A Timeless Country House Wedding

Yorkshire Estate Wedding Venue

Situated amongst peaceful Yorkshire countryside sits the breathtakingly beautiful Birdsall House. The architectural grandeur of this Yorkshire Estate wedding venue is infused with story from the lives of successive generations of the Willoughby family, spanning over 500 years. The Country Estate was chosen for the editorial not only because of my love of the building with its period features, incredible art and interiors, but because of the strength and power it conveys, not only in the architecture, but also depicted in the imposing portraits.

Featured in The Lane  https://thelane.com/wedding-venues-yorkshire/

The Setting

A springtime morning in May, lambs cross the driveway as you enter the English Country Estate. The incredible rhododendrons are in flower. The atmosphere was serene and the light like a Constable landscape painting.

The Concept

Stillness In A Moment Of Love.

What do you feel, What can you hear, What can you see. Soft Yet Powerful. Gentle, Loving, Strong. The idea of being present in the moment, how it feels, experiencing all elements and noticing the beauty in intricate details.

Scent of Diptique 34 candle, feel of the Vivienne Westwood fabric, immersed in intricate light, surrounded by architectural grandeur.

Timeless Country Estate Wedding

The Focus

Quality, Strength, Elegance, Understated – Light, Detailed, Delicate, Soft, Gentle, Loving.

Juxtaposition of the strength of architectural grandeur, heritage, and story infused portraits of the building with quiet delicacy of the wild meadow flowers, clear glass and infatuating light.

Each detail was thoughtfully design, carefully curated and perfectly placed.

The Look

Keeping the look timeless rather than traditional was at the forefront. Being surrounded by beautiful art and antiques it was important that the look stayed modern. This was reflected in the bridal style. A clean, natural make up look was created to keep the look fresh. Similarly, the hair was sleek and minimal. For the style conscious bride the dresses were pieces from Halfpenny and Vivienne Westwood.

The  accessories were also chosen to reflect this. Statement earrings and hair pins with handcrafted floral details, each one a work of art.  Incredible crowns and  headpieces with a short face veil gave a strong look. The wedding and engagement rings were beautifully delicate, sustainable and ethically handmade in Scotland. This contemporary style was also present in the tablescape. Items were carefully curated for their modern, crisp feel and timeless elegance.

The antique, blended with contemporary style and simplicity to create quiet elegance.

Colour Palette

Neutral, white. Selected to balance the drama and strong colours of the surrounding portraits and blend with the surroundings. The palette was kept simple, light, and contemporary, keeping the look and feel timeless.

Photography

Movement and light were at the forefront of the concept, Natalie Pluck perfectly captured both in her dreamy, editorial style.

Flowers

Delicate, light, airy, meadow like and organic. Representing softness and movement in contrast to the strength of the building, on a palette of white and green.  It was important to incorporate the senses, so the deliciously scented white sweet pea was used.

Cake

Modern and contemporary. Showing the contrast between delicacy and strength in a beautiful design with delicate petals and florals and a bold, strong shape.

Stationary

The stationary was chosen for its classic, timeless look and simple elegant font, printed on the finest quality papers. Classic dark green envelope was chosen to echo the green and white of the flower colour palette and also the traditional heritage colours.

Tablescape

Each detail of the table was thoughtfully design, carefully curated and perfectly placed. It was important to keep the look timeless rather than traditional as we were surrounded by beautiful art and antiques. Contemporary white plates of Portuguese clay were placed on top of decorative glass to create the balance between the modern and heritage look. Tiny plates each one, one of a kind and organically shaped and hand finished were placed to the side of the antique cutlery.

Delicate glassware of elegant flutes and wine glasses which mirrored the shape of the glass candle holders sat on with white linen cloths. Beautiful optic design candle holders through light across the table.

The old blended with contemporary style and simplicity to create quiet elegance.

Styling Tips

  • Don’t fight the venue. Immerse yourself in it and blend the styling elements with it not against It. Take time to look around you, feel and imagine.
  • Blend – blend traditional, heritage features and elements with simplicity and contemporary elegance to create a stylish and elegant tablescape for the modern bride. This will ensure the look is timeless rather than traditional.
  • Light – Notice where the light falls through the windows and onto floor. Position items to infuse light. Elegance infused with light.
  • Use different but complimenting candle styles and heights (especially with high ceilings), in this case in the same colour. Use glass to throw the light across the table.
  • Layer Items and use different textures.
  • Use all the senses, smell of your favourite candle or flower, texture of linen etc
  • Create moments of light that make you stop and be still.
  • Uncover movement in fabric that will captivate.
  • Include unique items that have a story and that you love.

The Team

Concept, Planning and Styling | @styling.love.uk
Venue | @birdsall.house
Photography | @natalie_pluck
Floral Designer | @annie.jowett
Cake Designer | @theorchidkitchen
Model | @bethantonopoulos
Hair | @laurarobertsonhair
MUA | @cj_makeup_artist_bridal
Dresses | @rachelscottcouture
Accessories | @megantheresecouture
Headpieces | @agnes_hart
Rings | @lelyauk
Shoes | @bellabelle
Stationary | @lilacandwhite
Table Linen | @88eventscompany
Glassware and Charger plates | @optionsgreathire