Dreamy Yorkshire Moors Elopement Inspiration

We’re in the beautiful North Yorkshire moors for this dreamy elopement inspiration today. Miss Whittington’s Photography  decided to create a shoot to really showcase the beauty of the UK countryside and chose Danby Moor to locate it. With an abundance of pretty purple heather, it made for such a special backdrop.

A tablescape was set up with rambling scenery behind, which consisted of a dusky pink table runner, pretty blooms, sweet stationery and a delightful semi-naked cake. The bride wears a vintage feel gown, tan boots with a straw hat and a foraged bouquet of flowers. Oh so gorgeous. I defy you not to want to get married in a location as stunning as this.

Yorkshire Moors Elopement Inspiration

The Blooming Heather – A styled bridal shoot on Danby Moor

“Oh, the summertime is coming

And the trees are sweetly blooming

And the wild mountain thyme

Grows around the blooming heather

Will ye go, lassie go?”

It was the words of this old folk song that provided the inspiration for this elopement-style photo shoot on the North Yorkshire Moors. This rolling landscape of heather holds a kind of timeless energy that’s as old as the hills and the stories that lie within them. I set out to create a series of images that embraced this landscape and encapsulated a sense of whimsical nostalgia and rose-tinted memories of days gone by. The shoot took place last August on Danby moor, surrounded by miles of blooming heather. The colours of the moors formed the palette for the shoot; pinks, purples and sage green made up the table decor and bouquet, and the natural flora continued in the beautiful stationery.

I aimed to keep the shoot as thrifty as possible, as I believe that budget weddings and elopements can still be incredibly beautiful without being overly expensive. I foraged for flowers, used vintage pieces from my own personal collection and reused my own wedding boots in the shoot. The dress wasn’t listed as a wedding dress on ASOS, but I loved the textured ivory fabric and that fabulous open back. It gave me major vintage feels and was the inspiration behind the windswept-on-a-hilltop Lizzie Bennet bridal aesthetic. I paired it with a couple of straw hats and brown lace up boots for a really rustic look.

In keeping with the whimsical feel for the shoot, I made the bouquet from mostly foraged flowers and herbs. The heather was picked from the moors near my home and the herbs and lavender all came from my garden.

For the table set up I wanted to create something that looked like it had sprung up out of the moors. The heather colours continued in the textiles and vintage postcards and crockery gave a nod to the gothic coastal towns of Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay that edge the moors. The gorgeous invites and place names were by Tigerlily Wedding Stationery. Her glorious “Summer Meadow” set was a perfect fit for the shoot.

I created this shoot for all the wild moorland wanderers, lovers of muddy dress hems and singers of folk songs. I want to inspire you to venture into the wild on your wedding day. Say your vows in the heather-coloured hills, get your dress muddy, feel the wind in your hair… I think we’ve realised more than ever lately that our countryside here in the UK is actually incredible and we don’t need to venture far to find breath taking landscapes. I hope that it won’t be long before couples are able to embrace that by legally marrying in beautiful and wild places such as the North Yorkshire Moors.