Hello Lovelies, and a very BRITISH Monday to you all!

Jo has written all about the experience for you gorgeous lot so make sure you sit back, relax and enjoy the pretty.

The Cool Britannia photo shoot brought together some of the best British bridal suppliers for a one-day wedding inspiration extravaganza in London. Covering all the key elements of a wedding from the gowns and hair styling to transport and table décor, the shoot showcases some seriously bold and bright eye candy for couples planning a city inspired wedding. Celebrating all that we love about Britain and a year of not just one but TWO royal weddings, 2011 is the year of all years to host an unashamedly patriotic occasion and be truly proud to be British!

The Hair and Make-Up

When it comes to hair artistry, there really is nobody like Severin Hubert at Hepburn Collection . Gracing the pages of Rock My Wedding on many an occasion, Severin is known as the King of hair and together with his partner Roz Edwards, they were the perfect duo to create a statement bridal look for our gorgeous models.

“I am a French romantic who has always admired and adored the royal family so for me being part of this shoot was a privilege. I wanted to add a little of that Je ne sais quoi to our Cool Britannia theme. Something not too obvious but fitting nevertheless. For Gemma, the dress was simple but elegant so I decided to keep the front very natural and off her beautiful face but at the back I wanted something that looked quite regal so I created three pony tails twisting each one into each other. A simple tiara fit for a princess fitted perfectly on the head. For Chara, her makeup was quite strong as was the dress with the red, so that gave me the go ahead to create something more dynamic but with a twist of vintage. I started with a pony tail and added a padding/donut for volume at the front on the side. Soft curl waves were made to cover the volume using the pony tail. With this hair style you can either leave as it is or go for it and add a real statement piece.”

Kate Messer is an internationally travelled make-up artist with more than 14 years experience and a track record of working with some of the biggest names in the beauty industry. The shoot was the first time Severin and Katy had joined forces but looking at their amazing teamwork, we’re certain it won’t be the last!

“For Chara I wanted statement lips so went for red, but I kept it matte and not too deep or blue so as to keep it bridal and less vampy! With such a bold lip, I kept the skin sheer yet flawless, neautral blush used to contour and a highlighted cheek. The eyes were a modern take on the 50′s flick but with a soft grey used instead of black and winged false lashes It was important to me that it looked modern and not like a recreation. I wanted to make this echo another era, not copy it.”

“On the lovely Gemma, I saw a classic beauty and so followed a more traditional bridal theme but with a romantic yet sexy edge. After giving her a smooth, creamy base I worked slates and topaz shades around the eyes, including lining the inner rims with a black/gold kohl. The cheeks were rosy and pinched and the lip was softly deepened with a glossy finish. Gemma herself gave me the inspiration for this look with her young, feminine features. I wanted to give her a look that was sophisticated and classic yet a little bit sexy. In a subtle way!”

The Wedding Planner

With oodles of experience in wedding planning and a long family history in the industry Kim Neville, Director of The Pink Pumpkin wedding consultancy knows everything there is to know about designing unique, show-stopping occasions. With a bold and beautiful theme in mind, Kim set to with planning the details for a sensational Cool Britannia wedding shoot and with the help of some seriously cool props and styling, added the finesse and finishing touches that makes a wedding stand out from the crowd. And boy, would this occasion make statement!

“The concept for the Cool Britannia shoot was for an elegant day but with many quirky, fun touches. Red, white and blue was the obvious colour palette choice, and the union jack motif and regal designs throughout echoed the theme. There is no better location that London and once aboard our fabulous Routemaster bus we were able to shoot by some of the city’s most famous landmarks; even popping into the pub for a cheeky pint on the way! Overall the shoot was colourful, stylish and above all heaps of fun.”

The Photography

A cool and quirky photo shoot requires cool and quirky photographers – and who better than the lovely Kate and Craig at Craig Williams Photography . Renowned for their artistic and creative wedding photography, Kate and Craig were the perfect duo to get some fabulously fun photos.

“Jo contacted me and asked about shooting a Royal Wedding inspired shoot and when she mentioned the route master bus and a tour of London’s biggest landmarks, I was like “Hell Yeah!!”

“I wanted this shoot to reflect my style which is soft and romantic, and from the moment we got to the venue and met the awesome team involved, I knew it was going to be a fantastic shoot! I also had two amazing models to work with and getting escorted around London in a red bus to some of our greatest landmarks and taking pictures along the way is my idea of fun! This shoot for me is full of London romance without compromising on gorgeousness and glamour!!! I love the images and I hope you do too!!”

The Location

A Cool Britannia theme? Nowhere says British better than the Big Smoke and with the big royal wedding of William and Kate almost here, the location for such iconic shots simply had to be Westminster. From Westminster Abbey to Big Ben and the London Eye, we got the models strutting their stuff in front of every landmark in London’s most historic area resulting in some fantastic images. As the crowds of tourists and other photographers amassed to marvel over our models, we literally had to fight our way through to ensure Kate and Craig could get the best shots. To finish off the shoot before heading back to the venue, we even managed a quick pint in the Westminster Arms!

