Summer seems like a long time ago now, doesn’t it? Back in August I went for one last summer blow-out shoot in the woods. Hosted by Longton Wood in Maidstone, Milkshake Kisses put on a two-parter, boho-Coachella DREAM. Starting with a morning of pampas grass and fairy lights, we snapped away with an extravagant table set-up and ceremony, before moving on to smoke bombs and neon lights.
It’s not like I was alone though, the team we had on board was INCREDIBLE. Will and Jess posed, kissed and cuddled away, surrounded by incredible flowers from Sara’s Events and props from Locate To Create. And then the sun went down. Will was sidelined and the girl squad came out for a Coachella hen do – complete with smoke bombs, glitter crowns from Glitz Girls and Tom Beau in the DJ booth. An absolute WINNER.
Longton Wood
Daytime Session
To start the morning off, we began shooting the table setup. It was a minimalist colour palette, but with big beautiful pampas grass centre pieces and surrounded by a frame of fairy lights, deep within the trees of Longton Wood. The details were beautiful, with handmade plates from FebbieDay Ceramics and napkins from Beyond V. The stationery from Bianco Blanc Paperie matched perfectly, with added pieces from Holly Robinson Jewellery.
We then moved on to our ceremony. Will and Jess are possibly the most natural model couple I’ve ever worked with. Literal Disney princess/prince vibes. All dolled up by Bridal Hair by Suzy and Lou Mcintosh on make-up, Jess was a boho VISION, with a Folky Dokey flower crown as a finishing touch. Set up to match our table, Longton Wood’s ceremony arch had been LOADED with gorgeous dried flowers and pampas grass. A beautiful setting for a beautiful couple.
As we headed into the afternoon, we moved on over to the tipi for some confetti cannon carnage. Locate to Create had set up a beautiful chill-out area within the tipi, until we came along. Confetti EVERYWHERE. After covering a 50m radius of the grounds with (biodegradable!) confetti, we took the opportunity for some more relaxed portraits in the afternoon sun before golden hour kicked in.
Lastly, we finished up the daytime photoshoot with some classic boho wedding theme sparkler shots. For this section we used Longton Wood’s trademark doors as our backdrop, acting as a beautiful contrast against the darkening trees. Will and Jess twirled their sparklers til the sun went behind the trees, and then it was time to move on to the next half of the shoot.
Evening Session
We chased the sun out into the Longton Wood fields, where we found a nice new setup of glamping bell tents from Brighton Bell Tents. We also came across three new models, all dressed to the nines in ultimate Coachella party gear, ready to play the part of Jess’ bride tribe. Jess had stepped out of her sparkly boho getup, and was now fully ready for her make-believe hen do. And what do you need for a Coachella inspired hen-do? Smoke bombs. Always smoke bombs. Blue, pink, purple and white smoke billowed into the air, and it was honestly like shooting Little Mix.
Next, we moved over to the bell tents. And after choking ourselves on smoke (seriously, that stuff STINKS), we let the girls have a well-deserved sit down. The tents were each set up differently, one make-up room, one sleeping tent and one for some straight chillin’. Once we’d put some music on and immediately the vibe changed. The girls were up and ready for a party, which was just as well, really.
Finally, we headed back into the forest of Longton Wood for the last part of the day. PARTY TIME. DJ Tom Beau was set up and ready to go, the girls were donning their glitter crowns from Glitz Girls and it was time to get our groove on. (And yes i’m obviously including myself in that, I can never resist a boogie.) There was dancing, there was prosecco-spraying and there were YET more confetti cannons. And then it was time to go home. What a way to see the day out.
The Longton Wood Team
While these photos are my own, there’s absolutely no way I created these images alone. Pierra and Russell put together an insane boho-turned-coachella workshop, one of my favourite styled shoots possibly ever (with Chiddingstone Castle as a close second). Milkshake Kisses also put together this insane Botley Hill Barn styled shoot, if you’re looking for some more pinterest-worthy inspiration.
If you’d like to see some festival wedding inspiration in action, check out Sarah & Cam’s Exeter Festival Wedding. If you like my wedding photography style and would like me to photograph your Longton Wood wedding (or any wedding across the UK!), take a look at my packages here and contact me!
The whole team was incredible, and you can find their links below:
Workshop: @milkshakekissesworkshop (https://www.milkshakekisses.com/)
Hosts: @pierragphotography_ (https://pierragphotography.com/) & @russellkentnicholls (https://www.russellkentnicholls.com/)
Videography: @rixweddings (https://rixweddings.co.uk/) & @russellkentnicholls (https://www.russellkentnicholls.com/)
Dress Designers: @madewithlovebridal (https://www.madewithlovebridal.com/) & Alenaleenbridal
Venue: @longtonwood (https://longtonwood.com/)
Dress Boutique: @loveinlacebridal (https://www.loveinlacebridal.co.uk/)
Stationery: @biancoblancpaperie (https://www.biancoblanc.com/)
Cake Design: @cobi_and_coco_cakes (https://cobiandcoco.com/)
Props + Furniture: @locatetocreate (https://www.locatetocreate.com/)
Hair Stylist: @bridalhair_by_suzy (https://www.bridalhairbysuzy.co.uk/)
Bridal Mua: @louisemcintosh_makeupartist (https://www.loumcintoshmakeup.co.uk/) & @helenleemua (https://www.helenleemakeup.co.uk/)
Floral Design: @saras.events.flowers (https://www.sarasevents.co.uk/)
Handmade Plates: @febbieday (https://www.etsy.com/shop/febbiedayceramics/)
Jewellery: @hollyrobinsonjewellery (https://www.hollyrobinsonjewellery.com/)
Linens + Napkins: @beyondv (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BeyondVintageInvites)
Couple: @w.j.couple
Suits: @asos
Floral Crowns: @f.o.l.k.y.d.o.k.e.y (http://www.folkydokey.co.uk/index.php)
DJ: @tombeaudj
Bell Tents: @brightonbelltents_glamping (https://www.brightonbelltentcompany.co.uk/)
Glitter Crowns: @glitzgirlsuk_ (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GlitzGirlsUK)
Models: @jessicaemmabetts @meelinavarro @chloemkerley @sofia_mayers1
[…] And there you have it. If you’re planning a Botley Hill Barn wedding, make all my dreams come true and get in touch. You can also see more of my work and take a look at my wedding packages here. For more pinterest-worthy inspo, take a look at another shoot that Milkshake Kisses put together, at Kent’s Longton Wood. […]