An Elegant British Summer Wedding at Fig House

Kim says…

Middleton Lodge was the most peaceful and stunning backdrop and setting for our modern, elegant, stylish shoot in early July. With the gardens in full bloom, the images demonstrate the potential an outdoor ceremony can offer in this country and the beauty of the North Yorkshire countryside.

The gardens were abundant in nature – with bumble bees and butterflies amongst various coloured plants and flowers. We ensured that our simple green and white florals would complement the existing colourful display on the beautiful grounds. The venue was peaceful, tranquil, and a little escape from the modern-day world enclosed in the ample walled gardens.

The contemporary Pronovia dresses and minimalist cake design and styling worked well with the explosion of nature in the walled gardens of Fig House. We wanted to convey a stylish set-up, combining classic features and unique details – including gold spray-painted lemons, hand-painted napkins and hand-painted artwork on the cakes. The consistency of the lemon yellow throughout provided an underlying summer tone to the shoot and a subtle pop of colour amongst the classic green and white. The gold elements helped to enhance the contemporary feel and luxurious elegance. The summer look we wanted to convey was fresh and elegant, keeping the styling modern and showing that your styling doesn’t need to be colourful and crowded to make a statement and ooze luxury.

Alongside the two very different but equally stunning Pronovias gowns (including one with a cape attachment for a seriously extra ceremony aisle shot!), Aureus Flos provided a glimmering gold headband and golden hair pieces for the two looks, which popped in model Emmie’s smooth black hair. Displaying both pieces in two different looks shows how a complete collection of hair accessories from a supplier could enhance your look from day to night if you want a transformative change between the ceremony and reception.

A gorgeous soft, loose curl was styled for one look, with a more formal and elegant up-do for the ceremony shots – formal without being typically traditional. Our make-up artist adapted to the restrictions at the time by assisting the model via a video tutorial and explaining in person, as at the time, restrictions were limiting the make-up artists’ ability to apply make-up themselves. While we hope that the current climate will allow the beauty industry to be back at work very soon, it demonstrates the fabulous adaptability shown by suppliers and the potential options for brides should the restrictions remain in place or tighten once more.

Bringing the subtle lemon theme together again, the London Victorian Ring Company provided a platinum yellow sapphire halo engagement ring with an accompanying wedding band. Set in rich green boxes, they were a perfect addition to the shoot and the elegant, summery and stylish concept.

I designed the styling from a place of wanting to do a minimalist yet statement set-up and to create something unique and original which cannot be bought or hired. I spray-painted some lemons and limes as styling features, leaving some clear and half-exposed with the golden shimmer. They added an extra pop to the tables and perfectly complemented the gorgeous green and white flowers.

I also hand-painted all of the corner details on each napkin, then with the spray-painted finish on top, to allow the leaf detail to stand out in gold on the luxurious white napkins. Luxurious crockery, glassware and cutlery hired by Whitehouse Crockery elevated the table setting, enhancing the elegant design even further. The shoot images show how clean and fresh the concept was, but on closer inspection, there are many stunning details that would suit the style-focused couple. A final contribution to the table design was the macaron favour boxes designed by the stationer Bianco Blanc Paperie, adding another dimension of cohesiveness to the styling and extra pretty detailing! She also added acrylic leaf decoration to each place, setting in the beautiful greenery of the venue and florals and the benefits of personalisation within wedding styling.

La Beau Fleurs selected the finest florals, including high-quality white roses, which smelled as stunning as they looked! Constructing a full bouquet of luscious whites and greens and topped off with a beautiful white ribbon tie, the flowers were gorgeous and perfect amidst the colourful walled garden setting and classic exposed brickwork of the Fig House interiors.

The shoot would be a fantastic inspiration for couples planning their weddings, and lots of great ideas can be taken from the concept, design and execution of the shoot. Firstly, due to the obvious Covid restrictions in place, the hair stylist (Unity Rhodes) can be pictured styling the bride’s hair with a protective visor, which will hopefully demonstrate to couples the safe practices that wedding professionals are adhering to and also shows that by following these safe guidelines it is still just as achievable to have their hair styled.

By conducting an outdoor ceremony set up and indoor dining setting, the shoot conveyed the benefits of utilising both outdoor and indoor spaces of their wedding venue and the importance of choosing a venue with gorgeous options inside and out – which Middleton Lodge certainly has!

The detailing in the stationery and design crossover with the cake shows how art within a wedding can transcend across different suppliers to create a cohesive, consistent and stunning look.

Venue Middleton Lodge Estate

Wedding Planning, Styling and Concept Dreamboats & Carousels

Photography Lucie Watson Photography

Film Jolly Good Wedding Films

Floristry La Beau Fleurs

Bridal Dresses Victoria Robson Bridal

Accessories Aureus Flos

Hair Unity Rhodes Bridal Stylist

Makeup Kate Howard Make Up Artist

Stationery Bianco Blanc Paperie

Cake Designer Where the Ribbon Ends

Crockery, Cutlery and Glassware Whitehouse Crockery

Rings London Victorian Ring Company

Harpist Stephanie Halsey

With thanks to Model Emmie Norton via BAME