Most Curious 2020 is back with new styling, new dates and...a new location

The annual return of the UK’s biggest, indie, style focused wedding show has been confirmed to take place at the East London’s Truman Brewery on 7/8/9 February 2020. Expect a full take over of over 140 inspirational exhibitors, installations, catwalk shows, workshops and much more!

BIG NEWS FOR THIS YEAR: Two more locations and dates will be revealed next week… as we will be holding our regular feisty little sister show Norwich too, but also for the first time ever MOST CURIOUS will be going North with a Manchester date! WE.ARE.EXCITED.

Yep, you read that right, but for now let’s talk London, our beloved flagship event, get involved!

Applications are now open for exhibitors and tickets are ready to buy!

2020 sees a whole host of revamps and reboots to the brand, losing cherished team members but gaining fresh, new ones, a whole NEW LOCATION, a programme of inspirational and useful talks and workshops through out the weekend. This new decade for Most Curious sees us upping our game as a live event that will empower couples during their planning process, as well as bringing even more of the most exciting and talented exhibitors to even more creative couples!

The launch is accompanied by a set of wedding trend forecasting campaign images show by fashion photographer Esther Belle Epoque, directed by Most Curious, shot on the hottest day on UK records, last July, with Australia’s next Top Model contestant Ashley Pogmore. The themes include the mighty return of chintz, pattern clash and maximalism. “We completely love the austere and minimalist vibes that have been part of recent trends and see them being around for a long time, but for us, looking forward, we feel a shift towards florals, stripes, pattern pattern and pattern, bows and frills,’ describes Most Curious founder Becky Hoh-Hale. ‘Think fully decorative at every turn, think 90s and 70s Laura Ashley vibes. So much so we commissioned Velvet Johnstone to make this perfect, puff sleeve jumpsuit out of vintage curtain fabric!

We’re excited to have them finally out there, after a long wait since we shot them! “For us there is the sense that from April to July is a melting pot of vibes, plans and creative hopes and dreams that simmers away, cumulating in the once a year trend forecasting campaign shoot,’ says Becky. “Mood boards take over our work life, every where we turn we are seeing potential themes and ideas, the process of prop making, finding, filtering plans that don’t work, editing and distilling the idea and pushing it to where you feel it needs to be, logistical power housing, it’s intense!”

“Styled shoots are all encompassing but I definitely feel there is so much riding on this once a year creative explosion. It is brought to life to engage with and capture the aspirations of the coolest couples and exhibitors and is our ultimate brand message for that year. No biggie. Well this year it was like the weather was connected to our pressure cooker of a brain. As the heat intensified and intensified towards the end of July, in synchronicity as shoot day loomed closer and finally, the day came the 25th July, the hottest day on record the UK has ever known.

As the temp soared to 40 degrees, our style prop mushrooms (yes!) steamed themselves in their packets, gaffa tape glue melted causing carefully chosen wallpaper to slide down the wall, sweet peas died in the night, cake buttercream sweltered across tables, our poor model was definitely ‘glowing’ in every shot and everyone was completely delirious and sweating from places we didn’t even know you could sweat! But through a constant stream of iced lattes and the desire to make this truly special, we made the magic we had hoped for.

The results were more than worth the slog. We love working with incredible fashion photographer Esther Bellepoque, who also shot the campaign in 2017.

There is also that 90s does Edwardiana vibes that Laura Ashley did so well, coming through so we called in Katya Katya’s high necked gown, reminiscent of the era, festooned with ruffles and lace. A soft, short veil from AM Faulkner kept the look in 2019 and shell accessories from Wald Berlin via UK stockist Studio B.

Bows definitely ruled our accessories arena as, as always, we look to the trends in fashion and interiors to see where design directions are heading. The bow is strong and we worked with Fi Graham Millinery to create bespoke pieces from chintz upholstery fabric (sourced by my mother in law!), as well as cream silks and customisation of true vintage 90s wedding hats.

AM Faulkner also fulfilled our desire for a modern bonnet look. Whether subconsciously inspired by the Hand Maid’s tale or not, fashion seems to be looking to this sort of wrapped style for headwear and we are here for it!

