A True Romance at Hillersdon House

Images by Frances Carlisle Photography.

Hillersdon House is a truly stunning venue, overlooking rolling hills, woodland and has its own chapel by the lake. Having just opened its doors to wedding bookings, the truly talented Devon based wedding planners Blue Fizz Events put together an amazing wedding inspiration shoot that celebrates all the contemporary romance and elegance this home has to offer.

“The elegance and attention to detail are evident in every aspect of this beautiful venue…” comment Tracy and Bridget, the geniuses at Blue Fizz, “…and we wanted to reflect that alongside stunning suppliers to narrate a current trend that is an eternal favourite with many couples. It’s where you will feel at home for your special occasion.”

The lady behind the lens is the ever wonderful Frances Carlisle who has used the natural light to capture the feel of this venue inside and out bringing it all to life with her expert eye.

Over to Frances for the delicious details…

Notes from the Photographer

Frances:

This shoot was a true romance set in the inspiring and unique house and grounds of Hillersdon House. As a lived-in country house, we wanted to show that this is a beautiful, contemporary and well-cared for home – a far cry from a venue set up for en-masse wedding hire.

Delicate shades of soft pinks and ivory embellished with glimmers of gold steal the show but we also wanted natural wood to make an appearance to reflect the acres of woodland surrounding Hillersdon.

We were looking for a contemporary, romantic elegance in the bridal styling.

Our bride wears a delicate layered dress by Maggie Sottero from Pirouette in Exeter – in every detail this dress is effortlessly timeless with stunning details in the embellishment throughout.

Laura Bukin Hair created a detailed up do with soft framing around the face and worked in the divine flower comb created by Emma Wicher at Martha and the Meadow. She lifted the blush colour palette in the florals with touches of gold fern for a more modern metallic luxe feel. Flower crowns are still very much in demand, but they’re not for everyone – and we just loved what a different look a flower comb added to the hair.

Willow De Laroche created a classic soft palette for the makeup with the addition of touches of gold to bring the whole look on trend.

Bridget from Blue Fizz describes the styling inspiration: “The table I styled very simply with white linen silk ribbons and additions of pink peppercorns in the napkin dressing. I used the candlesticks from the house alongside the floral cascade as a centrepiece created by Martha and the Meadow who also supplied the sumptuous bouquet and dressed the chapel/pavilion ready for the utterly decadent ceremony next to the lake. She used a combination of grey green foliage, blooms of delicate blush and ballet pinks and gold details throughout to create impact in every shot.”

De Winton Paper Co made the delicate watercolour stationery using all the elements in our storyboard, the gold script against the wash of watercolours looked simply perfect .

Our cake was made by Daisy, Molly and Me set upon a footed cake stand and dressed with additional blooms it was truly a creation worthy of being the centrepiece to any wedding!

Hillersdon House has many tales to tell and is the perfect backdrop for any wedding story, whether rustic and country, Boho or vintage, or as in this case understated classical vibes with a nod to current trends.

For romance look for warm soft tones and textures – the watercolour stationery, the warm soft reds in the flowers and the gold sprayed leaves all add softness. Bring it bang on trend with metallic touches here and there. For luxe and elegance, the key is in striking a balance between all that glistens (the gold and the jewelled dress here in particular) with a more minimal or classic look.

Dress the notable features of your venue so that they really up their wow factor – the lakeside chapel is stunning as it is, but with the addition of draped flowers, foliage and candlelight, it becomes both a focal point for guests and a romantic refuge for the two of you once your guests have left.