Bridesmaid Inspiration at Swanton Morley House & Gardens

I really love today’s feature… Not only because we get to look at some pretty sweet bridesmaid inspo and dream of balmy days, but also because we get to go on a little tour of the glorious gardens at Swanton Morley House in Norfolk. From forest to meadows this venue has it all, so if you’re currently coveting an outdoor wedding then this is probably for you. Plus you get to see how to dress your best girls to boot.

Enjoy!

Caroline:

On a very hot July day last year, we welcomed Holly from Willow & Pearl who designs and makes stunning multi-way bridesmaids and flower girl dresses. The shoot was planned to celebrate the launch of Willow & Pearl’s new colour ranges which included Periwinkle, Blush, Sage, Heather and Wisteria and whilst these colours looked stunning together Holly and her stylist Kate (By Kate Elizabeth) decided to create four different sets to showcase the new colours whilst making use of different areas of our gardens and grounds.

The team also included Penny from Crown House Flowers who created some rather special florals for each shoot, and Lanoi Hansakda and Jeahan Tuddenham who provided stunning hair styling and make-up for our gorgeous models Emma, Liz, Hollie, Sophie and Lanoi.

Provence

The first shoot entitled “Provence” featured Willow & Pearl’s beautiful Periwinkle Pearl gowns which are a lovely soft blue and looked gorgeous against all the lavender which was in full bloom in our gardens. We also had a bride, Emma, for this shoot who wore her own elegant wedding dress from her actual wedding which was just the week before!

Penny created a beautiful bridal bouquet and bridesmaids posies which included lavender, rosemary and poppy seed heads. The elegant look was completed with lavender fizz and delightful afternoon tea treats.

Enchanted Forest

For the second part of the shoot we moved to the edge of our woodland and used the shade of our majestic oak and sycamore trees. Our models wore Sage and Blush Willow gowns which were all wrapped in different ways to highlight how versatile these dresses are – in fact there are endless ways to wrap these dresses! To finish the look, Penny wove delicate daisies into the braids of our models hair and the dresses were complemented with crystal accessories.

The Sage and Blush colours looked stunning together and are perfect for Brides looking to have their bridesmaids in “mismatched” gowns which allows them to choose complementary colours and styles.

Magical Meadow

Our meadow, with it’s mowed paths, is a lovely part of the garden in July when the grasses reach waist height and on a warm day is a filled with butterflies and dragonflies. For this part of the shoot, our models all wore Blush Willow dresses and this soft colour looked amazing amongst the delicate grasses.

Dark Romance

The final part to the shoot (and probably our favourite, although it is hard to choose!) was set in our woodland within our glade garden. Our models wore Heather and Wisteria gowns which are gorgeous shades of plum and lilac and once more looked stunning together. We loved the botanical feel to this part of the shoot and especially loved the bouquets Penny created using ferns and other foliage and the rather special floral fascinators she made to complement the bouquets.

Venue Swanton Morley House & Gardens | Florist Crown House Flowers | Photography Swanton Morley Studios | Dresses Willow & Pearl | Stylist By Kate Elizabeth | Makeup Artist Lanoi Hansakda | Hair Stylist Jeahan Tuddenham | Special thanks to Models Emma, Liz, Hollie, Sophie & Lanoi.

Lots of love…