is as beautiful as it is delicious.

Lighting

Our amazing photographer really utilized soft natural lighting to create those dreamy finishes and hues in the photos, however wedding parties will also be celebrating far into the evening. This is why we had the idea to create a night time hanging light display. We sourced baubles and vases and tied them up with fishing line and rope. You’ll want to find electronic candles where possible, to minimize the fire hazard but in doing so, you’ll create a warm and truly special ambiance for your guests to enjoy.

Stationery and Invitations

Though our overall vibe and theme for the day was quite relaxed, we still wanted to entice our ‘guests’ with luxury and glamour. We custom created several styles for the shoot and included lavish features such as intricate laser cut paneling and gilded foiling. Our head digital designer used a relaxed scripted font for that boho-chic element. If you want to really personalise your own stationery set, look at incorporating a monogram or a hot wax seal with you and your partners initials. Finish with a satin ribbon, and you’ll have a beautifully detailed set that will be sure to impress.

Getting the Look

Our lovely bride Jasmine was the epitome of a free spirited, carefree Boho traveler. Wandering barefoot through the lavender field, we wanted to make sure that her gowns and look – represented her own personality. When choosing your own wedding dress – look for intricate lace detailing’s and unique features such as the stunning embellished back on our low-fi Maggie Sottero gown. Don’t feel restricted in terms of the silhouette of your dress. We actually had three looks with very different shapes – all which beautifully suited our Boho vibe.

For beauty – keep everything lightweight and natural! Yes, the heavy contoured look may be taking over Instagram, but for your special day – you won’t want any heavy trend based looks. For our bride, we looked at a shimmering rose gold for her eyes and paired this with a taupe matte lip for a balance. Using a shimmer based primer and highlight on her skin – she truly glowed from within. Keep hair long and wavy and look at including some lavender and floral sprigs to add an enchanting feminine twist that doesn’t look too over the top.

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Be Bold – Fun Ideas for the Day

Don’t be afraid to go bold on your wedding day. Give your guests something to talk about with some unique beauty details such as a stunning white henna design. Traditionally used in Indian Shari’s – the conventional henna is used as a stain for brides on their wedding day, however white henna will be painted on you on the day. It’s a unique feature which is slowly gaining momentum and is a gorgeous way to add some boho flair to your wedding look!

Get the kids involved

Having an adults only wedding can certainly ease up the stress for parents, however there are so many fun and creative ways to include little ones in your special day. Write up some hilarious chalk boards with sayings like “Here Comes the Bride” and our personal favorite – “Don’t Panic Ladies, I’m Still Single.”

One Last Tip

The biggest piece of advice that can be taken from this shoot – is to stay true to your own unique personality, and not to be afraid to get a little crazy! (not in the bridezilla way.) Hopefully, at the end of this editorial, there are just a few more embellished cow skulls out there in the bridal world.