dark wedding -Styled shoot || Dark and Romantic

Dark wedding and romatic! How much do we love a dark and romantic wedding? Well if you don’t know us yet, then let’s just say we love one! Throw out the entire wedding rule book, because there is no rule book in our world. Have your wedding your way.

Today’s blog is all about showing you some dark and romantic wedding inspiration with this neo noir styled shoot. It’s full of pure romance neon lighting and uber cool wedding styling!

It’s exciting!

What was your inspiration behind the shoot?

Neo-noir cinema especially the original Bladerunner film. Although Blane, the groom’s wardrobe is a cross between Harrsison Ford’s Deckard and Ryan Gosling’s K in Bladerunner 2049. We also decided to create a smaller version of a Ramen bar. For this we took inspiration from a Japanese aesthetic rather than Chinese culture as in the film.

I love film, any kind of cinema to be honest, but ‘Bladerunner’ (1984) has always been a favourite of mine because of the locations, costumes, lighting and the cinematography. I am lucky enough to have worked with the majority of the talented suppliers on this shoot already. It was so nice to then connect with new creatives through their desire to experiment with something darker and more cinematic (especially with regards to the lighting and projections). Our wedding styled shoots reflect the more intimate and personal ways in which people are getting married right now.

dark wedding ideas

It’s dark and romantic with a cinematic feel.

Hints of neon pinks and blues with vintage styling as well as a nod to the 80s. The heavy shadows are symbolic of the noir style and the umbrella a reference to the rain almost ever-present in the film. The tight narrow spaces and close up framing of the camera, make the couple look as though they are more hidden away. Maybe as if the relationship is illicit, as well as the ceremony being a secret.

The location was chosen as it is a work in progress. This beautiful historic house is being renovated and we had access to two amazing rooms. An empty almost complete bedroom with huge original shutters and a floor that was ready for preservation. The second was a grand dining room with beautiful original paintings on the panelled walls. The historic and grand feel of the house recreates in part the feel of a wedding venue, but one that has not been used before. The sense that the wedding reflects the couple; getting married the way they want to in a venue of their choosing.

Of course, the film Bladerunner is set in a post-apocalyptic future and there is a juxtaposition between the old and the new. We wanted to capture that with this shoot, especially with the lighting and the digital projections. This included the invitation which has been projected onto the set to be read. As if this is the way invitations could be delivered in the future.

We feature a black and dark navy cake with projected images, Lou says:

I drew inspiration for the cake from the noir element of the shoot as well as the red jacket worn by the model. As soon as I saw the billowing effect of the blouse, I immediately wanted to incorporate the red. I wanted to add in the flowing of the fabric in to the design too some how.

I achieved the effect using Vietnamese rice paper soaked in coloured alcohol and left to dry. It is very delicate but once dry it becomes slightly transparent and it really added an extra depth to the design. The tiers were airbrushed black with a light dusting of blue over the top. The double depth tier also featured a wrap around collar in blue with added texture. A small top tier was painted red with Allen almost leathery finish.

I absolutely loved how the red shards caught the light during the shoot, appearing bold red in some shots and transparent in others. The lights bounced off the black of the cake and picked up the hues of blue. The projections added a futuristic element, a new way to incorporate your theme in to the cake design to really make a statement.’

what the couple wore

Harriet, our bride is wearing a gorgeous black lace dress with a red chiffon biker jacket created by Janet the amazing designer from ‘The Robing Room’. She based her design on an original dress from the 1940s, but dropped the length to the floor and added details such as lace cuffs and ribbon. The nude slip underneath reminds us that the dress is lace. A feeling of antiquity yet contemporary too.

Janet says’ The red organza top was originally a pattern I developed for 2 very talented designers Craig and Cheryl from Harriet’s Muse. The Tulle spot dress was based on a 40s vintage Vogue design and altered to add the wide lace, long sleeves and full skirt. The bias cut silk, pale pink slip was created using 1940s styling details. I wanted to keep the link to the original bladerunner theme while keeping in mind the colour palette discussed in the photoshoot team.’

The dress is complemented by large doc marten boots. She has classic victory rolls, dark smokey eyes and red lipstick to create the perfect femme fatale from 1940s film noir.

Modern groom

Blane, our groom who is also Harriet’s real husband is a cross between Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling. He’s wearing a modern khaki trench coat but also a checked shirt and jeans underneath. He’s both replicant and human.

Using the unicorn tattoos supplied by Doris Loves keeps that at the fore, they’re not just cute details! The couples poses are often really formal, and sometimes stayed in keeping with the former Hays Code guidelines. This is a reminder of the sexual tension in the film, but they’re passionate too in the low key lighting.

Details

We have an original 1950s Japanese cocktail cabinet as our ramen bar area (we chose elements of Japanese rather than Chinese for our shoot) against the old wooden panelling. It had a sign projected above to contrast between the old and the new. The large contemporary ceramic ramen bowls are handmade and the lamps more industrial, again to create the contrast between the old and the new.

The photo album and old photos are symbolic of the film. The photos in the film suggest that the replicants have a connection with their past memories, as if they are ‘real’ and the people in the photos have a relationship with them. The black and white images are of my family weddings and celebrations. This fit with the intimate feel of the shoot.

Futuristic & dark wedding

The projected invitation appears as if projected onto a screen, a nod to the futuristic focus of this shoot as well as a sign of things possibly to come… perhaps invitations will be sent digitally as opposed to in the post?

The room full of mannequins was a nod the toy room in which Darryl Hannah hides in the original film. The partly dressed mannequins are almost like awkward wedding guests watching the couple as they are photographed. But they are meant to nod to the more personal way in which this shoot has been created.

We have a beautiful trailing fabric bouquet, made by the talented Charlotte Laurie in rich dark colours to compliment the colour palette. The jewellery worn by Harriet is vintage in keeping with the neo-noir theme.