This afternoon on the wedding blog it’s all about the pretty with this stunning vintage wedding styled shoot set deep in the heart of Yorkshire. Put together by a small but very talented group of fantastic wedding industry professionals, headed up by creative photographer Luke Bell, we just love this set of inspirational images. If you’re hoping that your wedding day look might have
a hint of the vintage
about it, be prepared to be inspired…
luke says:
Towards the end of February I worked on a really fun location shoot in Leeds that had turned out really well considering I’d stepped in at the last minute to photograph it. So feeling inspired I decided that I wanted to produce a shoot myself and started to work on a number of ideas – but the problem was nothing was really coming together: I couldn’t find the right model, I’d been knocked back from a couple of locations I was keen on using, I was struggling to find a make up artist whose work would fit into the concepts I was thinking of and I was still in need of a designer. So it’s fair to say that I was getting nowhere fast… and then it happened. It’s not often that a model’s look provides the starting point for a photo shoot – but as soon as I saw Harriet‘s profile I knew that I not only had to work with her, but due to her obvious passion for all things vintage I also knew who I would approach to help me.
I’d always wanted to collaborate with Hayley from Glory Days Vintage Bridal again (since our previous shoot had ended up on the cover of the Yorkshire Post Magazine) and Hayley – being the awesome person that she is – was more than happy to get involved and provided two beautiful vintage wedding dresses and even hand made three headpieces for us to use too. It started to feel like things were coming together – now I just needed a make up artist and a suitable location to use.
I contacted the very talented Faye Robertson who I’ve worked with many times before to see if she could recommend anyone and luckily it turned out that her work on a TV show had finished just in time so she was available herself – now things were really looking up!
As for a suitable location, well sometimes these things are just staring you in the face. Being fortunate enough to live in a gorgeous rural village we actually have a wealth of beautiful backdrops and even a stunning little 12th Century church right here in Sheriff Hutton itself – perfect for photographing vintage bridal gowns.
Faye and I agreed that the styling for Harriet’s makeup and hair needed to work in harmony with Hayley’s dresses and headpieces and I made sure that the lighting I used was sympathetic to the look while adding a touch of glamour and mood too.
Once Faye and I met Harriet we instantly clicked and although we all knew that we were up against some pretty cold weather and changeable light the endless cups of tea, giggling fits, outbursts of swearing and general hilarity that took place ensured a fun and relaxed shoot that I feel produced some stunning results.
I’d like to thank Faye’s good friend Claire who came along and assisted me with my lighting setup and to my good friend Elaine who stepped in at the last minute to lend me her wedding bouquet. Cheers guys!
We’re always on the lookout for brides who’d love to recreate something like this on their wedding day – whether it be the dress, headpiece, makeup, hair or photos please don’t hesitate to get in touch, as we’d all love to help.
And I’m pretty sure that because each of us had so much fun on this styled shoot there’s always the chance we will organise another one very soon – so watch this space!
Luke Bell – creative wedding, editorial and commercial photographer.
Before he finally settled in the beautiful city of York Luke lived in New Zealand for several years which is where he really learned his trade as a photographer: Bungy jumping, jet boating, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, marathons, V8 supercars, mountains, world heritage sites, vineyards, paragliding and even the occasional wedding and fashion shoot were just some of the incredible subjects he was lucky enough to capture. But as the saying goes, there’s just no place like home and he’s chuffed to be back working both locally and across the country documenting weddings and producing photo shoots.
Faye Robertson – freelance wedding, fashion and TV make up artist.
Faye is a fully educated Hair and Makeup Artist based in York, England. She trained at the School of Makeup in Stockport, Manchester and graduated in 2014 with a Diploma in TV, Film and Fashion Hair and Makeup Skills.
Having begun her freelance career in May 2014 she’s since been fortunate enough to work with some incredibly creative and talented people – TV shows such as E4’s My Mad Fat Diary, BBC’s The Village, ITV’s DCI Banks and she’s very proud to say she worked with Leed’s very own, Northern Ballet for two months too. Her editorial work has been featured in Vogue, Institute Magazine, 10TEN Magazine and The Yorkshire Post.
Hayley Neil – Creative Director at Glory Days Vintage Bridal in York
Glory Days Vintage was founded by Hayley Claire Neil – dressmaker, costume designer and vintage devotee. Having developed a passion for fashion history and design at an early age (photographic evidence of bizarre outfits abound!), Hayley studied costume design at degree level and went on to work as a freelance costume designer, maker, and assistant in the enchanting realms of theatre and film.
Gaining experience with respected companies such as the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Trafalgar Studios, Channel 4, Warp Films, and the BBC, Hayley has been lucky enough to have worked on productions like Othello (starring Lenny Henry), the 2009 Pussycat Dolls tour, This Is England ’86, and Bifa, Bafta, and Oscar winning films Kill List, Tyrannosaur, and The Kings Speech. Most recently Hayley supervised the costumes for a Jake Bugg music video directed by Shane Meadows.
Harriet Dakin – Freelance Model
Harriet is a freelance model (previously signed), who’s always looking to do test shoots as well as paid work. She has plenty of experience on stage and behind the camera and some of her most notable achievements include modeling for Brutus Trimfit and Merc London as well as dancing on stage for Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers, Tim Burgess and more.
