A pop of colour at Saltmarshe Hall

The inspiration

When we first started planning this shoot, we knew we wanted to create something that would inspire couples to be bold with the colour scheme on their wedding day. Kirsty and I had already done a shoot together this time last year which was AMAZING but very low-key. So when plans began to fall into place for this year’s shoot at Saltmarshe Hall, it soon became bigger and better than I think either of us had imagined.

When I open up Instagram on my phone and see my feed filled with weddings, it feels rare these days to see a bold colour scheme. It’s understandable that when couples start looking for wedding inspo online, if neutral is the only thing they’re presented with, it’s likely that’s going to score pretty highly on the Pinterest boards. So of course, we wanted to show that you can have fun wedding photos and still achieve elegance and timelessness.

My personal goals for the shoot

I would say the goals for this shoot were very much split into two for me. Whilst the heart of my ambition was to inspire couples with our bold colour scheme, for me personally, it was a real chance to unlock some much needed to creativity.

Although our jobs as wedding photographers are certainly creative ones, it sometimes feels all too rare that we are actively creating something. We may provide creative direction on the wedding day or create magic with lighting and angles in the photos, but we are, for the most part, there to capture what is already in place. Unless we get married ourselves, it’s rare that we have the opportunity to create a mood board, a unique style or colour scheme, which is why it felt so important to allow myself this time to actively create something new.

Particularly when weddings are busy (or for any of us, when work is busy), we may feel that creativity takes a backseat to allow time for the hustle and bustle. That’s definitely a key reason as to why I continue not to take on too many weddings in any given time period, and to give myself these opportunities to build more on that creative process. I felt incredibly fulfilled after our shoot at Saltmarshe, and very grateful that it allowed me the opportunity to get those creative juices flowing after my winter hibernation! My gratitude also extends to our amazing team of suppliers as, without them, it would have been a very different final product.

The dream team

The wonder that is Kirsty from River and Rose really felt like the backbone of this whole shoot. Flowers have always been such a key part of any wedding day for me. It’s a way you can introduce colour without having to rely on the scenery, venue or Yorkshire weather! Kirsty and I were totally on the same page with what we wanted to achieve, and she absolutely nailed the florals as I knew she would.

We then started to think of which other suppliers we wanted to have on board. I worked with Evie recently at a Hornington Manor wedding and we had such a laugh together that I really want her on board for make-up. Caroline I’d worked with twice last year at Priory Cottages and Tithe Barn, and each time she’s created some of my favourite hairstyles I’ve seen at a wedding! They’re both incredibly gifted at what they do. Rachel created some incredibly classy stationary that added a whole new layer to what we had imagined.

And just when we felt like we had the team we wanted, we decided to be brave and ask our favourite cake designers to come on board. I first met Kean and Stephen at a recent Goldsborough Hall wedding fair, and their work is some of the best I’ve seen in nine years of photographing weddings! Sometimes you can find with cake makers that they excel in either style OR substance. Blossom Tree is one of very few companies who successfully marry the two – unbelievable designs and the most delicious cake too. I could hardly believe it when they said they wanted to be involved, and I feel very lucky that they did, as with all our amazing team.

The final look

So now we had our dream team secured, which meant we needed the perfect couple to bring it all to life. I had met Liv a few years ago when she was a bridesmaid at one of my weddings, and she was one of those people whose smile lit up a room!

On the day it felt so exciting to see everything start to come together. I’d spent so many evenings on the lead up imagining what everything would look like, and to see it all come to life was SO cool! Evie and Caroline worked their magic with Liv’s hair and make-up, and wearing that Nadine Merabi jumpsuit, she looked an absolute VISION, as did Ed in his tux!

Thank you so much to Saltmarshe for being such generous hosts, and to the team who put in so much work to make this all come together so beautifully. Kirsty and I loved the shoot so much that we are already in talks for the next one! We hope this has given you some inspiration to achieve a colourful, fun wedding full of joy!