Good morning Tuesday! Let’s kick today off with a scrumptious Australia afternoon tea wedding shoot in a field!

There’s nothing quite like the golden waves in Australian fields and today’s team got together to create something really special! Bailie of Bailie Photography invited Alicia of Form Over Function to help his vision dancing in his head of “afternoon tea in a field”.

Form over Function styled the shoot and provided the flowers, furniture, chandelier and decor. Dresses by Pretty In White, makeup by Amy Chan and models Kaitlin Hawkins and Melissa Hanes.

Alicia told the story behind the shoot. “Shot in undulating fields in Sydney (yes, hard to believe but they exist!), I liked the idea of it looking like part of formal dining room of yesteryear magically appearing in parts, almost as if the girls were waiting for the butler to enter and serve them tea at any momednt from left of frame.

The palette was set – pinks, lemons, whites and green – but in the end the pinks, greens and whites on offer were so gorgeous, they won and lemon was left for another day (or rather to the wattle seen in bloom in some of the shots).

The other thing I like about this shoot, is that it could easily translate into real styling for a real wedding. I’m a firm believer in photo shoots being fantastical, but for brides looking for inspiration, it’s also great to be able to look at an image and say: “I want that! I can have that!”.

We’ve used this sideboards to hold arrangements of flowers just like this to create pretty along a bare wall of a venue, or flanking either side of an entry to create a sense of what lies beyond the doors. Only last week we hung nine chandeliers within a marquee to create night time magic, and the cut glass vases and bowls in our range can add a touch of vintage yesterday to any table for a lot less than brides to be might think.”

Alicia, who is a lover of blooms styled the bouquets “I designed one bouquet using a tumble of exquisite pale pink and white cymbidium orchids; the other was a field fresh posy of ranunculus, flowering vibernum, hellebore and blushing bride.

One of the best parts of styling the shoot for me was the total freedom of going to the flower markets that morning and choosing the very best of what was on the floor, rather than arriving with a prescribed must have list, which mother nature does not always deliver on.”

Alicia says “I used one of the beautiful antique timber sideboards from our hire range to set the scene, hung a crystal chandelier in the trees to add a touch of whimsy, and lay out a collection of dusty pink and pale yellow 1950s tea cups, saucers, teapot, sugar bowl and milk jug, vintage glass dessert coupes and glass spoons, an antique silver cake stand bearing macarons, and a collection of cut glass vases and bowls from our hire range – one filled with pink ranunculus, another with palest pink tulips, another with the beautiful Australian native, blushing bride, and a large tumbling arrangement of hellebore and lupins, both old fashioned cottage garden flowers.

A vintage cane and leather picnic basket was placed alongside the sideboard as a play on the inside/outside nature of the shoot, and lovely wicker arm chairs, also from our hire range, completed the lazy afternoon picture.”

Photos by Bailie Photography