Sussex Wedding Photographer | 70s Wedding Inspiration at Two Woods Estate

Sussex Wedding Photographer 70s Wedding Inspiration at Two Woods Estate

As a Sussex wedding photographer, I can say with hand on heart that there is no where like Two Woods Estate. It is the perfect venue. I knew as soon as I stepped foot in the redwood forest that I needed to do a shoot here.

Whenever I plan a workshop I always want to step away from the “norm” and try and show something a bit different. I wanted to include fun and colourful elements, to inspire couples who might want to do something a little bit different! Keep scrolling for all the 70s retro inspiration.

Sussex Wedding Photographer 70s Wedding Inspiration at Two Woods Estate

Floral arch Sussex Wedding Photographer 70s Wedding Inspiration at Two Woods Estate

Two Woods Estate Wedding Venue

Two Woods Estate in the heart of West Sussex has over 100 towering Redwood trees. It is breath taking and has the most magical atmosphere. We felt this backdrop was perfect for Riders on the Storm.

The Fashion – by Kirsty Mackenzie

I really wanted the fashion to feel fun and be colourful. So often weddings are pigeonholed into white and black, and it doesn’t have to be that way at all! I adore the 70s fashion era and love taking inspiration from this time. Using icons like Jim Morrison, Stevie Nicks, and Mick Jagger & Bianca Jagger played a huge part in the fashion behind this shoot. Patterned shirts, flared trousers, and floaty floral dresses with cow boy boots, gold platforms paired with a white suit and a big fedora hat, that kind of vibe with a fresh feel for a modern wedding twist.

The Rue De Seine dresses were perfect for this styled shoot. Model Kirsty wore Eden which was a lace sheer dress with white details and Cindy wore the floral blush Maneesh dress. Both dressed complimented the redwoods and colour palette so well.

Beauty – by Lucy Meyers Make-up

Inspired by the natural surroundings of the stunning red wood forest at Two Woods Estate and the dappled light it offered up for shooting in, I wanted the first looks for our models to be super natural.

The second looks for both models were a great opportunity to get creative.

With 70s vibes in the colour palette and Bianca Jagger wedding look circa 1971 as inspiration for our model Kirsty I wanted to create an iconic look that still felt wearable. Keeping the makeup palette on the lips and cheeks natural allowed me to go all out on the eyes, without the look becoming more fancy dress than fashion!

Flower Power

Cindy’s second look was completely inspired by the beautiful mini dress and all the appliqué flowers that adorned it.

When I think about any look, I first think about the light it’s being shot in so that I get the best out the makeup. The trees at Two Woods Estate not only gave us protection from the sun that day but also created the most beautiful shadows to play with.

Glossy sheer eyelids in hot pink were taken from the eye down onto the top of the cheekbone so I had a base to build my floral appliqué on. Using individual dried flowers from @shrine I applied each one individually. Applying flowers down onto the hands, fingers and wrists meant that Cindy could really play with shape and movement.

Flowers – by Hannah from Tawny Flower Studio

Kirsty’s brief was so funky and fun. I really wanted to bring this through within the flowers using bold colours in clusters for maximum impact, mixing textures and forms to create depth and interest that would really pop against the forest background and wooden textures.

Our flower ingredients included some of my own grown flowers, some British foliage and imports, we used the more delicate detailed flowers in the bud vases on the table scape which then flowed and spilled over the table onto the floor creating a pool of beautiful flowers. In the main arch we built height and all the drama. Lastly, for the portrait area we created two flower installations made with a loose wild feel to compliment the backdrop and beautiful chair.

After the shoot we recycled and sent off the flowers to the confetti club London. They dry the petals and make them into confetti to sell back to couples and all the profits go to charity, which is wonderful thing to give back!

The Table – by Abstract Events

The table consisted of lots of vibrant colours such as fuchsia pinks, deep purples and yellows. This was complimented with lighter tones such as lavender napkins, lilac candlesticks and beige crockery to make the table really stand out in the darker setting. To avoid a rustic look and create a really modern table scape we incorporated contemporary glassware, colourful flowers that led to a stunning waterfall of florals, two toned candlesticks and accents of gold, with some bold stationery to tie it all together.