Traditional, high class and timeless is how Jen from planning, design and styling business My Pretties UK describes today’s fabulously pretty styled bridal shoot. And we couldn’t agree more – prepare yourselves for lots of sophisticated glam!
Taking place at York House in Malton, there’s a certain regal charm to the backdrop, and coupled with the models being named Will and Kate (coincidence, no?) – it’s quite fitting that the shoot was nicknamed The Royal Wedding by the talented suppliers involved.
Showcasing beautiful foliage garlands and a quintessential white wedding palette – the shoot brings together exquisite styling, decorations and stationery, not to mention two sublime wedding cakes and scrumptiously pretty treats too. Hotly tipped as the colour to watch – an injection of mustard also features in this design-led shoot too; and we’re already falling in love with this vibrant hue.
If you’re feeling the love for a classic wedding with a subtle pop of colour then we think this is all the inspo you could possibly need…
With images by Jane Beadnell Photography.
Models: Kate Haxton, Will Connor, Grace Beamer and Hannah Harrison.
Jen says
: I wanted to do a shoot that was much more traditional, high class and timeless than anything I had done before. A lot of the previous work I have had published is more alternative, and whilst I love the bonkers, I wanted to show a different side.Although I wanted it to be classical, it still had to be heavily design-led and eye catching, which is why I chose to incorporate the bright mustard yellow. All signs are leaning towards mustard being the ‘it’ colour for weddings in 2019 and 2020. We are due to see lots of earthy tones too, which I’m really looking forward to.
Due to our bride and groom models actually being called Will and Kate, we ended up nick naming the shoot ‘The Royal Wedding’! I chose the venue for a number of reasons; Malton is such a lovely place, part of the venue – York House – had gone through a fantastic renovation last year and the events manager was really excited to be involved.
I wanted to work with Jane from Jane Beadnell Photography because I had admired her beautiful work for some time. I just love her editing style. Her pictures always look so soft and romantic which is definitely what I wanted for this shoot. When I got the images back from Jane, I couldn’t believe how much it looked like a destination wedding, it looked like we had been in Italy for the day.
When Jane saw the peach coloured wall and entrance way at the back of this venue she knew this was the location for some pretty shots! Jane loved working with Fran from Frenchie Loves Flowers again after doing a Paris shoot with her earlier on in the year.
From the styling perspective, I wanted it to be eye catching and modern, but easy enough for couples to recreate. I chose to accentuate the main entrance of York House where indoor ceremonies are held, as it has a great staircase that was crying out for lush green garlands and tons of candlelight. It made such an impact.
My absolute favourite florist and business partner Francesca of Frenchie Loves Flowers created a beautifully stylish table centrepiece, all the foliage garlands and the most beautiful bride’s bouquet. Fran always delivers, I can’t recommend her highly enough.
With the theme of the shoot being ‘classic white wedding’, it was only fitting that Francesca selected classic white, quintessentially English flowers for the bouquet and floral decor. The bouquet was made up of a stunning white hydrangea, eucalyptus and white O’Hara roses, which had a faint tint of blush to them, which when photographed at the Malton married beautifully with the peach brickwork.
We wanted to make a feature of the staircase, so Francesca designed a full and luscious garland including a mix of wonderfully scented foliages and white flowers including hydrangea, roses and gypsophila, which were styled with candles for added opulence. Matching garlands were also made for the fireplace and the classic car, which with current trends including plenty of foliage gave the shoot a fresh feel.
I invited Lorien of Storeybook Cakes to be involved in the shoot. I hadn’t worked with her before but heard great things. She created not one but two visually stunning cakes and a whole hoard of pretty (and delicious) treats.
Hair and makeup were important elements for this shoot, not only did I want our bride to look stunning, but we also had two bridesmaids as well. My brief to Leigh Endeacott from Mubyleigh was ‘timeless beauty’ and I think she absolutely delivered.
Leigh jumped at the chance of being involved. It was a great opportunity to step away from her wild, bohemian style. Following the ‘classic white wedding’ theme, she created a sophisticated chignon up do for our bride. She added a sweeping braid and textured twists, in keeping with the Mubyleigh style. The bridesmaids’ textured ponytails were inspired by one of her favourite HMUA’s Emma Chen Artistry. For the makeup, Leigh concentrated on creating a fresh and flawless base with rosy cheeks and a healthy glow. Ever popular with brides, she created natural smokes on the eyes and finished with nude lips.
I’m a sucker for the details when it comes to weddings, I have been fortunate enough to work with Carolyn at Gray Starling Designs on several occasions. She creates just the most beautiful stationery and is full of great design ideas. I loved the idea of the tassels she used for the seating plan and they looked even better in person. I think this is going to be another big trend in the next few years.
Carolyn’s brief was simple, classic, elegant and sophisticated. Key colours were ivory, vibrant yellow, graphite with lush foliage green. With this in mind, designing and developing the paper goods was easy, the importance of letting simple shapes and beautiful papers do all the talking was clear. Simple clean lines in graphite on an ivory matt board and the yellow envelopes really warmed up the palette. This idea was reflected in every aspect of the editorial, from the exquisite simple iced cakes to the classic and perfectly cut dress, the scene was high class and effortlessly relaxed. Her favourite aspect of this shoot is how coherent and successfully the images flow together and how each supplier interpreted the brief perfectly.
Staying on the theme of details, this shoot was full of them. Jewellery was provided by Starbox Jewellery for each of the female models, literally the most perfect dress ever by designer Jesus Peiro supplied by Andrea Bambridge in York, classic tails suit from Ashworth & Bird Yorkshire, Ronnie from Luxury Classic Jaguar Hire, embroidered personalised napkins and silk robe by the talented Heidi from Extra Special Touch, Penny Boycott – a real celebrant (sadly it wasn’t legally binding), and so much more.
On the day it really couldn’t have gone any smoother, it was such a lovely summer’s day. In fact, I remember saying – as all the suppliers sat down to have lunch together – I have never been this chilled on a shoot before!
I am extremely proud of this shoot and it’s one that will be staying in my portfolio for a very long time.
There are some really exciting plans for us in the New Year, we have just moved into great premises in Wakefield city centre with Frenchie Loves Flowers. Not only do we now have an awesome space to hold consultations and invite couples to view a mockup of their wedding designs, but we will also be holding networking events, workshops and training. We can’t wait to see some of you there!
