Today Hannah Shearman, a documentary style wedding photographer based in South Yorkshire, has created a gorgeously intimate, lakeside elopement shoot at Treeton Dyke to inspire you rustic loving brides and grooms-to-be.
Fancy escaping for a picturesque, laid-back afternoon picnic and a bottle of wine, snuggled on a blanket by the lake, with your one and only? What could be more romantic?!
Having been inspired by a trip to an industry workshop, creative photographer Hannah has come up with an unusual but stunning approach involving getting the couple to get into the water, gown and all! It’s certainly resulted in some beautiful shots with a real impact and strong sense of passion.
And the order of the day is Yorkshire passion in particular, as this is a proudly Yorkshire-based shoot using all local suppliers. We especially love the personalised Yorkshire dialect signage so there’s no mistaking which region the focus is on today! That’ll be the work of award winning UNVEILED Network Member Ivy Alice Stationery! In fact, there are so many amazing suppliers in today’s shoot and each one has been celebrated in the resulting incredibly pretty images.
Not to mention the modern, polka dot, eco-friendly gown created using a draping method, meaning no wasted fabric in the design, so nothing goes to landfill. Wedding suppliers are doing some amazing things at the moment! Let’s get into it!
With images by Hannah Shearman Photography
Hannah says: The main inspiration behind organising this shoot was that I had been on an amazing workshop in the Lake District that was organised by Jo Greenfield and Jenny Appleton, two amazing photographers that I follow. While we were on that shoot, the models got in the water for some shots which was something I hadn’t thought about doing before. I loved the idea of them splashing around in a lake so I decided that this is something I wanted to include in a shoot of my own. I wanted to create a lake elopement shoot that had a natural cosy, rustic and a little bit of a boho feel to it, with a picnic that was outdoors in nature.
I also wanted to use suppliers that were all based in Yorkshire to give it a homier feel – and also so that I could meet new people who were based around the same area as me. I had worked with four of the suppliers before as I know and love their work, so for the rest of the suppliers I decided it would be nice to work with people I hadn’t met before and they were all amazing.
LOCATION
As previously mentioned I was inspired by a workshop I went on that was held by a lake so, when I decided I wanted to base the shoot in Yorkshire and only use Yorkshire based suppliers, this made it interesting. There aren’t a huge number of open spots with a lake that are accessible so I had to go on the hunt. Google Maps became really helpful then trying to find potential spots to hold the shoot! I spent hours looking for somewhere suitable and then I came across Treeton Dyke. I went to visit to see if it was as good as it looked on Google Maps and it was absolutely perfect. There were plenty of open spaces, lots of trees, a jetty, a shallow bit to the lake where the models could have a paddle and lots of amazing little features that just made it absolutely perfect for the vision I had.
STYLING
UNVEILED Network Member stationer Ivy Alice Stationery offers bespoke, rustic themed wooden signage with Yorkshire dialect. The signage was handcrafted and stained to suit the theme of the shoot, matching the colour of the autumn tree bark and leaves. Calligraphy style fonts were chosen for the signage to stay on-trend. It is also a great way to incorporate all stationery pieces together by having a font throughout. By opting for calligraphy fonts this can be used across a stationery suite, table decor and much more. Ivy Alice Stationery also created his and her vow books with ribbon and deckled edges with custom vow wording.
Flowers were by Sarah Chester of Botanicals Floristry, a South Yorkshire based wedding florist providing a bespoke floral design service. They thrive on delivering the most beautiful blooms for your special day, from the smallest details in your buttonholes and hair flowers, through to large installations and statement pieces. The shoot florals were carefully selected to not only enhance the natural “look and feel” of the location, but to complement the autumnal season. Colours were kept earthy and we used a mixture of both dried and fresh flowers to incorporate current trends.
Ribbons were by Laik Style (Laik means play in Cumbrian) who are now based in Derbyshire and create naturally dyed, sustainable fabrics and ribbons. All the ribbons which Sarah used on her beautiful bouquet were dyed using leaves, twigs from the garden and the silk was organic and peace (cruelty free) silk made in the UK. I offer a colour match and bespoke service for all aspects of the wedding industry.
Styling was done by family run UNVEILED Network Member Howards Events, who went for a really relaxed vibe for the shoot. We wanted to create something that was all about just the couple, as if they’d had enough of waiting to be able to have their dream day with their family and friends so decided to just elope. We wanted to really make an area for them to relax after their vows to enjoy the sunset together as a newly married couple by using lots of soft blankets and cushions.
ATTIRE
At Scunthorpe-based family business, UNVEILED Network Member Fallen Hero, they create a look to suit your special occasion. For this shoot we went for a relaxed yet smart look using trousers and a brown double-breasted waistcoat from Cavani. We then teamed it with a grandad shirt from Marc Darcy. Fallen Hero have been trading for over 35 years and Rebecca and Darren are very passionate about ensuring your suit complements the theme of your wedding.
Quinlan Couture Bridal is an eco-conscious bridal designer who creates bespoke dresses and jumpsuits for the fashion forward bride. They created the dress for this shoot using the draping method. There was no wasted fabric in this design, so nothing has gone to landfill. The dress is a modern design using a beautiful polka dot lace all made from mills and sourced straight from them too. To offset carbon emissions, for every dress made a tree is planted with The National Trust.
Jessica Steele Jewellery is a design led studio based on the outskirts of Leeds city centre. We offer a fully bespoke jewellery making service for couples to be, tailor-making wedding rings with endless possibilities for personalisation and the ability to combine clients’ own inherited gold into their future rings. The style of jewellery chosen for the shoot was elegant, timeless pieces which are designed to be worn not just on the wedding day but for years to come. Wedding jewellery tells a story and should ultimately become an heirloom for future generations to love.
Because we were going for a rustic boho feel we decided that it would suit the style best if the model wore boots and a denim jacket. She brought these from home and they were the perfect addition to the outfit and overall style.
BEAUTY
Emma Blagden is Co-Owner of Eva Jane Hair and founder of Eva Jane Bridal, based in Epworth, North Lincolnshire. The hair for the shoot was a soft wave half pinned up with flowers added in to enhance the look. It would suit brides looking for a boho romantic feel from the tousled waves and real flowers tying in the bouquet, but the style still also holds an elegance which can be suited to more classic bridal looks.
UNVEILED Network Member Nicola Whitfield MUA is a cruelty free hair and makeup artist based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. She wanted to create a makeup look that appeals to the modern, romantic bride and to tie in with the theme of our shoot. All products used are cruelty free. We went for a natural but polished look. A soft golden tone was used on the eyes and a soft pink shade on the lips to finish off our beautiful model.
RESULTS
On the day the shoot went perfectly! I had written a time sheet so everyone knew when was best to arrive, when we had to be finished doing certain shots by. I also wrote a list with all the different photos on it that I wanted to take home from the shoot. This was the first styled shoot that I have organised solo, so I wanted to be prepared, make sure that nothing would go wrong and everything would run smoothly, which it did so I was really happy about that. I don’t think it could have gone any better.
The main highlight for me was when the bride got in the lake and splashed around. This was just perfect and I absolutely loved it. I ended up getting in the water with them! It was definitely the highlight of the shoot for me – even if it was cold!
Did it achieve my aim? It absolutely did, and it was better than I could have ever imagined! Perfect weather, perfect location, amazing models and fab suppliers! I am so happy with how the shoot went and I got lots of amazing, fun and natural images from it.