Pearls, shells and mushrooms, are a thing! So they pop up with the extreme maximalist table style as well as on the fuzzed head band by Fi Graham. We called in hand blocked floral wallpaper from Little Greene to create one back drop and I commissioned my mother in law to make cushions in carefully chosen chintz fabric and frills. Everyone at was like, I’m sure we had those cushions when I was a kid!

Shelena of Bloaum florists brought her incredible floral styling prowess as a whole concept too, assisted by Annie Fern on the day. Together we created a mood of English garden flowers, to echo the chintz feels of the fabric and wallpaper, as well as the idea of bringing the English country side into the studio in a stylised way, with meadow and corn field installations. With natural, garden roses still attached to a bush in some cases, imperfect, real, bashed and almost past their best as a vibe, to give that nostalgic feel of the flowers you would see when playing in the garden in British Summers. That was the plan and the weather certainly helped!

Yellow and pink was the palette and we also used this across the ultra feminine and mega chintz table styling too, with statement vases and oddities filled with blooms as well as the shell themed piped icing cake of wonder by Lily Vanilli, who also created little white chocolate clam shells, complete with pearls!

For hair and make up, again, we looked to fashion forward styling with the amazing Portraits Bridal on board, with flatter, slicked down, centre parted styles, with stray, slick strands and even a little artful styling of the baby hair. Natural freckles were enhanced and a little 90s high shine red lip for our most modern look.

The family affair continued with my mum’s own brand Atelier of Knit collaborating with me and Velvet Johnstone to create the puffed sleeved play suit of dreams. We almost couldn’t shoot it because it was so sweltering, but we left it till last and blasted our model with every fan in the building while we got the shots, cementing the look with ceramic fluff ball earrings by Deborah Tseng, a golden locket inscribed with I FUCKING LOVE YOU by Cult of Youth and of course the ultimate 2020 bridal accessory - the hand beaded bum bag by our German faves, Ritual Unions.

InGrid bridal supplied the fuller, volumous forms, in their beautiful dresses, set against our curtain backdrop, set design by Hire Love, combined with Niza Huang’s pearl earrings and AM Faulkner’s head wrap for a Dutch Masters moment.

We even added in roman style pillars, spray painted in the colour scheme, to add that maximalist, decorative feel we wanted to portray. Topped with Shelena’s rose centre piece and Fi Graham’s gigantic floral bow, we think did the trick!

Hire Love were on hand for all our prop and set needs, including the iconic chintz chair, as well as the velvet banquette seating behind the table.

We also asked one of our favey videographers Wagtail Productions to come and record some video footage. She replied with the question, 'do you know what a cinemagraph is, because I want to come do some cinemagraphs.' We jumped at the chance! They are the amazing witchcrafty Harry Potter style images where just one element moves and what Ayla has produced has completed blown our minds, especially the complication video of all of them that totally captures the MOOD, at the top of this post.

It was a day we will never forget, one that will go down on record for many reasons. And as we all trundled away, disheveled but happy, the sky broke and the rain poured down, creating rainbows in the sky. Us and the city exhaled in a collective sigh of relief! A moment that kick started the magic that fuels and follows the Most Curious shows, all involved and attend. We can’t wait for next year!

Please check out Rock n Roll Bride’s look behind the scenes for the full details of the shoot.

We hope you love them and are looking forward to the 2020 fun as much as we are!

Applications close on Friday 18th October, tickets are on sale now, and keep your eye on insta for all the scoop on what you can expect and experience in the Spring with Most Curious.

Please find a link to our media pack including all the high res images here...

SHOOT CREDITS

Photographer: Esther Bellepoque

Art Direction, styling, set design: Most Curious founder Becky Hoh-Hale, assisted by Ann-Marie Faulkner and The Wedding Enthusiast and Shelena of Bloaum

Cinemagraphs: Wagtail Productions

Flowers: Bloaum with Annie Fern assisting

Cake and chocolate shells: Lilly Vanilli

Hair and Make Up: Portraits Bridal Hair & Make-up

Dresses: Velvet Hearts, Katya Katya, InGrid Bridal, Atelier of Knit

Shoes: Tracey Neuls and Asos

Veils and wrap: AM Faulkner bridal

Bows and head bands: Fi Graham Millinery

Jewellery: Cult of Youth, Niza Huang, Deborah Tseng, Wald Berlin via UK stockist Studio B

Beaded bum bag: Ritual Unions

Wallpaper: Little Greene

Props and curtain set design: Hire Love