The arrival of our fabulous Spring season Mother of the bride and groom collections from John Charles, Lizabella, Ella Boo and Daisy May got us thinking about getting together with our favourite wedding photographer, Sarah Brabbin for a Mother’s Day inspired photo shoot. You have been telling us how much you like to see our wedding dresses and Mother of the Bride and Groom outfits photographed on real women so Sarah asked her friend, Steph and her Mum, Lynne, to model for us. Sarah suggested Cannon Hall House and Gardens which is licensed for wedding ceremonies and, with the Spring flowers in bloom, provided the perfect setting.
We love this lemon and silver dress by Ella Boo. Team it with this boxy lemon jacket and Max and Ellie hat in mist, for a contemporary look with a real sense of occasion – perfect for a Spring wedding.
Our Mother’s Day shoot began with coffee in Cawthorne while Claire, our stylist, treated Lynne and Steph to some early morning pampering. Hair and makeup done, we headed off to the Butler’s Room in Cannon Hall with armfuls of hats, wedding dresses and Mother of the Bride and groom outfits.
This stunning simple Connie gown by essence of Australia is beautifully cut in figure hugging crepe. Elegant, timeless and effortlessly sexy.
A twist of lemon – a show stopping high low dress to make heads turn.
Mother’s Day How and Where did it all begin?
Our photo shoot got us thinking about Mothers Day traditions. I remember, as a child, excitedly dragging my Father out of bed so we could creep downstairs and make a surprise breakfast for my Mum to eat in bed but how and where did it all begin? What would we do without mobiles and Google? Between setting up the shots, we did a bit of research and found that far from being a marketing ploy invented by the greeting card companies, Mother’s day has been celebrated for centuries world wide and is a tradition we share with many cultures.
Confident in a striking fuchsia floral jacket with black and ivory trim – remove the jacket for simple and elegant – pure class
Napoleon declared that Mothers should be officially honoured on the Sunday of Pentecost because he wanted to reward the mothers of large families. During the first world war mothers of four or more children were given medals. And the Mother of all mothers? Was married to a Russian man called Feodor Vassilyev. During her 76 years she gave birth to 69 children – 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets! We salute her! After she died, Feodor went on to marry again and have another 18 children. Looks like he has the Father of all Fathers title sewn up too!
A vintage colonial feel glamorous yet relaxed.
Mother’s Day falls in May in India when traditionally you thank your Mum for everything she has done for you during the year. The family cooks a large meal and Mum is banned from the kitchen. Hindus in India celebrate the Divine Mother, the Goddess Durga, during Durga Puja in October. This ten day festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil.
The Andean population, indigenous to Peru, celebrate the gifts given by Mother Earth, Pachamama in August. Pachamama (that same sounds lovely when you say it out loud – try it)
This gorgeous Ian stuart wedding gown is named Forget Me Not after the beautiful and traditional pink, lilac and blue flower
In the UK, the celebration is traditionally called Mothering Sunday and takes place on the Fourth Sunday of Lent. It originated in the 16th century when it was the custom for people to return home to their ‘Mother Church’ on ‘Laectare’ Sunday to worship the Virgin Mary. Those leaving for home were gone ‘ a- mothering’ and would take the chance to visit their families as well as their church. Many were domestic servants and would pick flowers from the verges along the way to give to their Mothers. This amazing wedding dress by Ian Stuart is called Forget me Not after the beautiful blue, pink and lilac flowers. Here in the gardens at Cannon Hall it was easy to imagine the domestic servants who worked at the hall leaving the grounds to go A Mothering back home in the surrounding villages, picking flowers along the way.
Mother’s Day Traditions
Forty countries celebrate Mother’s day on different days but there are many common themes, especially flowers and food, linking the festivities across the globe.
Thank you Mum … say it with flowers …
It is a French tradition to give a cake in the shape of a bouquet of flowers to Mum during a family dinner on Mother’s day, while Australians honour their Mums by wearing carnations. A red carnation honours Mothers who are still with us, a white carnation honours those who have passed on. The chrysantheMUM is also often given to Australian Mums.
Japanese mothers are revered for their gentle strength as symbolised by the carnation. On Mother’s day children in school draw pictures of their mothers and their work is entered in exhibitions.
Flowers have their own language and by choosing a certain flowers for your Mum, you can express exactly how you feel. For example, the Azalea says take care of yourself for me and is a Chinese symbol of womanhood, Lily of the valley represents sweetness and a return to happiness it says you’ve made my life complete. The cactus is a symbol of endurance and might be the perfect gift from a teenager but might need also an accompanying explanation!
Show stopping – dramatic yet simple – we love the dynamic black and ivory floral against the lime – wow!
Thank you Mum … say it with food …
Traditionally Simnel cakes are associated with Mothering Sunday. During Lent, people resisted sweet foods, rich foods and meat. However, the fast was relaxed a little on Mothering Sunday and a light fruit cake was made, covered with a layer of marzipan with another layer of marzipan baked into the middle of the cake. Traditionally, Simnel cakes are decorated with 11 or 12 balls of marzipan, representing the disciples. The cake is thought to have been named after Lambert Simnel who worked in the kitchens of Henry VII of England around 1500.
All this talk of food sent us in search of the beautiful Cannon Hall dining room – the custodians kindly allowed us to shoot here and it is very possible that Simnel cake was served in this very room on Mothering Sundays in the past.
Effortlessly elegant
Ethiopians celebrate at the end of the rainy season, as part of the three-day Antrosht, dedicated to mums. When the rain stops members of the family come home to celebrate with a large feast. Daughters traditionally bring vegetables, butter, spices and cheese, while the sons bring meat. The ingredients are made into a traditional meal.
Many of the fruits and vegetables used in the Cannon Hall kitchen would have been grown in this walled kitchen garden while meat would have been reared on the estate.
Sweet foods such as chocolates are the most popular Mothers day gift with over £55,000 spent in the UK alone. Mothering Sunday is the most popular day of the year for eating out.
Serbian Mums have an unusual start to Mother’s Day. Their children creep into the bedroom when they are still asleep and tie their Mums up. They are not released until they produce gifts for the family. Er kids ……. just to let you know … we prefer the breakfast in bed with flowers and chocolate option…
It’s Official …
How stylish is this silver coat and dress by Lizabella? Team with a gorgeous mulberry hat and bag by Max and Ellie for sophisticated yet uber femine.
Anna Jarvis was a social activist born in Philadelphia USA in 1864. She campaigned for an official day – Mother’s Day – to honour all mothers in America after the death of her own Mum.
In the UK, we have a vicar’s daughter, Constance Smith to thank for the day we annually honour our Mums. She was so inspired by Jarvis’ campaigned she lobbied Parliament in 1913 for Mothering Sunday to be officially observed in Britain.
Although Mother’s day is celebrated in different ways on different days, the special bond of love and respect that connects families with mothers is shared across the globe.
Thank you Mums for all that you do and all that you give – you are truly awesome.
Happy Mothers Day!
Thank you to everyone at Cannon Hall for making us feel so welcome – for unlocking gates, moving furniture and generally putting up with us. The Limelight team always have lots of behind the scenes. Shooting with the amazing Sarah was made extra special by the very lovely Lynne and Steph – Thank you all so much – lets do it again very soon xxxx
