The most perfect day, that seems miles away!
Thats how I feel about this shoot. It was weeks before the UK went into Lockdown, and I can’t believe just how normal everything was back then.
The day itself came about after some brain storming between myself and Kelly Hanks.
Kelly won Bridal Hairstylist of the Year 2020 for Yorkshire and North East the same night I won Makeup Artist for the very same area. She then went on to win NATIONAL- which says it all about how amazing she is. After all this time, we couldn’t believe we had never worked together. So our first time just had to be something to do that justice. And that it did!
When deciding on a theme, we wanted something different. Something dreamy, ethereal, yet new in colours and a new vibe compared to what we usually see. Often Bride’s see the same images all year round, from weddings with the same theme, and Pinterest boards without much variety. We wanted to change this!
I hear it week in week out.. we wanted to choose a different colour, but stuck simple. Sometimes it can be scary to move outside this comfort zone, and you don’t want to be that bride who chooses a colour that sounds strange, but actually looks GORGEOUS in real life. So we went Warm, Bold and ORANGE!
We wanted Creams, Peaches, and Pampas Grass. No Pink in sight- it was banished this day.
For venue? We chose the insanely gorgeous Hirst Priory, with its clean and crisp interior. A total blank canvas. Hirst as a Venue lets their couples take over with their style and idea’s. Hazel the MD herself has said many a time that she cant think of an instance they’ve said ‘no’ to couples ideas. And this is one of many reasons I love both her and Hirst Priory as a venue. From Tipi to Festival, Woodland to the Intimate Vaults, they have it all. So, it was a no brainer that we needed to have the shoot here.
For Dresses, we were SO picky. The White Yard, ticked every box. Claire who owns The White Yard seriously knows her stuff, I would sit and watch her in awe. How she knew what dresses would both suit our brief, but also flatter our gorgeous model Emily perfectly. Claire knows how to dress her Bride’s to perfection, and the designers she stocks are every bride’s dream. She fetched so many style's that I honestly believe is the reason this shoot has so many different varying images, and so many Blog's have loved it.
Emily was our model and she is a client of Kelly’s. As soon as Kelly sent me her pictures, I screamed in excitement! A total babe. In person too, even better. Emily is gorgeous, but in a ‘doesn’t even know it’ kind of way which I think makes anyone even more beautiful. She is the most down to earth beautiful soul, and it was amazing to meet her!
For Floristry, there was only one choice. Lynne at Stems Design. Simply the best! The excitement and passion oozes out of Lynne when you meet her, and she’s infectious. We’re all had Zoom chats after the shoot, and I could listen to her wisdom and uplifting energy all day. Her designs were just mesmerising. I couldn't believe the details and textures she had created. Hands down some of the best floristry I've seen!
For Venue Styling.. I mean who else could we possibly ask?! Emily K Weddings. I’ve worked with Emily now on a number of shoots and honestly her vision and flare are something that are rare to find. She has such an eye for detail, and her work is both classy, yet creative. I don’t think I’ve seen one wedding Emily has done that I haven’t obsessed over and instantly saved to a moodboard! And those tables... Typical Type provided us with their amazing Edison canopy tables, which im sure you’ll agree set the whole vibe off instantly?! I've worked with the Team at Typical Type before too with Emily, and they together are a match made in heaven.
And then who would capture this absolute DREAM TEAM for us? Tip Toe with Eve. It had to be! Eve was the first supplier Kelly sent me, and I didn’t even need to scroll past her first few images. Her work is flawless. So clean, feminine, beautiful and airy. And again, as with all of the women from this shoot, I watched her in awe! I’ve worked with some of the best photographers around, and Eve is up there with them. You can see her get this spark and idea, and she will quickly snap away- and wow.
Can you tell I’m obsessed with this team!? You need to go do some insta-stalking, as their work and pages are just B E A U T I F U L .
After the shoot, we were ecstatic to hear that both UNVEILED and Festival Brides wanted to publish it. And you’ll be able to see exactly why! In this Blog I’ve featured the UNVEILED images, and i'll post the Festival Brides on another blog soon.
UNVEILED described our shoot as Luxe Boho. And that hit the nail on the head.
You can view UNVEILED’s write up and images over on their blog..
My fav quote of the whole blog, is this one of course:
“Created by beauty experts, the modern day makeup is off-the-scale gorgeous and we at UNVEILED echo Kelly and Natalie’s sentiments that there is no need for ladies to try to fit a typical bridal mould – it should be about individuality, style and a hint of sartorial sass.”
Sartorial Sass. Perfectly Put!
Oh and that Savin London Jacket. How UNREAL?!!!!
But for now, feast your eyes on this beauty!
As always, all suppliers are tagged below:
