Shades of Wuthering Heights: Boho Bridal Editorial at the Chesterton Windmill

The Inspiration

For this shoot, I have drawn inspiration from Wuthering Heights.
I really adore the minimal makeup and natural hair with a messy whimsical braid. For the flowers, I chose a simple colour palette with white, green and peach as I think it’s super timeless and works very well in the countryside setting. It also compliments Bethan’s hair beautifully. It gives out that fresh but soft vibe without taking the focus away from the bride. The day was nice and clear with a lot of wind which I was so pleased about. I just love how it played with her hair and made my Wuthering Heights bride vision come true.

I pulled together a small but fierce team of local wedding suppliers to bring my vision of a truly romantic, natural experience to life.

Words and Images by Dita Bowen Photography.

The Dress

As a wedding dress designer, Jessica Turner Designs supports a sustainable path to production for all her gowns; she is an advocate of slow fashion and puts this into practice when designing her gowns, developing the look using hand-painted illustrations in order to reduce the use of raw materials. The ‘Where the Wild Things Grow’ collection, features flora that encompasses the body, natural fibres against the skin, and nature taking over to re-wild the planet. The custom-made gowns feature a mix of luxurious floral laces, peace silk and organic fabrics. For our shoot – we chose Freesia.

The Bridal Look

Our bride had minimal, natural-looking makeup by no other but my all-time favourite HMUA Claire Shiner. Bethan’s hair is styled to a beautiful messy braid. Claire added simple golden pins with some pretty pearls that really compliment the bride’s natural auburn hair. I just love how Claire always manages to enhance one’s natural beauty and give that radiant glow perfectly matched to your personality.

The Location

The Chesterton Windmill is one of Warwickshire’s most famous landmarks and my favourite place to unwind. It stands on a hilltop overlooking the village of Chesterton. Since I moved to a neighbouring village – Harbury, I always enjoyed taking walks up the hill and admiring the beautiful views over the rye fields or simply just breathing and taking in the peaceful moments. This place gives the most gorgeous sunset skies too in the summer!

Black & White Photographs

“When I photograph people in black and white, I photograph their souls”
I feel that raw emotion is sometimes better expressed in black and white and that’s why I always capture a few images in B&W. While trends in dresses, hairstyles and makeup can change over time, a black and white photograph will always look classic and timeless. Scroll through the below presentation for my favourite B&W photographs from this shoot featuring handmade veil by Claire from Tulle & Flo who creates bespoke and unique Bridal Veils, Garters and Capelets.

Bridal portraits

As a photographer, I wanted to show brides that having their portraits taken on their wedding day can be a beautiful and relaxing experience. I know that many brides can be a little scared of getting in front of the camera not knowing what to expect or how to pose etc. But they all wish for beautiful natural photographs to cherish forever.