This morning on the blog we are showing off – one amazing elite wedding venue and the work of some really rather fabulous Northern suppliers. Because, well, if you’ve got it (and hell yes, we’ve got it up North!) why not flaunt it?
Early one sunny Monday morning in Spring, one of the most exclusive wedding venues in the UK quietly opened it’s doors for a secret bridal photo-shoot to celebrate 15 years of Jean Jackson Couture. The shoot was to be an artistic collaboration between one of the North West’s finest dress designers and a small collection of highly sought-after and award-winning wedding suppliers, including the lovely Phoebe of Brides Up North Featured Supplier Flossy & Leigh Make Up Artist Company. And what beautiful results…
Phoebe says: Having first consulted with Jean on what dresses she wished to feature, we then went directly to our photographer friend Evie at Chapter Photography, who had shot the first ever wedding at the Upper House Hayfield venue only weeks before.
We knew we wanted a bohemian feel for the shoot, and had envisaged a very organic and floral decorated rowing boat, with a natural looking model dangling her feet off the edge and into the water. The way Frog Studio brought our vision to life was mind blowing, and the utterly stunning model Montana Bloom (courtesy of Helen at Boss Model Management) worked every single look to perfection.
Jean has been designing since the 1960’s, and her work with couture and high-street brands has taken her all over the world. It was during the 1980’s that Jean decided to concentrate on bridal wear and opened her first shop, Jean Jackson Designer Bridalwear, in Davyhulme. Success led to inevitable expansion and Jean went on to buy a bigger premises in Urmston, that not only included her shop but also her design studio and work rooms.
Her eldest daughter Rebecka, was her business partner for 10 years. Together they created the most beautiful bridal gowns and dresses. 5 years ago, Rebecka set up a textile agency and thus enabled Jean’s bespoke customers access to some of the worlds finest fabrics.
Rebecka’s daughter, Felicity, has clearly inherited the creative Jean Jackson genes, and has been designing and styling clothes since she was a child. With their combined love of bridal wear and passion for design, it felt like the right time to expand. So, with all three generation’s sights firmly set on the future of the Jean Jackson Couture legacy, they proceeded to seek out the perfect venue to house their new ideas.
Manchester’s Northern Quarter was an obvious choice of location, with its eclectic mix of boutiques, bars and restaurants. That, coupled with ‘design’ cosmic intervention in the form of an introduction to the floral genius David at Frog Flowers, led to the discovery of the studio at 51 Turner Street; a converted warehouse playing host to 3 floors of creative business’.
As well as Jean Jackson Couture’s own collections the new studio will also be stocking gowns by new emerging British designers, including Naomi Neoh, Ivory & Co and Kelly Ewing. It promises styles to suit all, from vintage to contemporary, and at prices from £800.
When coordinating a shoot with such a number of highly stylised looks, there was only one choice for floral artistry. Frog Flowers, off the beaten track in the trendy and bohemian Northern Quarter, offers a tailor made service for weddings, events, photo shoots, family celebrations. David Jayet-Laraffe has strong ideas about flowers and prides himself in his creations. Whether you need something special, flamboyant, traditional, boldly colourful or quietly restrained David will listen to your ideas and interpret them with flair.
Evie & Jamie at Chapter Photography have a fresh young approach to capturing those special chapters in your life. Having shot weddings internationally, they have a growing reputation for stunning artistic images which capture the emotions of the day, as they unfold. They pride themselves on taking the stress out of any wedding day, and their relaxed artistic style results in a collection of heartfelt and evocative images to last a lifetime.
When it came to this particular shoot, Evie worked relentlessly, to ensure the entire collection of shots we’d envisaged were all captured and presented in the most stunning and effective manner imaginable.
One of the UK’s best kept secrets, and hailed as one of the most elite wedding venues available, Upper House Hayfield has a maximum booking of only 10 weddings a year. The whole team were honoured to spend the day shooting at this truly unique location.
Upper House, a former hunting lodge that stands alone on the magnificent mountain of Kinder Scout in the Peak District National Park, is nestled within 30 acres of private woodland. It holds the exclusive fishing and sporting rights to Kinder Reservoir and is a spectacular remote country retreat, yet it is only 24 miles from Manchester city centre. A castellated fortress that is wrapped around a stunning central courtyard, the house comprises a Medieval Banqueting Hall, an original Inn and luxurious accommodation for up to 21 guests.
One of Britain’s hidden treasures, Upper House was the secret hideaway of the biggest industrialists, politicians, royals, authors and intellectuals from the turn of the 20th Century, and later was where Agatha Christie came to devise her legendary plots.
Brides Up North Featured Supplier and award winning Lancashire-based wedding styling duo Flossy and Leigh, with international experience in high-end weddings, were responsible for selecting the suppliers and coordinating the team for the big day. They specialise in bridal hair and makeup styling, and specifically in the flawless application of waterproof and long lasting Airbrush makeup.
Flossy and Leigh have become renowned for leading their hand picked teams of professional stylists to cater for wedding parties across the UK and abroad. Their ever growing reputation has ensured a constant demand for their services and they can often be seen applying their flawless signature look to the bridal parties at celebrity weddings throughout the year.
Flossy & Leigh (aka Phoebe & Amy) have styled a number of Jean Jackson’s real life brides, including Leah Mendoros and were delighted to be asked to style for such a large number of her designs in one day.
Little Black Book
Images: Chapter Photography
Styling, hair & make up: Flossy & Leigh Make Up Artist Company
Wedding Dresses: Jean Jackson Couture
Venue: Upper House Hayfield
Flowers: Frog Flowers
Look out for the full shoot, soon to be featured in Lucia Rose Magazine, a luxury wedding resource for Cheshire and Lancashire brides.
Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 Chapter Photography
Flossy & Leigh Make Up Artist Company is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier & this is a sponsored post
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
