Rustic and elegant outdoor wedding inspiration - styled shoot

The last day of July 2020 saw the hottest day of the year so far – so it was the obvious choice for our first styled shoot at our new venue – the Gardens at Polehanger! Our fantastic event manager, Chloe, from White Button Weddings, brought together a group of suppliers to create an incredible shoot.

First up (thankfully a few days earlier so those erecting it escaped the heat) was the Grand Pavilion Yurt from Funky Monkey Tents. We hosted our own wedding in the Gardens at Polehanger in 2007, putting up a marquee structure, but nothing like this has ever graced the Gardens. Not only does it look wonderful from the outside; once you are inside, the impressive space within the yurt is full of light. And it is simply beautiful – the lattice frame of the sides and the high central window make for an exquisite setting. It really must be seen to be believed.

Next, Chloe set to work on bringing the tables to life with some truly gorgeous place settings, using coloured glassware in terracotta and greens; the soft rusty tones complementing the dusky pink napkins, candles and stationery from Tiggity Boo. Not a traditional white wedding tablecloth in sight – and it looked perfect.

Bringing together the table decoration were the flowers carefully arranged by Becky of Flowers at 58 – completing the feel of a relaxed, yet thoroughly elegant, table for a country wedding. The flowers are all grown locally and are seasonal and sustainable, not to mention gorgeous! The final piece to give the set up a real wow factor was a rustic natural centre piece of pampas grass by Flowers at 58, raised high above the table so that it sat splendidly under the window in the centre of the yurt.

Outside the yurt, a small ceremony area and picnic set up under the tree completed the look for the photoshoot. Graze Glorious Graze worked their magic with a sumptuous grazing table, which was quickly photographed so that we could eat it – and it was delicious! And not forgetting the cake from the Cake Lab, which looked fabulous.

Our photographer for the styled shoot was Sharon Cooper. A lover of farm, festival and barn weddings, the Gardens at Polehanger were a hit with Sharon from the start. Our model, Briar Rouge looked ethereal in a simple yet elegant dress, with a lace jacket, from The Wedding Workshop, Ampthill. The Wedding workshop has been creating bespoke dresses for over twenty years – I only wish I had known about them when I was choosing my own.

Despite the ridiculous heat, Sharon and Briar Rouge produced the most spectacular shots – both in the Gardens, and in front of our 16^th and 18^th Century barns. The barns created a perfect rustic backdrop against which to photograph such a beautiful model. The bouquet by Flowers at 58, with its copper ribbons, not only complemented Briar Rouge’s magnificent red hair, but also the colours of our barns.

All in all, a wonderful day for our first styled shoot and one which we are sure will provide inspiration for what is possible at The Gardens at Polehanger. We cannot wait for the next one. There was just time for a glass of bubbles and ‘that’ grazing platter before everyone headed home to put their feet up (or in a bucket of iced water). And finally….this….