Blog

We thought it would be a lovely thing to use our blog to look back at some of the photoshoot collaborations we have worked on and get an insight from the industry professionals leading the day. Having organised and led many styled shoots over the last couple of years with The Prop Factory I was intrigued to see the thought processes that others go through when styling the vision for their day and also why they chose us to be involved as the sole furniture and prop supplier.This week we are talking to Jo Thorndike. Jo is the founder of V V Raven Floral and is a stylist and floral designer. Following a long career in architecture where she worked on some amazing award-winning projects, Jo found her work becoming more project management and less day-to-day creativity. When her cousin announced her engagement and asked Jo to do her wedding flowers, she took an hour lesson on holiday in Italy, and that was it, she was hooked.

We asked Jo to answer some questions for us about her 'Celebration of the Seasons' styled shoot collaboration last year.

Here's what she had to say...

What was your photoshoot concept?

The shoot’s aim was to showcase us as stylists and floral designers. Our brand promotes a strong passion for British flowers and foliage and working with other British, sustainable, small businesses.

The plan was to create all four of the beautiful seasons at the venue throughout the year so we started with spring! We divided it into Fresh Spring with a blue and white palette featuring a beautiful white couture wedding dress and a black handmade dress focusing on the earthier elements with Dark Spring.

I love to mix fresh and faux florals and used this shoot to show the advantage to using them together and how indistinguishable from each other they can be.We wanted to reflect a fun wedding experience that was achievable but also hopefully an inspiration to couples also!What inspired the photoshoot concept?

I met Bryony [of Lodge Farm] at an open day and went to visit her at her family’s farm that she was converting into a wedding venue. I fell in love with it and wanted to document the dereliction and history/romance before they refurbished. The beauty of the setting blew me away and I passionately felt the need to fulfil my vision for the space. Luckily Bryony was sympathetic to this! 

The Barns at Lodge Farm is a new wedding and events venue where several barns are currently being renovated. Sustainability is a key factor in both the way the land is managed as a working arable farm, and also in the way the barns are being developed in a manner which is as sensitive to the environment as possible.

The ethos of the venue fits perfectly with the key influences for the shoot, and the changing landscape of the fields throughout the year are an idyllic backdrop for the Celebration of the Seasons. Seen below with the dark spring styling.

Main elements of the photoshoot?

The main elements of the shoot were divided into these main areas:

Ceremony set up with our Moongate garlanded with British foliage.



Outdoor sitting area.Gentlemen’s Club transforming The Granary.

Tablescape mini styled area. Seen here in both fresh spring and dark spring styling.

Who might like to recreate this look?

These looks would work well for either a special glamorous wedding or event.

They also work well scaled up for a corporate occasion.

Why did you select The Prop Factory as a supplier to your shoot? 

I met Carmen on one of the first shoots that I did when I first started and loved her enthusiasm for her business and her amazing props. Even though she was based in Exeter she promised to collaborate when I set up my own shoots and her and Carys were really helpful by coming up the evening before and staying over to be involved.

Which of our props did you use and why? 

We used two sets of props, blues and whites for Fresh Spring and dark and moody greens and browns for Dark Spring.

Fresh Spring:

Blue Velvet Chesterfield 

White Wicker Chair 

Ascot Display Column x2 

Dainty Blue Chair 

Dark Spring:

Green Velvet Chesterfield Armchair

Cast Iron Floor Standing Candelabra x2 



Gentlemen’s Club:

Rustic Trunk 

Vintage Rugs

Oak Drinks Trolley 

A few vintage pub stools 

Small Vintage Bar   

We used the blue and white for a soft look that created a more relaxed romantic airy feel that went perfectly with the Fresh Spring theme. We then changed it over to the darker more earthy props to promote more intimate textures.

The use of the sumptuous velvet sofas mixed with fresh and faux florals created a timeless but also very on-trend look which worked well.



What venue/s would this look work well in?

This could work well in any venue, we love creating the juxtaposition of a formal space in a very rustic space and the surprise of walking into an atmospheric space not where you would expect it to be!

What DIY elements can people recreate themselves? 

When styling a space, if you keep to a restricted palette of colours it will ensure that the items all work well together.

Use different textures to create interest too and stop it looking flat!

Bowls of toning coloured fruit or vegetables in your colour theme are also useful as if you buy them from your local market they can be relatively inexpensive and can be eaten later in the day!If you were to do the photoshoot again what extra props might you add in? 

The props from The Prop Factory were spot on - I don’t think it needed anything else we could have added - they were perfect for what we needed.

We've gathered together all the props used in this shoot in one place. See them here.

Key suppliers for this shoot :

Concept, Planning, Stylist and Floral Designer: V V Raven

Props & Furniture : The Prop Factory 

Photographer: Markuza Photography    

Cine film company: Cine Reportage

MUAH: Ieva Genovesi

Venue: The Barns at Lodge Farm

Model: Joshua Gould

Model: Bernadette Lemon                

Bespoke bridal wear: River Elliot Bridal                                              

Wedding suit: The Vintage Suit Hire Company                                             

Vegan painted leather jacket: Lucky Sew and Sew    

Wedding tiaras: Mr Mortimer's Wife

Wedding rings: Helen C Walls Jewellery

Invitations: Nat's Paper Studio                                

Feather wreaths: Plucking Fabulous                                

Animal Masks: Animalesque

Wedding cakes: Fifi's Cakery  

Art - Mirror ball: Nathalie Frost Designs

Art - Collage artist: Julie Kuyath      

Art - signwriting: Andrew J Mason