raw elements & texture for a romantic wedding styled shoot in north yorkshire

To round off a winning week of blog posts we have this heart-achingly beautiful styled shoot put together by a talented collaborative of suppliers in rural North Yorkshire.

With Brides Up North Sponsor and exceptionally creative stylist Louise Hughes of One Stylish Day, at the helm of the design for the shoot, the end result was only ever going to be a set of stunning images brimming with stylish inspo for your big day.

So ladies, prepare to spend the rest of your Friday afternoon lost in world of natural wedding beauty. Sorry, not sorry!

I organised the shoot as part of my styled shoot workshops for amateur and pro photographers. I chose Camp Katur for the location because I love outdoor wedding venues, and really wanted to add this venue to my portfolio. The outdoor woodland ceremony at Camp Katur is really unique and was a really big pull for me. I knew Lucy MacNicoll, the florist and Louise the stylist, could create something really special in that area. And they did. Watching them at work was awe-inspiring. This styled shoot was probably my most memorable because of the team, that creative energy was present through-out the whole day, all the attendees of the workshop felt it too.

I think the shoot came to life fairly naturally, Louise and I threw around words like kinfolk, organic and wild and Louise put together a moodboard for Lucy and I.

There really was something magical in the air that day, I know I was on a natural high for days. When a group of creatives come together and bring a vision to life for a group of photographers to photograph and marvel at, hearing everyone’s ‘wows’ when they saw the styled areas made all the emails and planning worthwhile. So much so that we have planned a couple more styled shoots for 2017 as it really felt like a dream team.

Styling wise, I wanted to steer away from the ‘boho’ look, which this style of venue can naturally call for. Instead I wanted to go with a fresh approach to outdoor weddings and focus on slow living with an essence of stillness and calm.

The shoot focused on a deep respect for the surroundings with a vision that the tablescape design did not look out of place in any way, but blended with the backdrop effortlessly.

The intent was to create a design inspired by the Danish Hygge aesthetic, with elements that looked like they had been gathered and swept up from the surrounding forest floor but with pops of soft highlights and rich toned accents. A key focus was on highlighting the beauty of the outdoors, whatever the season.

It was important that the woodland setting felt undisturbed. By using natural elements and textures we created harmony and added a quiet vitality to the scene. An undone quality runs throughout; raw wood, dripping candles and casually laid linens. As with nature, there is beauty in imperfection.

Clean lines and minimal embellishments are key to this tablescape, with white being the predominant backdrop. We played with layers and textures of white linen and off-white ceramics, which were glazed to subtly reflect light. Disrupted tablecloths and dripping candles add to the un-done quality, and black rod-handled cutlery has a hand-forged look.

The stationery by Bureau and Georgina Read focused on considered simplicity. Textured, raw paper, deckled edging and simple typography. Similarly, the cake supplied by Yolk, was deliberately simple and pared back; a single tier with dried floral additions. Less is so much more for this look.

For florals, Lucy drew inspiration from the dense woodland surroundings as spring had not yet sprung at Camp Katur. The florals reflected the dark and enchanting nature of the forest during the autumn and winter months. Copper and brown married with greens reflective of the winter scorched forest floor, were offset with soft pinks, deep scarlet and claret red. Quicksand Roses in the most incredible beige nude tones, blousy striking anemones and rich toned ranunculus and Hellebores.

Lucy incorporated lots of texture, branches and dried seed heads to keep designs architectural and utilised materials coming towards the end of their life span, to represent the sun starved nature of the forest utilising materials that usually might be disregarded, creating florals that we’re reflective of their surroundings.

The beautiful dresses worn by our bride model were supplied by the lovely Glory Days Bridal, based in York.

The day of the shoot was an amazing success. There was such a great vibe between all the photographers and the creative team. The styling came together beautifully; the weather was on our side delivering perfectly soft lighting and the rain stayed away! We were so pleased with the final results.

I will be continuing to collaborate with Nicola to style the workshops with two more organised for this year. Watch this space!