Styled Shoot

Crowning glory. A vintage inspired styled shoot in Yorkshire

Alexis Forsyth

The gorgeous shoot we’re sharing today is all about bridal style, with inspiration on everything from the attire, hair and makeup to the accessories.

Led by talented bridal accessories designer Nicola, from Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe, who paired up with photographer Gail Secker and a host of other creative suppliers, the shoot delivers on stylish 60s and 70s edge.

Taking place at Holmfirth Vineyard, this family-owned vineyard near Huddersfield certainly offered the team plenty of inspiring photo opportunities. Going for a laid-back, relaxed feel for the shoot – Nicola wanted to capture those understated special moments; whether it’s the bride admiring her bouquet or simply gazing at her surroundings, and we think this works beautifully!

As for the attire – vintage and ethically produced organic fabrics, natural silks and cottons, as well as vintage laces are teamed with fabulously pretty designs, including an A-line swing style and also a two-piece silk wrap top and skirt for a boho twist. This is complemented by a natural makeup palette and ‘undone’ hairstyles for an effortlessly chic bridal day look that really shows off Nicola’s embellished creations. But don’t take our word for it! Here’s Nicola to tell us more…

With images by Gail Secker

Model: Lauren Dickenson

Inspiration

Nicola says

: The shoot came about after photographer Gail Secker and I had worked together on another shoot and enjoyed doing so. I had a small range of new headpieces I wanted to shoot and so that’s how it started.

Hannah from The Conscious Bride and I had discussed working together and her dresses seemed a great fit for the venue. I’ve also worked with model Lauren in the past, too.

Theme

The idea was based around the relaxed feel of the pieces we were shooting with a slight 60s and 70s vibe. I wanted a bride who looked like she was just having a bit of a moment to herself on her wedding day – appreciating her flowers, or just taking in her surroundings and taking a breath! There are moments when her hair is tousled and completely loose, as if she has just taken it down and let herself relax for the day.

Location

I have shot at Holmfirth Vineyard before, once in a cold November and once in August so I wanted to try another time of year. This time it was May. It’s totally beautiful and peaceful. You feel very cut off from the world there. It fitted my idea for the shoot very well in this respect. And, of course, they now host weddings there, too, in their new larger room.

Attire

Hannah’s dresses are made from vintage or ethically produced organic fabrics, with natural silks and cottons paired with vintage laces. There is quite an emphasis on a lighter ivory, not quite white but certainly not creamy as vintage fabrics often are.

I really loved the 60s vibe of the shorter dress too with it’s simple A-line swing shape. The silk wrap top and skirt are so versatile with pretty bell sleeves and we also mixed this up with a long sleeved elegant vintage lace peplum top to show how versatile these designs are.

My accessories were a perfect complement in whiter ivory tones too. The new short veils have a real 60s edge to them, so they sat brilliantly with the shorter dress.

We also used three different pairs of Rachel Simpson Shoes, renowned for their vintage style designs.

I was really keen on the wide headbands that we are seeing on the high street right now, but hand embellishing them in a more delicate and timeless style. For me it is about bringing a different angle that has a bit more longevity to current trends.

You don’t want to look back on your wedding day and feel like you have chosen an accessory that hasn’t stood the test of time on your photos. I use a lot of up-cycled materials too. There is vintage silk honesty, flowers and buds. I’m an absolute magpie for pre-loved jewellery so there’s never a shortage of that as inspiration! This time around, I used a lot of ivory, opaque 60s styles.

Beauty

In keeping with the shoot, we went simple with the hair and beauty, created by Rachel Doig. We went with one updo and one down do as we thought this was the best way to showcase the accessories and Lauren’s lovely long and natural locks. The same went for the makeup. I just loved the peachy pink lip makeup Rachel chose.

Results

It was pretty windy, but we got there! The rain stayed away at least as we had to reschedule from earlier that week due to terrible storms!

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