A Contemporary Shoot in an 18th-Century Manor House

The creative team chose this classic monochrome palette as the theme for their editorial, resulting in a clean, modern and super stylish wedding inspiration piece. Choosing such a simple colour palette ensured it didn’t fight with the backdrop of such a beautiful, historic venue. In fact, I’d go so far as to say they got it pretty spot on actually! Swinfen Hall is a magnificent Grade II* listed 18th-century manor house in the Midlands, and the perfect backdrop to this contemporary styled shoot.

Amelia says…

Swinfen Hall was the perfect location for our black and white themed shoot. The beautiful architectural details of the venue were complemented by the simplicity of the styling. Everything about our shoot was based around luxury, from two stunning gowns and the dinner tuxedo, to the incredible floral arrangements. Not only did we shoot inside Swinfen Hall, but we also took advantage of the stunning grounds surrounding this gorgeous manor house! This venue is situated on 100 acres of rolling parkland including a 45-acre deer park, giving couples endless backdrop opportunities for romantic couple shots.

As the planner, I worked with Etiquette Events to bring together a monochrome-themed styled shoot, in keeping with a wedding setting. We looked into every detail from small black bunny tails on the back of the chairs, to a stunning white rose archway.

To capture all the elements of this fantastic shoot was Creative Depiction Studios, a Gloucestershire based photography/videography duo. Their approach is non-obtrusive and they have a candid style to capture couples ‘in the moment’ with a ‘fly on the wall’ approach. They were the perfect addition to our styled shoot at Swinfen Hall.

We used a bold monochrome colour palette inspired by the latest wedding trend, incorporating this into every element of the shoot. This colour palette allowed us to demonstrate a luxury, bold and powerful shoot.

The location was perfect, and once combined with high fashion gowns, gorgeous styling and elegant stationery, the tone of the shoot was nothing less than luxury. We showcased two beautiful gowns to represent both a day look and an evening cocktail look, provided by Wedding Belles of Four Oaks and designed by Abella Bridal and Maggie Sottero Designs, accompanied with the elegant pearl accessories. The groom was smart in a classic, couture, Prestige Kemberton black tuxedo provided by Sanders Hirewear. The bride’s makeup was done by the very talented and award winning MUA Steph from SJM Beauty, keeping the look timeless and elegant. The hair was styled by Nichola from Beau Bella Hair Designs, creating a soft Hollywood wave which looked stylish and sophisticated.

The décor and styling was carried out by the incredible Etiquette Events. I really wanted to showcase the outdoor area at Swinfen Hall so we therefore set up a small intimate table for eight outside on the lawn for the wedding breakfast. Etiquette played with different table linens and fabrics, black rimmed charger plates, crystal cut glasses and silver cutlery to really enable us to achieve a slick, luxury set up.

For our ceremony set up we hired lime washed Chiavari chairs from Event Furniture Hire which were decorated with black chair drapery, incorporating the dark colour in a subtle way. Down the aisle we used a white floor runner surrounded by black rimmed cubed lanterns. Despite the colours being black and white, the candles enhanced the romantic scenery. At the end of the aisle, we used a white rose archway for our models to stand in front of, creating a stunning backdrop. For the outside of the venue Pretty Fly Co created a broken arch with black balloons, which showcased a modern style on a historical building.

Louisa from Louisa May Flowers curated breathtaking florals for the buttonhole, bouquet and table centerpieces. Louisa incorporated roses, spray roses, stocks, ranunculus, hydrangeas, astilbes, lisianthus, lysimachia, ruscuss, shaker grass, birch and pittosporum into the arrangements to keep with the luxury theme. The flower brief was to create florals which were elegant yet eye catching, but that also complemented the style of the venue.

Our shoot showcases a very different colour palette, to which some couples wouldn’t even consider for their wedding day. It demonstrates that you don’t always have to go for bright or pastel colours, but sometimes bold colours can really enhance and showcase a luxury wedding set up.