GEORGIAN GRANDEUR AT ESCOT HOUSE DEVON
Georgian grandeur meets the stories of Jane Austen at Escot House Devon
I know that wedding planning can be difficult and finding your wedding venue, is one of the most vital decisions of your wedding day, as your wedding venue will inevitably play a major role in dictating your theme.
For me, as a wedding photographer, I love nothing more than to photograph wedding venues that have a strong sense of architecture and in particular history, as these seem to offer up the biggest choice of themes for the bride as well as a stunning landscape for the wedding photographs.
My aim in any photoshoot is to tell the story of the day and in this styled shoot it was to give couples inspiration on how their wedding could look by creating a story.
For me the story, Escot House brought to mind, which is featured in “ Your Devon and Cornwall Wedding Magazine, was the stories created by Jane Austen’s novels.
It seemed like a perfect fit, the grandeur of the house itself coupled with the beautiful extensive landscape really allowed me to tell the stories of two very different brides, one with a more country inspired, simple wedding using the natural beauty of the grounds and the other striking a more imposing statement focusing on the grandeur of the house itself, and the ladies of the manor within Jane Austen’s novels.
But in order to achieve this vision I needed to consider both my colour palette and in particular the flowers as the wrong type of style of flower could have easily spoiled the overall effect. For this I went to Dilly’s florist in Ottery St Mary who provided stunning flowers that truly fitted the theme. The colour palette of neutral whites, creams, pinks coupled with a tiny bit of lavender really showcased the fact that simplify can be beautiful whilst highlighting two very different looks.
My modern take on the country bride, who in Georgian times would have found the majority of her flowers through foraging in the hedgerows, was simply adorned with a beautiful flower crown, made from daisies and foliage and helped a simple bouquet. My other bride, with greater means, who would have been able to afford the luxury of flowers from further afield, held a wedding bouquet that would have reflected her status perfectly.
The beautiful dresses provided by Pirouette also gave a nod in the direction of the Georgian era but with a modern twist with both dresses designed by Rebecca Ingram.
I wanted the dresses to add to the story of nature and grandeur but not be direct copies of the styles worn in the Georgian era. The look and style of a wedding dress is such a crucial statement in any wedding day so I wanted the dresses to show brides how the dress itself can add to the overall theme of the day but still be modern and of the moment”.
I found what I was looking for in two beautiful lace dresses “Iris” which very much gave a feel of country in its free flowing gentle nature and “Lesil” through its structure which gave a more sophisticated feel which was perfect for my lady of the manor. This dress coupled with shoes from Pirouette as well as a fur shrug from Joan Lee Accessories and an ivy umbrella, borrowed from a friend, all helped to really give that stately feeling.
One feature I particular wanted to look at was the Jungle themed staircase of Escot House. Painted by Marek, and his Japanese partner Yukiko this jungled themed staircase is synonymous with Escot House and is a must have for all couples requiring wedding photos. Whilst I could have taken a standard bridal portrait, I wanted to try something a little different something that gave the impression the bride was truly in the jungle surrounded by lush green plants.
It has to be said however that it would have been impossible to complete this task without the help of some fantastic suppliers who followed the theme of Jane Austen novels beautifully – from the styling of the table by Jo at It’s your day, the stunning Georgian inspired hairstyles with a modern twist by Sarah at The Courtyard Hairdressers in Honiton through to the majestic Jane Austin inspired cake provided by Claire at Claire’s sweet temptations and the beautiful stationery by Fine Design Stationery.
These tiny details in any wedding whilst not seeming important at the time really do help to build the story of your day, helping to make your day truly memorable and in this case helping to bring Jane Austen’s novels to life
I even managed to borrow Phoebe a friend’s horse that seemed to enjoy the unique experience of being in a photo shoot and was brilliant all day long.
I just would like to thank all the providers who helped with this photoshoot and I hope it goes some way in achieving its goals in offering some inspirational ideas for your wedding day
Credits
Photography – Helen Chapman Photography
Venue – Escot Estate www.escot-devon.co.uk
Hair and beauty – The Courtyard Hairdressers facebook.com/TheCourtyardHairdressers
Wedding dresses – Pirouette www.pirouettethecollection.com
Flowers – Dilly’s www.dillysflorist.co.uk
Wedding cake – Claire’s Sweet Temptations clairessweettemptations.com
Wedding Stylist Its your Day – www.its-your-day.co.uk
Invitations – Fine Designs Stationery www.finedesignweddingstationery.co.uk
About Helen Chapman Photography
My philosophy:
“To provide excellence by placing YOU, Your dreams, Your wants, Your needs in the heart of everything I do”.
“To create beautifully, naturally, authentic, fun, romantic heirloom photography, that YOU are guaranteed to love and that will be cherished by future generations to come”.
“To provide YOU with a truly exceptional service through following my core beliefs of honesty, fairness, integrity, determination and creativity.”
I have been helping couples plan their weddings in the stunning natural landscape of the Devon countryside, rugged moorland of Dartmoor and spectacular seascape of the coastline of Devon, Somerset, and Cornwall for years and I’m using that experience and relationship with a great network of wedding vendors to help you plan your special wedding day.
Why not take a look at my Client resources pages
Check my availability for your wedding and book a call today.