Styled Shoot at The Barn at Upcote

As we all know, the Pandemic was a terrible time for the wedding industry and for every single couple who were trying to navigate their way through the postponements, cancellations and guest number changes. Thankfully that is now all behind us and weddings are back in full swing, yay! But whilst this was an awful time, it meant that venues and suppliers were all at a bit of a loose end, which gave us the perfect opportunity to get together (safely, of course!) and work on some beautiful Styled Shoots!

I was lucky enough to be invited to take part in a shoot at The Barn at Upcote, which is a stunning exclusive use wedding barn venue based in Withington, just outside of Cheltenham. The Barn at Upcote consists of a beautiful set of Cotswold barns which have been lovingly renovated and restored, set in the most gorgeous grounds with picturesque views across the Cotswolds.

The wonderful thing about thebarnatupcote.co.uk, is the blank canvas of Cotswold stone walls. This provides you with the opportunity to put your own stamp on your day and style the barn to your exact requirements. So whether you are having a bright and floral summer wedding, or a candle lit winter wedding, Upcote Barn is just the perfect setting.

The venue stylist on this shoot was The Cotswold Wedding Co cotswoldweddingco.com who specialise in beautiful styling and decoration for weddings and events. Lyla and the team opted for a delicate colour pallet of blush and nudes with natural rustic elements of dried grasses and pampas. The ceremony room was set up with beautiful chair sashes, and the aisle was lined with large urns filled with fresh and dried flowers and big fluffy pampas grasses for a soft and delicate feel.

The flowers were supplied by Katherine at Haze Lea Floral Design hazelea.co.uk and were so beautiful! Along with the aisle urns, Katherine also dressed the tables with sweet little wood slices filled with dried grasses and bunny tails which looked so pretty and natural.

The bridal bouquet was an absolute dream, filled with so many gorgeous flowers in different shades and floral types, all mixed with dried flowers and pampas grasses to provide lots of soft and natural movement.

For the cake, I opted for a neutral pallet with subtle stencil detailing and a beautiful pure silk ribbon to add some subtle colour and softness.

The fondant cake was decorated with hand made sugar roses and David Austin roses with accents of dried grasses and bunny tails to compliment the table flowers. Setting the cake upon a thick wood slice was a perfect choice for this style of venue. It just goes to show that not all rustic barn weddings have to have a buttercream or semi-naked cake, fondant works just as beautifully!

The bridal model was dressed in a stunning boho style dress supplied by bohobrideboutique.co.uk, a gorgeous boutique based in Stratford Upon Avon.

Viks Bridal Hair vikshairdressing.co.uk styled the models hair in a pretty up-do which was accessorised with the most stunning handmade bespoke bridal hair vine designed by Sarah at Elsa Rose Boutique elsaroseboutique.com. Bridal makeup was by Natasha at margotandlace.com who are also based in the Cotswolds.

Annabelle at Bellapeach Creative bellapeach.co.uk produced the most beautiful set of table plans, place settings and menu cards to coordinate, with light pink lettering and sketched details of the barn for a personal touch. The hexagonal stationery was designed to match the floral ceremony backdrop.

Of course no shoot is possible without a photographer, and we were lucky enough to have Rob of robtarren.co.uk capture the day. Rob is a super talented photographer who is an absolute perfectionist, which is always reflected in his beautiful imagery. Rob is very laid back and will always make you feel at ease in front of the camera, even if you dread the thought of having your photograph taken.

I absolutely loved being a part such a wonderful team of wedding suppliers, all working together to create a beautiful styled shoot. Every element blended perfectly together and I hope this has given you some inspirational ideas for your wedding day!