Contemporary Wedding Inspiration at The Grange, Hampshire

The Grange at Northington, nestled in the Hampshire countryside, is one of those venues that is intriguing, if a little mysterious, having only hosted a handful of weddings and events so far.

Our love for this extraordinary venue started several years ago after working on a millinery campaign shoot, and we now feel incredibly lucky to be working with The Grange as their recommended Wedding Planners and Stylists.

Film by Zach & Grace Films

Owned by the Baring family, with English Heritage having a guardianship on the Grade I listed building, The Grange is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in Europe. First built in the 1660s, the house was dramatically saved from demolition in 1975 when it was taken into state care and now provides a striking venue for an annual opera festival.

Photography by Angela Ward-Brown

If you haven’t had the pleasure of their opera festival, what lies inside the shuttered windows of this house will come as quite the surprise. Some may have spotted a glimpse in the Erdem x H&M collaboration film, directed by none other than Baz Luhrmann.

There are elements of the interior that words couldn’t do enough justice to describe and we hope this shoot shows all its perfectly imperfect details. It’s fallen ceilings, crumbling archways, ancient murals and forgotten corners make things rather surreal when imagining the history behind them. The Grange is one of those places that invites you in and allows the imagination to run wild and play make believe with someone else’s reality.

We had one day to create our own daydream and to capture the beauty of the architecture and decadent features, whilst showing newlyweds and the industry alike how The Grange could lend itself so perfectly to those special nuptials. We are also very excited to announce that The Grange is the host venue for our creative wedding show, The Bridal Bazaar on Sunday 7th April.

To us, The Grange is the pinnacle of relaxed luxury, it feels so overly grand and impressive but in a way that a creative mind wouldn’t feel threatened. It has understated beauty and the underlying style of the shoot reflected just that. Barely-there details, enhancing and drawing attention to the surroundings, rather that distracting away from them. We didn’t pick a rigid colour scheme, instead selection a tonal selection of nude hues, golden accents and natural textures.

For the tablescape, the simple, muted palette was echoed in the way that the bracken, dried beautifully by Carla at Still Life Flowers, almost perfectly matched the tone of the wicker chairs from Folly Hire. The way that the sandy tones of the linen from Madame de la Maison allowed the table to disappear into the exposed plaster and brick backdrop beyond. Due to the simplicity of the bracken, we chose to add some white {flower type} blooms to the setting and to add some contrast to the raw materials that surrounded us.

The ‘Fiddle’ silver cutlery took its name from the similar shaped musical instrument, which we felt was well suited with the venues strong connection to the Opera and musical relationships, both sourced from Allens Hire, along with the dinner plates, each of which had been handcrafted with an irregular round shape and matt finish. The stationery was expertly curated by Penelope Margot Design specifically for this shoot, we chose vellum and nude papers to blend with the other elements of the tablescape and each place card was hand finished using acrylic paint to add texture.

Hanging above the table, the bracken was used again to create a garland, giving the appearance that it was floating above the table. We were looking for something original trying to move away from the clouds that we love so much, but have seen so many times before. Still Life Flowers designed something completely unique that also reflected her style perfectly, less about variety and more about layering at different heights and using the same element to create dynamic shapes. What Carla created was something unfussy, modern and impactful whilst being elegant.

Favours are an element that many of our couples have started to leave off of their wish list. Quite often we are the ones collecting up the unwanted gifts at the end of the night, which then in turn end up being wasted or thrown away. We designed a favour that not only worked well with the table setting but one whereby guests may be more tempted to take it home as a keep sake (plus we love gin!). Penelope Margot made some bespoke apothecary style labels for the bottles, printed on vellum to match the table menus and each bottle of gin was infused with lavender and rosemary, visually adding texture to the setting.

Carla exceeded all of our expectations with the Great Staircase. We knew from the start that this part of the venue was one that we just had to include. It’s particularly special, rising from the floor all the way to the roof. She used golden grasses, again in a broken up structure with some moments in the middle of the stairs as well as to the sides.

Lucy from Sparkle Bakes created the three tier wedding cake. Together we designed a modern twist on a traditional royal iced fruitcake. To reflect the textured plastered walls found throughout The Grange, Lucy used a smooth royal icing, layered with a textured fondant to add a rugged depth to the design. Hampshire boutique garden centre, The Garden Society, lent us some concrete effect plinths to use as a base for the cake, which wouldn’t seem out of place with a full time role at the house.

Our vision for the beautiful couple was again clean, understated luxury with unusual, art-inspired details. Our hair and make-up artist Sophie aka The Lipstick Gangster created a high-fashion bridal look, utilising key trends from the catwalks including glossy, windburnt skin, matt mink eyes and bitten lips. Our long-time collaborator and Luxe Bride member Exquisite Bridal Couture supplied our beautiful gowns – Monroe by Stephanie Allin paired with Emmy London’s Rebecca Blush suede courts and Gina by Catherine Deane, which we teamed with an epic cape handmade by Cupid Blue Bridal.

An array of incredible accessories from local designers Agnes Walker Jewellery (we used the ‘tiny fern’ combs and headband) and Ashley Wild Bridal completed the look. Special mention must go to Ashley’s ivory fedora, a key trend for 2019, and her beautiful array of veils, especially the Tigerlily veil with its tiny black polka dots which we fell a little in love with.

Healy & Son tailors provided not only the most incredible tuxedo but also service, on-hand throughout the day for alterations and to help us perfect our dapper groom’s style. Another emerging trend, we created a two-tone look, using black trousers and waistcoat with a navy jacket.

Bridal Bazaar

7th April, 11am – 3.30pm

The Grange will play host to the next edition of The Bridal Bazaar and 2019 will bring a slightly new twist. This will be the first time the venue has opened its doors for a wedding event which we are beyond thrilled to be trusted with.

As always, we plan to bring together the most talented wedding suppliers in the South, but this time we will take you on a journey, providing ideas and inspiration for each part of your wedding day. You’ll enter into a playground of bridal prep, fashion and accessories. Watch live demos, visit the nail bar and speak to the experts about your dream look. You’ll then move through to a room dedicated to ideas of how to style your ceremony, the most monumental part of your day. Next up, ingenious ideas for your reception – both day and night, from a plethora of table settings, to entertainment ideas, to delicious catering concepts and it goes without saying our cocktail bar will be open for you to sip and shop!

Shop, I hear you say. Yes! Fear not, we haven’t ditched the marketplace. Once you have been dazzled by our insanely talented supplier collaborations, you’ll enter the Marketplace. Newlyweds selling on their wedding wares and independent makers showcasing their crafting talents. Least we forget the array of surprises we also have in store, prepare to be inspired!

Wedding suppliers, independent makers and newlyweds, to register your interest or for more details, please get in touch [email protected].

You will find this event listed in our Events Diary.