English Country Mansion Styled Boudoir Shoot

Published by Claire Gould on October 3, 2019October 3, 2019

Good morning lovelies! I have a beautiful and very different idea to share with you this morning: a bridal boudoir photoshoot, which was sent in by English Wedding member Emily Andrew Events. Bridal boudoir photography is a lovely idea, I think: there are many female wedding photographers around who do boudoir photography as a confidence boost (and I’ve seen such wonderful reviews of this experience!). Perhaps you’ll find time on your wedding morning to do this; perhaps it’s something you can arrange before the big day. Either way, I hope you’ll find today’s feature inspiring and Emily’s words thought-provoking. The images by Valentine Studio are wonderfully romantic and feminine.

This shoot was designed to capture the quiet excitement a bride feels on the morning of her wedding, the small moments in which she gets to contemplate the magnitude of the day ahead and those private, final minutes of wedding preparation.

Bridal Boudoir photography is not a new idea but it certainly isn’t something a lot of brides consider, with body image and raunchy photography being the main reasons ladies are too shy to explore this style of photography. However, bridal boudoir offers a style of photography which is accessible to brides who don’t want to necessarily bare all, but who want to capture and celebrate the subtle romance and beauty of this momentous milestone in their life.

It is often said that brides glow on their wedding day and that beauty comes from the happiness deep within, just as much as it does from the fabulous dress, the perfect hair and make up. Bridal boudoir encapsulates this beauty but in a more intimate way than wedding photography. Bridal boudoir provides an ever-lasting image of youth and romance, often being presented as a gift for their future spouse, this style is classic and refined.

This shoot embodies a luxurious and timeless style, set in the stunning Georgian mansion, Thurning Hall, in the depths of the Norfolk countryside, and using key accessories and stunning florals to add extra beauty and elegance. Two different rooms within Thurning Hall were used for this shoot giving two different atmospheres for the photography. The floor to ceiling sash windows, period furniture and the original Georgian features of Thurning provided stunning backdrops steeped in heritage.

For our beautiful model, we kept the make up and hair very classic and highlighted her natural features to give a simple but stunningly polished look. We styled her to show that you do not need to be raunchy and bare all, using the flowers and key accessories to keep her look demure and classic. The luxurious wedding lingerie and veil were elegant, in classic ivory shades. The bridal headpieces were adorned with pearls and crystals to add to the luxe styling.

We kept the florals soft, using a colour palette of pale blues and very subtle pinks with accents of ivory – very classically bridal which fitted perfectly with the elegance and era of the venue. By including some stems of pampas grass into the floral displays for extra texture, a softness and femininity were introduced to the floral design which perfectly suited the style and aim of the shoot. The selection of flowers were traditional English garden flowers, exactly the types which would be typically found growing in the gardens at Thurning; roses, delphiniums, ranunculus, hellebores, ammi and eryngium.

My advice for anyone planning to incorporate a boudoir shoot into your wedding day is firstly be selective about the photographer, you need to feel completely comfortable with them, like their style and share a vision of the end result. Make sure you have enough time on your wedding day morning to include this but if you don’t specifically arrange a shoot just to capture these images and finally don’t forget the details! It is so lovely having images of you as a memento but think about designing your shoot around some personal objects and wedding details, such as your wedding jewellery, veil or shoes, don’t be afraid to get creative.