Old World London Wedding Inspiration with Delicate Details

Vintage inspired and charming, this beautiful shoot is as romantic as it gets. Julie Michaelsen Photography, Elmo Paper Stories, and Jo Flowers put together an elegant scene full of heirloom antiques, fresh and light flowers, and a number of jaw-dropping bridal gowns. We’ve fallen in love, and we’re sure you will too!

From the photographer, Julie Michaelsen Photography: Hidden in the heart of London – lies a piece of historical Romance. Home House, an elegant venue where celebrations and intimate moments have been captured since 1773. The original owner, Elizabeth Countess of Home, designed it to be a place of festivities and joy, a playground for Dukes and Earls. She welcomed numerous guests, threw extravagant hedonistic banquets and had guest rooms prepared for her lovers.

The sumptuous neo-classic style and the beautiful frescos in the parlour room, the architectural details in the ceilings – you feel like you are walking within a painting itself, transported in time. Our editorial celebrates the opulent, the intensity and the romance of the renaissance era seen here through the eyes of a 2017 bride and groom. We were inspired by the contradictions of an old love in a young couple, the ancient venue in a modern city, and most of all by a piece of history where time stands still in a world of fast paced modernity. From a distance we are witnesses to this love which has evolved through time and distance as our bride and groom prepare for the celebration of their union. A day full of goosebumps yet there is a calmness in the air. As she prepares for the ceremony, she is surrounded not by bridesmaids but by the heirlooms from her grandmother’s dressing table, inspiring nostalgia and heartache both prominent in her heart.

Whilst he is writing a love letter to his beloved – she feels and inhales every second of the day…the closing of eyes, the gasps of breath, their love is one of times gone by and for a brief moment, they are all that exists. Flashes of day dreams, occurring in slow motion, delicate and soft yet forceful and unstoppable. He signs the letter as her lover for the last time and realises the depth of the vows they are about to make. They have waited so long for this moment… Today, they declare their love to each other… She adorns herself with his mothers’ handmade bespoke vintage crown passed down through generations gifted to her new daughter, wild florals hand-picked from the garden behind the house, all contrasting with the moody images of dutch artists surrounding them – brought into a soft light and composition. A modern still-life fresco; the table setting adorned not just with flowers but with fruits and vegetables echoing the symbolic paintings of banquets and the harvest by Zucchi, the husband of artist Angelica Kauffman. We purposefully mixed opulence and artisanal influences by using handmade pottery for the tablescape; rustic and wild, playful textures and elegant calligraphy. A painting of man-made and natural objects, cut flowers, fruit, vegetable, wine, candles, – A celebration of life – and their love.