intimate and artful British-japanese wedding

Timeless, Understated Elegance // Cherry Blossoms & Fine Art Pastels

Planning & Styling: The Stars Inside
Reception & Ceremony Venue: Ashridge House
Photography: Emma Pilkington
Floral Design: Verity & Thyme
Catering: Ashridge House
Cake: Holly Clarke Cake Design
Tables & Cutlery: Classic Crockery
Candlesticks & Charger Plates: Duchess & Butler
Linen & Napkins: Just 4 Linen
Ribbons & Styling Silk: Pom Pom Blossom
Hair & Make-up: Naho Ikeda
Other Decor: The Stars Inside, Lights4Fun, Bramble Sky, Wedding Lux Co
Confetti: Shropshire Petals
Organist: Jenny Hoare
DJ: Nathan Ing
On The Day Assistant: Elizabeth Grace Wedding Planning

In early March 2020, just before the coronavirus situation escalated on a truly global level, the wonderful L&S celebrated their union at Ashridge House, a breathtaking Grade I neo-gothic country estate in the hills of Hertfordshire. The couple travelled to the UK from Japan, where the bride and her family are from, and where the young couple now live. Their vision for their wedding was to have an intimate gathering of 50 or so of their nearest and dearest, and to host a weekend of laid-back, joyful moments for the two families to come together. Little did we know that this cultural and social togetherness would come to be even more meaningful, just weeks after their day! Aesthetically, the bride wanted to pay homage to Japan, while also embracing elements of all that is quintessentially and timelessly English. The design concept paired inspiration from their native fields of cherry blossoms with that of Royal weddings of decades past, modernising and refreshing that vintage look we all know and love. Our palette had playful touches of dusty pinks, greys, and blues, with an almost minimalist and Ikebana-inspired approach to texture. This organic, artful style of floristry and decor breathed beautifully beneath the gilded ceilings of the manor house, giving the couple - and each and every guest - space and time for what matters.