It’s time to set those out of office responses, turn off the news (do it!) and enjoy the festive season. Whether your celebrations are able to proceed as planned or if you’ve been forced to do things a little differently again this year, we hope there’s a long, chilled glass of something bubbly with your name on it and a big tub of Quality Street at the ready! Thank you for reading this year, and we wish you the merriest of Christmases.
Have you been following our very special #WEDMAS Advent Calendar over on Instagram? Fuelled by our amazing UNVEILED Network suppliers, there’s a treat, giveaway or discount behind every door! Most giveaways are open till New Years Eve, and all offers until the end of January, so go swipe and get stuck in.
Team Brides Up North are taking a break for the holidays too, and we’ll see you on the other side… except we couldn’t leave you without just one more treat! Check back during that dreamy ‘twixtmas week to see what we’ve been keeping under our tree just for you!
Meanwhile, we leave you with heaps of classic, contemporary and chic vibes on the blog today, with a big old dose of Christmas magic liberally sprinkled in for good measure, of course! Did you expect anything less?! We’re sweeping you off to celebrate love and Christmas in deepest Yorkshire today…
Let’s join photographer Lucy Dennis and a team of fellow local suppliers as they style the gorgeous UNVEILED Network Member venue Rise Hall for an classic English Christmas shoot with a New York City twist. With the new SATC series, And Just Like That, dropping it seemed like the perfect time to revisit that olde world New York charm with a modern glam edge and an unreal Vera Wang gown. Not to mention the absolute wreath goals!
Lucy’s known for photographing the ‘real’ moments; joyous, tender, poignant, and downright hilarious, and this shoot is no exception as she totally captures the magic of the day as it unfolds. Let’s find out how it came together in such a super tight timeframe…
With images by Lucy Dennis Photography
Words by Sarah Symonds
CONCEPT
Lucy says: The shoot was to celebrate the ultimate classic Christmas! With the launch of the new Sex and City series and the classic Vera Wang dress, a classic, festive New York look was created. It was a match made in heaven.
Rise Hall is a quintessential country house and dressed for Christmas, it was too good to not shoot! So the theme was a classic country house Christmas with a touch of New York glam!
LOCATION
The location of the shoot was an easy one as we just wanted to celebrate Rise Hall at Christmas. Also the fact that the venue has a 12ft Christmas tree and a staircase to die for, making it the perfect backdrop to the classic style. The glitz of the chandelier, the elegant library and the wow entrance hall all added to the style.
Rise Hall is one of Yorkshire’s largest privately owned, Grade II stately country house venues, offering exclusivity in the East Riding of Yorkshire, just a short distance from Beverley. It is Dine’s flagship venue and a perfect blend of exquisite interiors, traditional class and unique styling, all exclusively for you and your guests to enjoy for the perfect wedding!
STYLING
The styling and concept was to help showcase the ultimate country house Christmas, using lots of white, silvers and touches of gold. The flowers were a mixture of whites, roses and winter favourites mixed with lots of lovely greenery. FlowerStyle florist is a successful bespoke wedding and events florist run by a mother and daughter team, Emma and Susan. They use local, in season and sustainable materials wherever possible.
Our cake was by Olivia and was a fondant fairytale dream, dressed top to toe in white, adorned with trailing sugar phalaenopsis orchids edged with edible gold leaf. She’s a showstopper! Grace Eva Cakes specialises in contemporary wedding cake design, bespoke celebration cakes, cupcakes and biscuit box sets.
ATTIRE
The dress style was the new collection of Vera Wang, the Elise, a strapless princess Mikado wedding dress with open back. This dress was chosen for the shoot as it was the perfect style with large train, satin fabric and classic design.
UNVEILED Network Member bridal boutique Elizabeth Lucas in Beverley is the perfect haven for the stylish bride of today looking for something very special for the big day! Designers feature – Wtoo by Watters, Willowby by Watters, Nicole Milano, Evie Young and of course Vera Wang!
Specialising in bespoke engagement and wedding rings, as well as bridal accessories, Joshua James Jewellery is the place to find your wedding day jewels, delivering you luxury and magic throughout your wedding planning.
BEAUTY
UNVEILED Network Member Catherine Elizabeth loved creating this modern and romantic look for our model. Taking a brave step away from the long traditional curls and showing that sleek hair also has the wow factor. Complemented with the glowing skin, subtle smoky eyes and finished off with a kiss of Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk on the lips! Perfect in every way!
RESULTS
The shoot was quite last minute, planned in a day! A few emails and calls later and the epic team was born. Highlights of the day were just having the shoot come to life. Having a backdrop of the Christmas tree already in place and the staircase done, add in a few mince pies, some champagne and a present or two, it all came together without a hitch! Our aim was to capture the perfect country house Christmas and I think we did it!
Rise Hall is having a wedding showcase by appointment on Sunday 9th January 2022 so please do get in touch to book an appointment to view!
