Shoots Planned & Styled // Deconstructive

Recently our Deconstructive Shoot was featured on Love Mag magazine.  This shoot tantilized our creative juices from the very beginning.  We are so proud to showcase and share this shoot with you.

From our recent shoot interview –

Describe the theme. What was the inspiration for this look?

The modern-day flirtation of structures, wedding themes and bridal fashion we are currently experiencing allows us to freely explore various creative possibilities never been seen before. With this in mind our theme was centred on a migration journey to discover how far creative boundaries can be stretched to embrace old and new, broken and structured elements, and feathered feminine frills. Our aim was bold, high impact, jaw-dropping styling but with an equally soft feminine expression.

The concept of a deconstructive look is showcasing the beauty in broken, caged, worn-out pieces. What is normally seen by some as cast-out rubbish is another man or woman’s treasure. This is exactly why we can, in today’s modern wedding scene, play out a depiction of a bride’s personal style. All the pieces make up the whole and when shown together portray a beauty even in its broken state.

What kind of couple, season and setting would this theme suit?
Our theme will appeal to design-inspired couples who get a kick out of unconventional, slightly daring, themes. They are very confident in their own style, in their skin, in their careers and life in general. They embrace a ‘go big or go home’ attitude and they want to leave their guests with a spellbound experience of beauty in both simplistic and broken form. They dare to be different.

Talk us through the key elements.

Flowers:
1. Why you selected the design elements you did and how this tied in with the overall theme
When Celeste approached me with the theme of ‘deconstructed/Vogue inspired’ it immediately appealed to me as an opportunity to do something out of the ordinary. To break with the current trends and design something eye-catching and avant garde.
I selected ideas for flower designs that I believed would work in a high fashion or interiors publication – like the lampshade with flowers and twigs suspended from it – this takes the concept of suspended flowers to a different dimension to the current trends. Incorporating vegetables into the flower arrangements – whilst not a new concept, when they are grouped together with a wild mix of flowers and then placed in a concrete bowl that is a “separated portion” of the lamp shade, they take on quite a modern feel. We took this further and incorporated them into the hair pieces and bouquets as well – for a bride who really wants to make a statement with her flowers.
We went for very graphic shapes in some of the structures and bouquets, that were then softened by adding flowers. And also added some unexpected elements – like incorporating real birds nests into the big floral structures.
By adding a ‘deconstructed’ element to the décor – like the backless arm chair, the concrete lampshades etc- we also created an interesting juxtaposition or tension between the industrial elements of the décor and the more romantic side of flowers.

2. Where did you draw your inspiration from?
High fashion magazines, European floral designers ( who have a brilliant flair for the modern and avant garde), and some home interior ideas.

3. To what type of client/couple would this appeal most?
I believe this kind of styling will appeal to a modern couple who want to buck the trends and do something uniquely them – possibly a couple who come from a design oriented background like architecture or fashion design or possibly the food industry. A couple who want their wedding to be remembered because it was unique and unusual and very much a reflection of them.


The Food;
With a high impact shoot such as this the emphasise on the food was kept to bright, colourful and statement food feasts. We wanted to take the concept of deconstructed food – broken down to its elements – to the next level by portraying layered, stacked, cracked or crushed raw elements which, when plated together, present a piece of art in its own right. The idea was to tease guests with a culinary flavour experience which, along with the artistic portrayal of other elements, leaves guests in awe of the visual event.

Make-up and Hair:
For the hair and makeup to tie in with the deconstructed theme, I used classic hair and makeup styles and turned them into more edgy and out-of-place looks. Each hairstyle was specifically designed around each model, keeping in mind the dress and scene style. The hairstyles were perfectly complimented with floral arrangements that were carefully chosen and placed in position to complete the hairstyle. Pops of colour were added in the makeup designs to pick up the colours in the floral arrangements and scene décor. The deconstructed styled look was achieved by using unexpected placing of makeup. Although the makeup looks are definitely more edgy and fashion forward than the traditional bridal makeup, they still give a soft and feminine feel.
I drew inspiration from the colours of the dresses and floral arrangements to design these high fashion hair and makeup looks. To tie in with the overall theme, the design elements of the décor installations also played a big role in the inspiration of each look.

What advice would you give a couple wanting to a similar theme for their big day?

This theme allows you the opportunity to utilize almost anything at your disposal. The key is to see the beauty in each element and to display it so that, even in its distressed form, it tells a story.
These looks will appeal to the high fashion bride that thinks outside of the box. The styles will be used as inspiration for brides who are not afraid to use different design elements in their hair and makeup look.
Look for inspiration in places other than the traditional wedding related media – look in architecture or home décor magazines or blogs, look at high fashion magazines for ideas on makeup and hair styling and dress designs. The design for a unique wedding can often be centred around a unique light fitting, an interesting vase, a fabulous piece of furniture and then run from there.
Follow your heart and do what works for you – this is after all your day and you need to be happy with your memories when you look back on them.
Take a calculated risk with your décor and do something that will get all your guests talking – it will create many happy talking points for months and years to come.

If you are going for a look like this, my advice will be to have a focus on one particular element or feature, and keep the rest simple. It is important to have a balance with this style. Pair a strong lip colour with toned down eye makeup, or vice versa. You can also choose either your hair or your makeup as a focus, and tone down the other. Always keep in mind your dress design when finally deciding on your hair and makeup style.

Concept, styling and co-ordination – Celeste Styled Events
Photographer – Kim van Zyl 
Decor items – To-Netts Flowers and Décor
Flowers – Epanouir Flower Studio
Dresses – Gavin Rajah
Food Styling – Cape Town Chefs
Models – Listelle Visser, Ashleigh Caddick, Tanya Vee
Hair & make-up – Donna Tayler 
Venue – Ashanti Estate
Stationery – Fleur Design Studio 


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