We’re escaping to the great outdoors today, with this fantastical shoot at the beautiful White Syke Fields – an ancient Saxon woodland outside of York.
Think lush greenery, open spaces, beautiful ponds and pine trees as far as the eye can see – not to mention a few industrial hideaways too – and you’ve got one truly magical and captivating backdrop for your big day.
Led by photographer Emma of Little Sixpence Photography, the shoot was an opportunity to bring together like-minded suppliers, put their creative skills into practise and – what we like to hear – have fun!
A dreamy white, peach and burgundy palette, offset by accents of gold and copper set the tone for the exquisite styling and floral decorations on the day, with gorgeous blossoms and roses adding a hint of romance to the different spaces. Texture was key too, with tassels, copper leaf and silk ribbons all featuring within the fabulous tablescapes and stationery.
Needless to say, there’s an abundance of pretty touches to covet and scroll through today, so let’s hand the blog over to Emma to share all the behind the scenes details.
With images by Little Sixpence Photography
Inspiration
Emma says
: The shoot was an opportunity to be creative with fellow wedding industry specialists, play and have fun. It was also a wonderful opportunity to meet new suppliers and work together for the first time.
Location & Theme
Nestled in ancient woodland on the outskirts of York, White Syke Fields is the perfect location for a romantic and whimsical styled shoot. Our team brought creative flair and used texture, layers and rustic charm within this rural wedding retreat.
White Skye Fields’ Piggery features wooden beams, set against modern exposed brickwork and plenty of generous light-filled spaces. Fresh white walls give the space a modern feel and provide a blank canvas against the rawness of the venue. Surrounded by lush open space, the venue also has the most charming of ponds (shaded by grand willow trees) and an established forest with pines as far as the eye can see.
As the photographer, I wanted to document the day in a light and dreamy manner for a timeless collection of images. I opted for locations that didn’t shy away from the raw and industrious farm location – instead I wanted it to feature prominently. Corrugated shutters provided a textured backdrop to a delicate bridal portrait whilst a giant re-purposed cable reel created an authentic top table scene.
Styling
Nicola from Dittany Entwined Floral Design beautifully dressed the venue with lush arrangements of soft-toned flowers and delicate foliage with over 25 varieties of flowers. Surrounded by April blossoms, she was inspired to reflect the landscape in her work; floral columns were created using woody ornamentals, white blossoms and silver willow catkins which framed delicate peach and white roses. Her designs seamlessly blended the countryside location with the venue itself. The result was an elegant affair, full of texture and detail that perfectly balanced the venue’s rustic charm.
The colour palette was classic whites, peaches and burgundy tones which were complemented by hints of gold and copper. Allison of Bygones & Bunting added vintage touches selected from her vast collection of curious objects. Her props added a sense of familiarity and provided ornate receptacles for the delicate florals and for The Sugar Florist Artisan Bakery’s ivory cake to sit pretty. Your Marquee also supplied us with beautiful chairs.
Lo from Somers Creative Wedding Stationery equally drew her design inspiration from those lush natural florals and delicate blossoms and translated it into a detailed bespoke watercolour illustration. Pretty detailing was balanced by clean lines, bright whites and opulent copper leaf, reflecting the romanticism of the day and tempering it with a modern edge.
Table numbers and handwritten place names were elegant and yet whimsical – with tassel detailing and silk ribbon bringing yet more luxuriant texture. Weaving elegant romanticism through the stationery design was important to Lo – she even created an illustrated quote from Pablo Neruda’s 100 Love Sonnets: “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where…” designed to slot into the beautiful invitations.
Floral Design
Nicola from Dittany Entwined Floral Design took inspiration for the flowers from the girls’ dresses and their personalities, it’s handy as they are friends! She already knew what they looked like, the dresses we would be featuring and what would suit them. Having the wedding dress, personality and individual style of the bride in mind when making a bouquet is important to her.
For example, model Sarah had a floaty, romantic style because she is laidback, happy and always sees the fun in life. She had her hair styled down, so Nicola made her a large romantic flower crown finished with ribbon. Her bouquet was big, loose and front facing with trailing ribbons adding a whimsical element to her look.
Kirsty is more classically elegant in her individual style, so she created a small floral hair vine which she wore as part of a loose romantic up-do. Her bouquet was a large, loose cascade – a traditional style with a modern twist. The asparagus fern really added a lovely softness to both bouquets.
Beauty
The girls’ hair and makeup was kept natural with a bolder lip colour. The hairstyles were soft and swept up for a romantic feel, adorned with florals.
Results
The venue offers so much scope for photography. I was drawn particularly to the rawness of the industrious qualities of the working farm and knew the natural surroundings would offer variety within the shoot. White Syke Fields is a brand-new venue for 2019 so it was an exciting time to join forces with Charlotte who was so generous with the spaces – nowhere was out of reach!
