Destination Outdoor Dining in the Suffolk Countryside

Set against the backdrop of Bruisyard Country Estate, a perfectly picturesque Suffolk wedding venue, this editorial by Emily Tyler Photography, Hardesty Event Design and Dear Luna Florals brings a touch of Italian charm to our screens. It may be winter outside, but the following offers a warm escape complete with a leisurely al fresco wedding lunch, beautifully dressed tables and hearty bowls of pasta (with wine, of course). And whilst I’m not one for wishing time to pass by swiftly, I can’t help but relish in this sun-soaked scene’s warmth and joy. Not long now, folks…

Emily says…

Bruisyard Country Estate was the perfect location to host our ‘wedding weekend/destination wedding in the UK’ editorial shoot because of the beautiful backdrop of the house and grounds. The editorial was designed by myself, Emily Tyler Photography, Emily at Hardesty Event Design and Lynsey Carver from Dear Luna Florals, and encompassed destination wedding styling in the heart of the British countryside. With wedding weekends growing in popularity, we wanted to show you can do it in supreme style without jumping on a plane.

This shoot stands out from the crowd due to the unusual colour palette; what would usually be considered clashing colours have been used elegantly and complementary. Photographer Emily Tyler started with the colours blues, oranges and yellows as complementary opposites on the colour wheel. From there, the beautiful outdoor dining styling took shape.

We knew the couple should be dressed in a style fit for a Mediterranean wedding, with our bride wearing a Rue de Seine dress from White Reflections and our groom in a relaxed white trouser and a smart casual white shirt. Bridal veil embroiderer Hannah Cummings complemented the dress with a simple design with an embroidered scallop edging and a tiny touch of meaning through the infinity sign on the blusher. Sometimes, it is the smallest details that are the most special. Sally-Kate Duboux designed the hair to compliment the current trend of simplicity, encapsulating soft, effortless, barely there waves to give a more naturally romantic feel, using Hair by Duboux‘s custom-made clip-ins to add fullness and understated volume to the styling. Emma B Beauty worked her magic on the makeup with a sultry eye, with touches of burnt orange tones, but also includes more depth to create a smokier eye. Paired with a more neutral lip and lots of lashes, the eyes are the main feature.

Emily Hardesty took the lead on the beautiful tablescapes and setups. The blue patterned tablecloths, cornflower blue hemstitched napkins and old English cutlery contrasted perfectly with the gold reef charger plates, allowing a mix of textures and tones to curate a luxury destination feel. The hand-drawn oval stationery and delicately curled edge placename cards designed by Calendar Paper Co with abundant, soft candlelight was a focus and a must for the tablescape designs. On this occasion, each taper candle was styled and perfectly placed in glass candle holders, complementing the modern glassware on the table and leaning into the contemporary elegance and destination feel of this tablescape. To add to the Italian destination feel of the set-up, the back of Bruisyard Hall was bejewelled with fairy lights and clusters of olive trees.

The concept with the amazing florals was to create a contrasting tablescape from a formal dinner, using a more casual approach with white-washed concrete pots filled with an elegant pop of yellow florals across the scattered tablescape. Lynsey at Dear Luna used accent flowers such as marigolds, dahlia, delphiniums and lisianthus in simple bud vases to bring in the floor meadow colour contrasts and tie everything together, creating an interesting and informal approach to dining amongst the florals.

I was keen to incorporate real catering into this shoot, and the whole team were overjoyed to have My Kitchen, Your Place come on board. They love the produce at the beginning of autumn; for an autumn Italian dinner, thought of as the last of the summer tomatoes, they are instantly super sweet. Using them for the classic tomato sauce, great olive oil, chilli and garlic, and slowly simmered sweet tomatoes. My Kitchen, Your Place loves using delicious ingredients and keeping it simple. This year, small plates, a classic Italian and Mediterranean way to eat, have been really popular.