Styled Shoot

Pure Love. A romantic styled shoot at Saltmarshe Hall

Alexis Forsyth

Today’s fabulously pretty shoot features a Muslim bride and an English groom, and as photographer Natalie Hamilton professes – their love story is a true contender for any romance novel.

Shining a spotlight on the union of the couple’s souls and cultures – the shoot brings together a mix of western and eastern influences in the styling and bridal wear for something truly beautiful and memorable.

One of our favourite Yorkshire venues, Saltmarshe Hall (where we will be hosting an UNVEILED Luxury Wedding Show on Sunday 6th October) provides the captivating backdrop – just wait until you see the plush secret garden and wooden arbour with glass baubles! This classically British setting pairs beautifully with the team’s afternoon tea inspired tablescape and floral arrangements – wedding day goals, anyone?

As for the bride’s blush pink outfit – this is divine; adorned with intricately embroidered beads, threadwork, sequins, pearls and diamantes. And complementing this perfectly is an elegantly polished hair and beauty look – with a subtle hint of Asian sparkle too.

If you’re looking for inspo on how to seamlessly fuse together different cultures in the most beautiful and understated of ways , then you’re in the right place! Here’s photographer Natalie to tell us more.

With images by Natalie Hamilton Photography

Natalie says

: What really makes this styled shoot extra special is that Parija and Liam are a real couple. Prior to this shoot Liam converted to Parija’s faith to be with her and they had a small intimate ceremony at a local mosque. They kept it simple with the focus being just on their union.

When I contacted Parija to ask if she’d like to be involved in a styled shoot, we both became very excited and started to plan the shoot together as I also wanted them both to have images they could treasure.

Inspiration

The main inspiration behind this shoot was to portray the union of these two souls fusing their lives and cultures together. To show that love has no boundaries, no race, no culture, it jumps hurdles and is pure and beautiful.

Location

For the location we wanted somewhere quintessentially British. We wanted a venue with a secret garden vibe and to reflect the couple’s romance and where they met.

We spent the afternoon in the beautiful English country manor grounds of Saltmarshe Hall, seeking out those quiet secret areas to capture their love – very much a true reflection of their journey so far.

The venue is truly beautiful – from its walled garden, sweeping lawns and pond to the grand herbaceous borders – It’s truly perfect for an outdoors wedding and the vision of our shoot.

Styling

Emma at The Petal Studio wanted to create a country garden Asian infusion, whilst still complementing the surroundings of the gardens at Saltmarshe Hall. She added Viburnum to bring a fabulous zest against the jewel tones of the burgundy Ranunculus, Coral Charm Peonies and Antique Carnations, with gold naturally being the complementary colour. The wispiness of Love in a Mist kept the wild and country feel to the arrangements along with lush foliage.

The wooden arbour was arranged in front of the beautiful pond. The flowers in the arbour beautifully popped against this stunning backdrop, with hanging glass baubles adding detail and depth.

For the mini table scape Emma wanted to bring a vision of a cute bistro meets English afternoon tea. Taking centre place in the styling was the grey chiffon runner nestled perfectly next to the flower garland and foliage. A touch of gold was added to bring in a hint of Asian infusion.

Using the outfits, jewellery and henna as inspiration, Leisa from Cakes by Leisa created a selection of delectable afternoon tea treats with Asian detailing. The treats featured stunning hand painted floral detailing, hand piped royal icing and a touch of silver leaf and edible sequins for texture and glamour.

Attire

For Parija’s outfit Shabana at Maysa Boutique provided a beautiful and elegant blush pink outfit perfect for a bride who wants a mix of western and eastern influences.

The outfit consisted of a dipped hem peplum top with a lengha (full length skirt) and dupatta (scarf). The top is intricately embroidered with beads, threadwork, sequins, pearls and diamantes around the hem, neckline and sleeves with coordinating pearl and sequin work on the lengha and dupatta. The fabric is a soft flowing net material with the top lined in silk jamawar to give a subtle gold shimmer.

Beauty

Makeup artist Jodie Skerratt wanted to create a super elegant and polished look while also bringing in some Asian sparkle. She went with a subtle soft pink shimmer on the eyes to match the dress. A winged liner was applied as a little tie in with Asian culture and soft lashes to finish and compliement the look. Jodie even opted for Mac Velvet Teddy lipstick – Parija’s go-to lip colour.

For the hair, Amy Jackson created an elegant and sleek hairstyle. This allowed the Bindi from Maysa’s Boutique to take centre stage. This was finished with a good helping of setting and hairspray to ensure the up-do lasted against the battle of the wind outside.

Both Jodie and Amy kept checking in with Parija to see if she was happy with the look they were creating which was a lovely touch to see on a styled shoot.

Hayley at The Henna Goddess created a free flowing design with soft organic features. A mixture of vines leaves and dots were used to create that natural garden vibe. For the palms and fingertips, we went with a more traditional popular ‘negative leaf design’ style of henna. Hidden in the design is a date special to the couple and the groom’s name – can you find it? Each design is unique to the person for their occasion, and as the designs are all free hand, no two are exactly alike giving you exclusivity for your special occasion.

Results

Overall the shoot was amazing. We all had such fun, even though the wind did prove to be a little bothersome with the arbor. We achieved what we wanted, and everyone worked tirelessly, coming through with beautiful ideas which complemented everyone else’s work and the vision for the shoot.

Parija and Liam were amazing models and did so well on the day. Not only do all the suppliers have some beautiful images to share as inspiration, but the newlyweds have some images to treasure – and that just makes my heart happy!

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