The Romantic Hale Park

Hale Park is the glorious backdrop to this inspiration and it really is a stunning new venue to hit Hampshire. The country house sits at the top of a hill in a quiet, hidden corner of the New Forest where Thomas Archer, the well-respected and successful Georgian architect, built a home for his family in 1715. Now Hale Park is an exclusive use venue and they want you to have a memorable and unique celebration with them.

Make Up Artist Frances Moore tells us about their visit to this beautiful location…

Frances says…

Newly opened wedding venue Hale Park, located in the New Forest, is a stunning and exclusive estate. Neighbour to the River Avon and with the local village church conveniently a minute’s walk away from the main house, this unique venue has it all and more. The house itself is very classic in its design providing a romantic setting that is also so very versatile. The sheer breathtaking beauty of its grounds are highly reminiscent of a French châteaux – so both myself and photographer Charlotte Wise decided to capitalize on that idea through the styling of the shoot. This was definitely a moment when the venue decided the direction to take us in and we all embraced that fully.

We wanted to produce a styled shoot that was classic, feminine yet strong in its own right. There are subtle hints of a European influence furthered by the use of blues, whites and greys. This gave us scope to give the shoot an elegant and soft feel. Charlotte’s photography and editing style were also a perfect match for this as her naturally delicate approach brought the concept to life. We chose to shoot in early Spring to capture the first blooms of the year. Hale is a venue where you can truly get married at any time of the year and have something utterly gorgeous to see – whether it is the fully grown cherry blossoms trees in the garden or the large hanging wisteria along the side of the house.

Hannah Elizabeth Bridal Boutique in Botley kindly lent us the use of a rather stunning Tara Keely (2761) gown for the shoot. Hannah chose a style of gown that would have the right amount of stately home appeal with a slightly longer train, yet one that was seductively lower at the front and back of the dress bringing it up to more modern tastes. Hannah then decided to add a pair of Rachel Simpson shoes (Amalia Mint) that beautifully complemented the dress with an additional touch of glamour in the form of gold beadwork on the front of the shoes.

The accessories were all by the amazing award-winning Donna Crain. Donna’s creations are simply a must for any bride and we had a lot of fun playing with her pieces, and introducing so many into each shot. Donna always knows how to tread that fine line between beauty and practicality.

The hair and makeup was designed by Jodi of JMS Hair Design and myself. Jodi and I immediately came up with two hairstyles which we knew would look very fitting in a place like Hale Park. Jodi first gave model Jess a very classic Hollywood wave style, later changing this to a loose, elegant and soft up-do. For the makeup I wanted to give Jess a romantic youthful look and keeping the brows neat and the eyes lightly lined with a touch of smoke helped to achieve this. I also made sure to keep contouring to a minimum and added a little blusher to give Jess an English rose glow.

The stationery for the shoot was designed by Peony & Rose, located in Haslemere. I have worked with designer Sophie before and know her styling to be second to none; I knew she would provide a beautiful set of stationery and she certainly did not disappoint. Wedding stationery can so easily be overlooked by couples but it can really set the theme for your guests. It can provide them with a little teaser of your special day, so it’s important to source a good company and Sophie’s is one of the best. The ring box shown is by La Petit Box in the shade ‘The Berkeley’.

Providing the bouquet for the shoot was local florist Jo Hicks Flowers. Jo created a stunning arrangement – adding white peonies and peach roses with small blue flowers and greenery to finish. It quite simply encapsulated the whole look of the shoot brilliantly.

Stephanie, of Just As Delicious, complemented Jo’s bouquet by creating a three tiered cake that was iced in soft blue with handcrafted lace decorations over the entire piece.

We wanted to create this shoot for a minimalist bride who is done with strolling through the endless pages of Pinterest for ideas.  By showing how to change a few key pieces such as accessories, hair or even some stationery you can change how you feel about your wedding day.  We also wanted to show couples that how you view a venue is completely up to you. We went to see a very traditional English setting in the middle of the countryside and came back imagining a French châteaux! Don’t limit yourself to what you see. Interpret whatever you want to perceive.

Venue Hale Park

Photography Charlotte Wise Fine Art Photography

Hair JMS Hair Design

Make Up Frances Moore MUA

Accessories Donna Crain

Cake Just As Delicious

Stationery Peony & Rose

Bouquet Flowers Jo Hicks Flowers

Dress and Shoes Hannah Elizabeth Bridal

Ring Box La Petit Box

With thanks to model Jessica of IMM Agency Group