To transport us to all the sights on our little London road trip, the team from Routemaster Hire was a fantastic support and provided a beautifully restored traditional Routemaster which was the highlight of the day. No wedding in London would be the same without one of these buses and we had some seriously good fun aboard the bus!

The Venue

Located just steps from Tate Britain and with incredible views across South Bank, 45 Millbank is a Grade 11 listed building and ideal location for a London wedding. Home to the world-famous Chelsea College of Art, the venue blends Edwardian classic with a modern eclectic twist.

The Attire

Famed for her love of all things vintage and British bridal wear, gown designer Beverly Lister was on hand to style the models in gowns from her latest collection, inspired by a city look.

“With all eyes focused on the upcoming royal wedding, there is no cooler a place to be than London!  I chose clean, city chic yet romantic styles for the shoot.  The pillar box red satin of gown Scarlett pays homage to the red of double decker buses and phone boxes.  Rio, with its billowing skirt in traditional bridal silk is fit for any princess!  And Jane made me think of tea at the Ritz!  I chose an elaborate floral headpiece reminiscent of days out at Ascot.”
 
Statement accessories by Cherished and Vivien Sherriff (all available from Evangeline Rose Bridal) completed the styled look.

The Flowers

In charge of creating the striking floral displays and bridal bouquet was the very talented Fulham based florist, Euphoric Flowers . With the philosophy that life is so much better with flowers in it, Euphoric Flowers is owned by partners Simon Nickell and Victoria Taberer-Bond and has earned itself a well deserved reputation as one of London’s finest florists.

“Our inspiration for the “Cool Britannia” shoot had to be red, white and blue, because nothing says britannia more than the colours of the Union Jack! But how do you do that with flowers? If you think of wedding flowers, the most popular and classic are roses, but not in blue! Then we thought of dyed roses and that inspired us to create our retro style arrangements using a red and white combination and spicing it up with a shock of blue that’s bound to attract attention. Are they real? Yes they are and, you can get them all year round!”

Stationery and Favours

To set the tone for the theme we needed stationery that was colourful and fun yet had a regal element. Renowned for their bold, vintage inspired stationery, Dottie Creations was our number one choice.

“We love designing and styling all things vintage so it was a thrill to be asked to come up with a stationery design based on red, white and blue British styling. For us ‘Cool Britannia’ conjured up images of the Union jack (for which we’d already created a stationery design), jubilees, street parties and bunting.  For a royal wedding we knew we had to glam things up a bit so we incorporated our own little take on the royal coat of arms and added a monogram designed around the couples initials to mimic a royal cypher. As finishing touches, the bride and groom place settings had their own crowns and the tables were named after royal palaces illustrated by etchings we had created from vintage postcards. To give everything that extra wow factor we accessorised with royal blue satin ribbon, all fit for a Queen!”

The Cake

Essex based Fancy Nancy are renowned for their fabulous and fun cake creations and director Juliet Sear created a masterpiece for the shoot.

“This was the perfect theme to have fun with. Working with the classic red, white and blue straight off the union jack, we created a kitsch, jaunty and fun cake design inspired by a street party decoration idea using red white and blue stripes, polka dots and florals. We used some of the elements from our latest range in Harvey Nichols to commemorate the royal wedding including our Vivienne Westwood inspired mixed colour roses to decorate the top tier and create a super cool cake that’s fun yet stylish.”

 The lovely Royal Wedding biscuits were designed designed by The Biscuiteers to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. From bouquets to bubbly, The Biscuiteers have a stunning array of wonderful wedding-themed biscuits for you to choose from. And if you’re looking for something really different, they can work with you to create a bespoke collection.

A HUGE thank you goes out to all the suppliers who very generously provided all of the photography, props and styling for the shoot. It couldn’t have been have achieved without them and these guys really do rock when it comes to weddings!

Production/PR: Jo Kent at Something Blue PR

Wedding Planner and Receptions Stylist: Kim Neville at The Pink Pumpkin

Photography: Kate and Craig Williams at Craig Williams Photography

Venue: 45 Millbank

Bridal Gowns: Beverly Lister

Hair Accessories: Cherished and Vivien Sherriff at Evangeline Rose Bridal

Shoes: Evangeline Rose Bridal

Hair: Severin Hubert at Hepburn Collection

Makeup: Katy Messer at Makeup by Katy

Routemaster Bus: Route Master Hire

Stationery and Table Favours: Dottie Creations

Flowers: Euphoric Flowers

Wedding Cake: Fancy Nancy

Royal Biscuits: Limited edition collection at Biscuiteers

Vintage crockery: Idyllic Days

Ivory Damask table linen, Baroque Platinum glassware and Kings cutlery: Jones Hire

Special thanks must also go to the fabulous models and RMW readers Chara and Gemma who both braved the cold weather to make the shoot such a huge success!

Charlotte xxx