Deep Dive: Styled Shoots, Wedding Blog
On Cloud 9: Blending Modern trends with classic wedding design
Jan
Image: Dover Media Group
Beautiful Blue Vibes at Hoad Farm Barn
Are you ready for another Wedding Inspo blog? I am! At the end of last year my team and I had the pleasure of working with some incredible fellow suppliers on our latest styled shoot. Dive into all the details below.
Image: Dover Media Group
Dotting elements of a trend into Classic Wedding Design.
2025 saw couples embrace clean wedding aesthetics to a new level. We saw a lot of white florals with dots of colour, which we adored. Alongside that, we saw more and more couples diving into the ‘Cloud 9’ theme throughout wedding design across the world. It was all over Instagram and made its way into hen party themes, which I found absolutely adorable.
Blending Trend with Timeless
When couples come to Blooming Roza, one of the things I hear a lot in consultations is the desire for a wedding that feels timeless, but still fresh and current. There often seems to be a worry about how quickly trends will date.
Side note here: My advice is never to pay too much attention to trends. They come and go, and return with tweaks and changes; no wedding can be truly timeless. It’s more important to find something that represents you and what you like than to feel like you absolutely have to follow fashion.
However, that being said, as a stylist and florist, there are elements I see throughout wedding design that we know have been part of weddings successfully for decades. If someone was looking for a timeless feel, my advice would always be to draw on this, which is exactly what we did for this project.
Image: Dover Media Group
For this shoot, I had the pleasure of working on a concept with Bronwyn Hunn, Wedding and Event-Coordinator at Hoad Farm Barn. Creatively, we always seem to be on the same page. She is a professional who truly knows the wedding industry inside and out!
We defined our aim for this as a simple one: create a look that feels elevated, calm, and has longevity, while giving space for small, modern touches that make the design feel current. The idea of blending classic wedding florals, soft textures, and clean styling with subtle trend elements inspired by the Cloud 9 aesthetic.
As always, we wanted this shoot to be something we can fully cost and use to inspire couples, so here you’ll not only find ideas, but you’ll be able to know what they would have cost too!
The Venue: Hoad Farm Barn, Kent
Hoad Farm Barn is a wonderfully versatile wedding venue, perfect for couples wanting a bespoke celebration. Its combination of a modern barn setting with a light, modern marquee for the wedding breakfast creates a natural contrast that allows floral and styling elements to shine.
One of the venue’s great advantages is that white table linens are provided as part of the venue hire, offering a crisp, neutral base to build your design around. This makes it easier to invest in florals, candles, and layered textures, all key to achieving a Cloud 9-inspired look.
The venue also offers:
- Stunning countryside views and multiple ceremony spaces. An indoor barn setting and two outdoor spaces.
- On-site cottages for bridal parties and guests
- Flexible, welcoming venue team support
- Child and dog friendly facilities
Image: Dover Media Group
Wedding packages start from £3,750, with our fictional couple opting for the Sapphire Package to secure a Saturday in October with exclusive cottage use.
Sapphire package: £4,500
Our couple also opted to hire the venue’s rustic love letters for the space for an additional £40 within their package.
Venue secured, time to look at styling!!!
A design rooted in contrast
To make sure this design wasn’t going to fall flat, we used contrasting elements. White tones are beautiful and clean, but without different textures, an accent tone, and a little bit of gold metallic, our result would lack depth and visual interest. To bring in elements of the Cloud 9 aesthetic, we focused on bringing in some fluffy florals and soft textiles.
Key features of this Event Design:
- Soft, fluffy textures with gypsophila and volumetric blooms
- A neutral palette of whites, creams, and ivory with subtle blue accents
- Clean, elegant table styling with pops of gold and sky-blue candles
- Thoughtful reuse of elements from the ceremony to the reception
The result was a wedding that feels romantic, editorial, and elegant with small trend-led touches.
Image: Dover Media Group
The Floral Palette: Classic & Textural
For this palette, I went for the classics, varieties that have been used for weddings for decades, and so in my mind are as timeless as you can get!
The selection focuses on creating a base of white with a variety of shapes, lights, and textures that can then be accented by blue tones, in keeping with our stylistic aims.
- White Roses
- White Lisianthus
- White Chrysanthemum Blooms
- White Antirrhinum (snapdragons)
- White Matthiola (stocks)
- Gypsophila (baby’s breath)
- Lollipop Blue hydrangeas
- Eryngium Blue Dynamite (thistle)
This shoot took place outside of the UK season. During this time, I get the majority of my flowers from Tom Brown, an expert, family-run floral supplier. As always, they supplied me with stunning flowers for this shoot.
