To the Manor Born – A Modern Vintage Styled Shoot by The Little Lending Co.

Vintage lovers pay attention please, we have a whopping treat for you!

This opulent 1930’s inspired styled shoot combines two of my favourites – Godwick Hall and The Little Lending Co. Penny, Creative Director behind The Little Lending Co. teamed up with a whole bunch of talented folk, local to this epic Norfolk wedding venue, and the results are truly beautiful.

Over to Penny to guide you through her styling notes…

Images by DS Photography and LP Photography.

Penny: Full of Georgian splendour, Godwick Hall was the inspiration behind this new shoot by some of Norfolk’s newest wedding suppliers. Piled high with luxurious décor and style, this beautiful manor house in the lost village of Godwick in Norfolk became the backdrop to this gorgeous shoot. From the yellow plaid sofas and emerald green walls of the drawing room to the impressive oak dining table and oversized mirrors, we started to piece together our colour palette of rich golds, warm plum and highlights of soft peaches and champagne silk.

We were won over by the romantic notions of spending an intimate day marrying your favourite by a roaring fire and drinking elaborate cocktail mixes with friends on the sofa until the early hours.

Our vision was a mix of 1930’s vintage inspiration but with a modern edge. A shimmering silk dress made from an original 1930’s pattern by Screen the Starlet with a stunning bow-back detail was the perfect look for our girl. Thanks to its easy timeless simplicity, the dress was able to take a striking heavy make-up look. This is not for the faint-hearted – Georgina Suzanne used a mixture of rich golds on the eyes and created drama and glamour with a deep vampire-esque lip, using three shades of purple and a touch of red for a luscious lip. Betty’s Beauty painted nails in a soft metallic rose gold and an opaque dark plum on the toes.

Zany’s Boutique worked on a plaited updo with loose tendrils so the look was not too perfect – we wanted the hair to be more relaxed than true vintage hair styling. Georgie finished her look with Melissa Morgan Designs beautiful vintage headdresses, a mix of gold and diamante vintage brooches that she lovingly puts together. We had a second look with a floral crown made of pussy willow and waxflower by The Country Garden Florist.

The idea behind the bouquet was for it to have a loose, natural feel, giving the bride’s classic 1930’s dress a slight edge, in keeping with the bold make-up. Pure white hellebores and ranunculus, peach roses, grey-blue succulents, the almost petrol-like colour of viburnum berries and the silky catkins of pussy willow all intertwined to create a beautiful unison between soft and romantic, and modern and wild. Effortless, unstructured and utterly gorgeous.

Images by DS Photography and LP Photography.

For our guy, we wanted to strike a balance to give him just the right amount of country cool. We styled him with a laidback pairing of casual camel chinos and mustard tweed jacket, then added quirky accessories; a green and yellow bowtie, a plum handkerchief and buttonhole of ranunculus, hellebore, viburnum berries and eucalyptus. For extra English-gent chic, we swept Adam’s hair to one side and slipped on a pair of well-polished tan shoes.

Capturing the groom’s excitement before the vows is as important as the bride’s, so we created a little moment for him to relax and reflect with a whisky cocktail and broadsheet paper. And Archie the dog got involved too!

We really wanted to go all out on creating a luxurious space with a floral focus. With the emphasis on golds and plums, The Country Garden Florist went for a luxe floral vibe, mixing peach roses with deep black grapes and viburnum berries for colour, pure white hellebores and ranunculus for a soft edge, and pussy willow for tactile texture. A large dose of moss kept the look informal and effortless, though the use of urns on tables and in hallways was in keeping with the grand surroundings of Godwick Hall.

All other arrangements were designed around the same colours, with delicate dill and dried fruits added to the long table centrepiece. Urns were the perfect vesssels for the elegant surroundings of Godwick, so large ones were filled with white antirrhinum, viburnum opulus, pussy willow, eryngium and hellebores. Mini ones featured a mix of all the flowers use throughout the shoot, using different shapes and textures to avoid the look being too rigid. The final effect was unrestrained and informal, but also commanding and stately in the grand rooms of Godwick Hall.

Images by DS Photography and LP Photography.

The Little Lending Co. provided the décor and props for the day. From the slate chair backs and reindeer hides on the chairs to the little vintage books and stone bottles on the mantelpiece in the drawing room, plenty of relaxed vintage hire pieces were used to dress the room ready for an intimate ceremony set-up. We wanted to give the shots a sense of isolation, of tying the knot in a country manor on a crisp early spring morning.

We used beautiful vintage props nestled amongst the floral arrangements that helped to create some special moments between our models. Brass candle sticks, antlers, open books and little brass deers were clever little touches that brought the table to life and were perfect accompaniments to those loving glances across the table. Pears were spray painted gold and little flag name places with calligraphy writing were made for each table setting.

Our Love Quote ‘When I saw you I fell in Love and you smiled because you knew’ was written on a blackboard and easel to create a beautiful entrance for guests to see on arrival and set the tone for the day. With natural light flooding the staircase, the shots of our couple were the kind to be treasured, we hope you love them as much as we do.

Photography was by DS Photography and LP Photography was the 2 shooter for the day. Darena worked on creating a soft lighting through the edited images to create easy timeless pictures.

Venue Godwick Hall | Photography DS Photography and LP Photography | Venue Styling The Little Lending Co. | Florist The Country Garden Florist | Bridal Dress Screen the Starlet | Bridal Accessories Melissa Morgan Designs | Make-up Artist Georgina Suzanne | Hair Styling Zany Boutique Hair Salon | Nails Betty’s Beauty | Groom’s Fashion Stylist’s Own | Stationery The Little Lending Co. | Models Sandra Reynolds Agency {Adam Starkey & Georgie Lomax} 

If you’d like to see even more from this vintage shoot at Godwick Hall then check out this rather pretty boudoir shoot. If rustic romance is more your thing, then Penny has also put together a rather helpful Rustic Styling Tips feature for you too! She’s a clever gal that one.

If you’ve fallen in love with Godwick Hall then you can find out even more about the beautiful house, epic rustic barn and stunning surrounding countryside right here.

This isn’t the first time this talented crew have featured on Coco Wedding Venues and I doubt it will be the last… Thank you to all for sharing your beautiful work.

Lots of love…