The last couple of weeks have seen some wonderful and exciting emails pop into my inbox, and this eco-chic engagement shoot organised by ethical wedding consultant Clarisse Elysée, was one of those beautiful ones.

Recently engaged, Kimberley and Troy were inspired by 1950s jazz icon’s such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, and although a little daunted to start with soon embraced the theme and relaxed into the photoshoot.

The photoshoot, which took place at the beautiful Cathedral Quarter Hotel in Derby, combined vintage elements and eco-chic styling from Clarisse.  Clarisse made the photoshoot as eco-friendly as possible by handpicking small, talented businesses based in and around Derbyshire.

The make-up artist used only organic make-up, whilst the flowers were locally sourced, seasonal, and grown by a florist based in Ashbourne.  Clarisse says “approaching the project from a mixed vintage and eco-chic perspective made it both challenging and rewarding, particularly when I saw the final results.”

After the photoshoot, Clarisse donated the flowers in true eco-friendly style to a local care home “so the residents could enjoy them as much as we did on the shoot.”  I think this is a fabulous idea and the same could be done with any spare flowers after your wedding.

Taking part in this eco-chic engagement shoot has got photographer Shaun Taylor thinking about his own business: “Participating in this project was great.  Now inspired by Clarisse’s vision I consider my carbon footprint and think of how I can go about reducing it.”

It’s wonderful to hear that Clarisse is spreading the word about eco-chic weddings.  Clarisse has recent set up an eco-friendly, sustainable wedding planning consultancy, visit her website for more details: www.lavieestunvoyage.com.

{ Suppliers }

Photography: Shaun Taylor Photography
Make-up and hair stylist: Laura Jane Sessions – organic make-up artist (and one of the lovely businesses listed in our directory)
Cupcakes/cake: Lavender Cakes
Flowers: Freedom Flowers
Hair accessories: Daisy-doo
Vintage tweed jacket (worn by Troy): Princes Vintage
Vintage props, crockery and table linen: Bonne Fête
Venue: Cathedral Quarter Hotel
Event organiser and stylist: La Vie Est Un Voyage
Special thanks to This Is Bazaar