The Bridal Party
Image: Dover Media Group
The Dress: Affordable, Timeless & Textured
The wedding dress was a bargain, purchased off Vinted for £25! The style featured a classic sweetheart strapless neckline and a variety of textures that complemented the fluffy, cloud-like aesthetic of the entire shoot. Amongst its satin base, you can see subtle beading and elements of lace. Against the whites and ivories of the ceremony and table décor, the dress maintained a sense of depth and interest without competing with other elements, proving that beautiful bridal style doesn’t need to be expensive to be effective.
The Bridal Bouquet focused on combining the florals into a classic, rounded style. The bride’s bouquet included blue elements, acting as the bride’s ‘something blue’. The bridesmaid’s bouquet complemented the bride’s beautifully, using white florals. Both bouquets had an element of eucalyptus to break up the flowers and let the shapes, tones, and textures do their thing!
Costs:
- Bridal bouquet: £120
- Bridesmaid bouquet: £75
Images: Dover Media Group
Buttonholes
Complementing the bride and bridesmaids’ bouquet styles, the Groom and the Best Man wore traditional style buttonholes with lisianthus, gypsophila, and eucalyptus. To mirror the bride, the Groom’s included a cutting from a Lollipop blue hydrangea and a thistle, looking stunning when paired together with the bridal bouquet in portraits.
Costs:
- Groom’s buttonhole: £15
- Best Man’s buttonhole: £10
Images: Dover Media Group
Bridal Hair and Make-Up
This shoot would have been nothing without the stunning hair and make-up from Michelle Vassallo. Michelle created a soft, timeless up-do accented with lisianthus, paired with natural, classic makeup for our Bride. This ensured the bride looked effortless while complementing the overall wedding aesthetic.
Our bride would have paid the following for Michelle’s Services:
Bridal Hair on the day: £120
Bridesmaids’ Hair: £65
Bridal Make-Up: £65
Bridesmaid Make-Up £60
We also know our bride would have gone for a hair and make-up trial, which would have cost:
Bridal Hair Trial: £70
Bridal Make-Up Trial: £50
Image: Dover Media Group
Images: Dover Media Group
Event Styling
Image: Dover Media Group
Ceremony Styling: Clean, Soft, and Cloud-Like
The ceremony design embraced light, airy, and timeless touches.
- Aisle: hurricane lanterns with floating candles and low white florals for softness
- Focal point: gold-framed plinths with cloud-like arrangements of gypsophila, white roses, lisianthus, blue hydrangeas, and eryngium
- Signing table: simple bud vases and vase arrangements
The goal was to keep the space feeling calm and cohesive, letting small Cloud 9 touches elevate the look without overwhelming it.
Wedding Breakfast Styling
Sweetheart Table: The bridal bouquet was reused as the focal arrangement, layered with bud vases and hurricane candles at the base. This not only saved budget but also created a consistent design from ceremony to reception.
Guest Table: A single long table reflected a modern, intimate guest count. With white table linens included in the venue hire, we layered:
- Sky-blue cheesecloth runners and white cheesecloth napkins
- Floating candles and blue taper candles in gold holders
- Fluffy bud vase arrangements
The plinths from the ceremony were reused behind the sweetheart table, creating an elegant focal point without extra spending.
Bud Vases: Small Details, Big Impact
We used 40 individual bud vases, each holding a single stem from the floral palette. These were strategically moved throughout the day, from aisle accents to the signing table and reception, creating depth, texture, and visual interest.
Image: Dover Media Group
Sustainability
Weddings are notorious for being unsustainable. However, there are a few things suppliers and couples can do combat this. Here are a few of them we showcased during this shoot:
- No floral foam used (which means no microplastics or horrible chemicals!)
- Arrangements built in water-filled vases or bowls containing moss and chicken wire for structure. No single-use materials.
- Florals were reused wherever possible
This approach shows you can reduce waste without compromising event design.
Image: Dover Media Group
Audio Guestbook: A Modern Wedding Detail
An audio guestbook is a lovely modern alternative to a traditional written guestbook, allowing guests to leave voice messages filled with personality, emotion, and well-wishes. It’s a simple way to capture moments that might otherwise be lost, and something couples can treasure long after the wedding day.
Placed subtly within the space, the audio guestbook sat beautifully alongside the overall design for this shoot, adding a contemporary touch without pulling focus from the timeless florals and styling.
Cost:
-
Audio Guestbook Hire: £80
Behind the Design: The Styling Deck
Wondering how this design came together? It all starts with the styling deck. At Blooming Roza, every wedding begins with conversation, gathering inspiration, understanding priorities, and talking about a price range before designing the event as a whole.
I then create a bespoke styling deck which becomes the visual foundation for the design and the quote, ensuring we’re always aligned on colour, texture, and overall feel. It removes guesswork and gives clients confidence that what they see on paper will translate beautifully on the day.
For this project, the styling deck was created exactly in the same way. Just as I would prepare for a real wedding, I created a visual guide that could guide the entire process.
