I first visited the incredible wedding venue, Crystal Barn Country Estate a few months ago whilst providing Bridal Hair and Makeup Services with my team Accentuate Hair & Makeup, to a gorgeous bride Justine for her wedding.  To say this venue is unforgettable is an understatement.   Each corner is an inspiration, an explosion of colour and texture. The artist in me was instantly inspired. It was as if the venue was crying out “Show me off!”

I chatted with Kate Bain and she so kindly indulged me by allowing me to plan the most epic and huge styled shoot there.   So I set about networking and contacting some of South Africa’s finest industry bests to see if they would be keen to be involved in this Mexican/Baroque over the top styled shoot.   The answer from all the vendors was an immediate and resounding “Yes!”

My vision for the shoot was a Mexican senorita who had met her dark and handsome lover and wanted to marry him before he was snatched up by another woman.  I envisioned a story between dark and light and the coming together of those accent colours, with black incorporated to allow the colours to pop.  I also wanted the shoot to be distinctly different from any other wedding shoot in its creativity, concept and colour choices.

We pictured a bride who is not afraid to be bold, brave and try something edgy, fashionable and new.  Someone who knows she wants to stand out, be remembered and have fun planning a huge party of a wedding.

Kate Bain of the Wedding Company South Africa immediately decided to import the most intensely coloured blooms.  From deep crimson red roses to bright magenta and yellow roses.  Kate executed the most resplendent, huge bouquet and headpiece out of these, which against the black and white of the gowns was magnificent.   Scroll down for more on the elegant, ethereal wedding gowns handmade by the dynamic duo McCarthy Wolff

Andrea Barras of Bird & Design agreed to provide her graphic design services.  Andrea’s attention to detail and creativity can be seen in the custom Tequila bottle label which was a nod to the venues name.  Around the same time as the shoot, by complete co-incidence Andrea was also designing a pair of socks with a distinct Mexican theme – Who doesn’t love a co-inkie dink like that!  Shop your own pair of tequila socks here: Featsockco.com

Andrea used representations of the florals from the decor to style the stationery suite, with a black background to create contrast a distinct step away from the traditional softer colours we usually see with wedding stationary design.

Photographer Lar Glutz of Lar Photography captured the boldness of the shoot with utter perfection as you can see by her crisp and flawless imagery.

The days events were captured in motion by the talented husband and wife duo Beyond Measure Productions who had the most amazing energy and willingness to go with the flow.

The most exquisite hand beaded and appliqué gowns were provided by Jane & Dale of McCarthy Wolff  Having never seen one of their gowns in person, at the fitting I was ensconced in a wonderland of lace and tulle.  They create the most elegant, ethereal wedding gowns.  True to a bride who would like to have a one of kind wedding dress on their special wedding day.

Having seen the beauty and detail in each wedding gown and given the baroque nature of the theme,  I knew we would need the most sovereign of head gear.  Nothing plain would do and they would need to be the crowning glory to these gowns.  Que Tarah Van Wyk of Magpie Calls  Her handmade, jewel encrusted masterpieces were the finishing touch we needed.  Any discerning bride would be most fortunate to own one of these pieces, made to their own exacting specifications with a touch of Tarah’s magic.   Fantastic for photos and a wonderful keepsake or family heirloom.

Our outstanding models, Leigh Raasch Thompson and Matt Dickens of Models International as well as Jessica-Louise Salt of I Model Management had their bridal hair and makeup done by right hand woman Kelsey from my Durban makeup and hair Team – Accentuate Hair and Makeup and Valerie one of my recent graduates from my makeup school Durban  Using M.A.C cosmetics 

I will be doing a separate blog post about their Hair and Makeup looks and the products we used so keep your eyes peeled for more! 

Our shoot ended off with the most delicious, spicy and tangy Mexican food made by Scott Bain.  Including Tequila ice lollies instead of a wedding cake!  New wedding food trend? I think so!

A special mention to the queen of icing:   Baseera Rajah of Cherry on the top for her painstakingly detailed iced biscuits.

Thank you to each and every supplier who gave of their valuable time and input to make this styled shoot the colorful masterpiece that is was.  

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Can you believe we also shot a Frida Kahlo inspired Fashion Story on the same day?  I’ll be doing a blog post on that soon!

Words by Jacqui Trinder – Gloss Boss X