View The Styling DeckStunning Photography
Capturing the Details
This shoot was captured by the incredibly talented Dover Media Group, whose photography beautifully documented both the overall design and the finer details of the day. Their style is relaxed and unobtrusive, allowing moments to unfold naturally while still giving careful attention to composition, light, and texture.
What we particularly loved for this shoot was how the imagery highlighted the small styling touches, the softness of the florals, the glow of candlelight, and the layered textures throughout the venue. The couple portraits feel effortless and natural, while the detail shots showcase the event styling exactly as it was intended to be experienced.
Dover Media Group offers excellent value wedding photography packages starting from £295. For this shoot, our fictional couple would have chosen their Premium Package, capturing everything from bridal preparations through to the first dance, ensuring every part of the day was thoughtfully documented.
Premium Photography Package: £1,195
Image: Dover Media Group
Final Thoughts
This shoot was all about showing how timeless wedding design can be enhanced with subtle, trend-led elements. By grounding the design in classic florals, soft textures, and a clean palette, then layering in Cloud 9-inspired details, we created a look that feels modern but will stand the test of time.
We hope this blog offers both inspiration and reassurance that thoughtful choices, realistic budgets, and clever reuse of styling elements can create a beautifully cohesive wedding day.
For ease, our fictional couple’s full wedding budget is outlined below, followed by a Supplier Spotlight section, showcasing the talented people who brought this vision to life.
Image: Dover Media Group
Creative Styling for Weddings Full of Personality
To guide you in your wedding planning, here’s a breakdown of what these elements would have cost our fictional couple. Use it to explore the details you love, get a sense of potential costs, and decide where you’d most comfortably allocate your budget.
Note: these prices are based on October 2025 and are subject to change.
Venue
Venue Hire: £4,500.00
Venue’s Love Letter Hire: £40
Wedding Attire
Wedding Dress for Bride: £25
Bridesmaid Dresses (Pre-owned): £0
Accessories (Pre-owned): £0
Hair and Make-up:
Bridal Hair on the day: £120
Bridesmaid’s Hair: £65
Bridal Make-Up: £65
Bridesmaid’s Make-Up: £60
Bridal Hair Trial: £70
Bridal Make-Up Trail: £50
Flowers
Bridal Bouquet: £120
Bridesmaid Bouquet: £75
Groom’s Butthonhole: £15
Best Man’s Buttonhole: £10
40 Bud Vases: £400
2 Plinth Arrangements: £460
Blooming Roza Décor Hire & Styling Services
10 Blue Candles: £15
10 Gold Candlesticks: £14 Hire
6 Blue Table Cheesecloth Runners: £18 Hire
28 White Cheesecloth napkins: £56 Hire
Audio Guestbook Hire: £80
Blooming Roza Stylists: £400
Photography
Premium Package from Dover Media Group: £1,195.00
Registrar Fees
Approx. £800 (typically £700–£900)
Catering
Approx. £2,300
(Estimated on 28 day guests and 32 evening guests)
Bar Packages
Approx. £1,400
(Estimated on a £50 per head basis for day guests and a cash bar for the evening)
DJ
You could keep things simple by creating and playing your own playlist through the venue’s sound system: free.
For something more interactive, a DJ typically costs from around £370 for a 4-hour evening set (as of October 2025). For the purpose of this budget, this is what our fictional couple would have done.
Total Spend
£12,703.00
Supplier Spotlight
Hoad Farm Barn
Hoad Farm Barn is perfect for couples wanting a bespoke celebration. The rustic ceremony spaces, modern marquee, and beautiful countryside setting provide a versatile canvas for any style. The venue team is warm, flexible, and highly supportive, helping couples bring their vision to life.
Packages start from £3,750.
Visit: hoadfarm.co.uk
Michelle Vassallo – Wedding Hair & Make-up
Michelle Vassallo specialises in bridal hair and make-up, creating soft, effortless looks that complement the client. Mobile service available across Kent and East Sussex, with full trials offered.
Bridal hair starts from £120.
Visit: michellevassallo.co.uk
Dover Media Group – Photography
Dover Media Group is a talented team of photographers who specialise in capturing weddings in a natural, relaxed, and unobtrusive way. Their style blends candid moments with carefully composed portraits, ensuring the story of the day is told authentically and beautifully. They have a particular eye for light, texture, and colour, making every detail shine without ever feeling staged.
Their approach is perfect for couples who want their day documented with elegance and personality, while keeping the focus on what matters most: the people, the emotions, and the atmosphere.
Photography packages start from £295.
Visit: dovermediagroup.com
Blooming Roza – Floristry & Styling
An then there is us! Blooming Roza blends organic, whimsical florals with thoughtful event styling. Working across Kent, Sussex, and the South East, we focus on texture, movement, and seasonal colour. Styling services include setup, styling, and pack-down, ensuring every detail is perfectly executed.
Bridal bouquets start from £90.
Visit our services page to find out more.
