Derived from the Bride of Frankenstein with some alternative sustainable wedding inspiration added; shoot coordinator and photographer Chloe Mary Photo and her team portray perfectly how to take an abstract idea and turn it into something beautiful, chic and alternative! With sustainable elements and dark and dreamy style we had to feature it here on Magpie Wedding! We catch up with the team to find out about this Bride of Frankenstein shoot and look at ways to add wedding features to your big day!
“The shoot was inspired by a love of all things classical horror, and I wanted to show couples that you can use a theme that is close to your heart and that people wouldn’t expect, but in a more subtle way that brings the theme to life without being too tacky in your interpretation. I personally think that this shoot is an example of how you can take a ‘literal theme’, pull it apart and make it appropriate for any occasion – in this case, a wedding.”
“I predominantly used ‘the Bride of Frankenstein’ as the shoot’s inspiration and I knew I wanted to feature a few looks within the shoot to represent the underlying theme of ‘creation’. I loved the idea of taking a concept and tearing it apart and then using mine and the fellow creator of the products vision to bring the idea to life. The team involved took my personal vision and independently created their own contributions to the shoot. I think this is a great example of the importance of having a vision but letting your chosen suppliers go with their interpretation of the theme to create something beautiful. The meshing of two minds.”
“The shoot took place in the Bristol Old Vic which was built-in 1766 as a place for the people of Bristol to come together and create a community. The Bristol Old Vic is the oldest, continuously working theatre in the English speaking world. Following a multi-million-pound transformation, it now provides a dramatic, stylish and flexible venue for your wedding as well as being a fully functioning theatre. When the venue offered up their new space, it felt like the perfect option to host the shoot. A perfect blend of theatrical and classic beauty meets wedding romance. Bristol is a creative and artistic city where old worlds meet new and I really wanted to showcase the textures and layers to the building, in a literal sense but also in a sense of it being a multiple purpose use building and the layer of historic value it represents.”
Styling – The Little Wedding Helper
“It was all about layering up the textures for this shoot, inspiring couples to really think about the details on their tables. From grey linens to the dried floral arrangements to dark grey dinner candles and beautiful stationery, this shoot was a dream to style for the couple who want to step outside the box when it comes to their wedding styling. The newly refurbished Coopers Hall provided the perfect neutral backdrop as well as the original exposed brick walls of the theatre which created a beautiful backdrop for the cake to be captured against. Layering up the candlelight with low smokey grey tea light votives and tall black and gold candlesticks added a more dramatic feel to the look & feel of the styling.”
Photography – Chloe Mary Photo
“I knew immediately how I wanted the vision to come to life and that I wanted to use as many different parts of the venue as possible. Jodie, our model is a personal friend who I’ve wanted to shoot with for a while now as she has the perfect classic look but with alternative features and style. I tried to keep the photography very stripped back and edited in my signature style to create a story of how the classic style can meet the modern alternative style to creating something beautiful and unique – something I try to inject into my own photography for every client I get to shoot.”
Bridal – Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique
“Chloe came to visit the boutique when we decided to team up for the shoot so she could browse our range of dresses to see what would suit the vision. Immediately, she was drawn to our ‘Margot’ cape dress designed by Amy Mair Couture as it was reminiscent of the cape dress as worn by Frankenstein’s Bride.”
“At the Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique, we’ve created a space for brides setting their own traditions. We embrace and encourage those brides doing things their own way, and introduce them to the next generation of Welsh bridal-wear designers and the selection of dresses and separates used on the Frankenstein’s Bride photoshoot highlighted this. We love that the dresses used on the photoshoot can be paired with leather jackets, feather capes, glitter effects or even kept super delicate to represent the most simplistic bridal styling”
Flowers – The Petal Emporium
“Minimal foliage, bare knarling exposed branches, a muted and moody colour palette; the rich chocolate tones with flickers of creamy whites, a touch of burgundy and fluffy grasses created a natural, textural look. The arrangements featured Pampas Grass, Teasels, Ammi, Chocolate Cosmos, Majolica Roses, Dried Amaranthus, Scabiosa seed heads, Bunny Grass, Reindeer Moss and Curly Willow branches. The Maxi Bouquet is a modern take on a classic shape with the twigs, pampas grass and other dried materials reaching out. The Table Centerpieces and wild Meadow Arrangements were designed for a natural garden inspired feel, as if lifted straight from a hedgerow or woodland undergrowth. The mixture of locally sourced florals and foliage, with a mixture of fresh and dried materials made this a sustainable approach to wedding florals. All the arrangements were free of floral foam for plastic free floral design.”
Cake – Vic’s Vegan Bakes
“With a theme like Frankenstein’s Bride, I knew immediately that I wanted the cake to be based around a darker colour palette featuring flecks of bold colour and subtle hints of metallic golden richness which would help to elevate the cake to a ‘gothic luxe’ level. I wanted to create something textured that would match with the theme of ‘contrast’, the joining of both modern and traditional elements to pay homage to the core of the brief. Using dried hydrangeas, honesty and pampas grass added a more romantic edge to the cake whilst crystals elements gave the cake a small pop of colour and brought in the ‘forever’ symbolism of the theme.”
Hair – Hayley Penny
“I wanted to show you can stick with a theme without going full copy. Making the S bend curl shaping with the ghd styler was so much fun and is more of a modern quirky wave with less volume. I wanted to keep it cool with a centre parting which also worked well with the bride’s hair type and face shape.”
“Adding subtle accents as a nod to ‘Bride of Frankenstein’, I added in some lightning flashes of blonde which brought the whole style ‘to life’. With an outfit change came a hair change, in this case a relaxed and low up-do. Layering light products throughout the hair, from style prep to finishing, not only holds the style but leaves the hair pliable to mould to an alternative style.”
Makeup – Rose Forrest
“When we think of Frankenstein’s Bride, we immediately think of strip of white in the hair paired with porcelain (almost deathly) complexion. Our gorgeous model had pale, English rose skin so I made no effort to stray away from this; I added pure white drops to desaturate even the palest foundation in my kit which paired with a rosey toned lip and blush gave a faux flush of colour, symbolising a new lease of life and warmth that the bride would have found in her love and marriage to Frankenstein.”
“The second look showcased a darker lip which worked to contrast against the very pale, gentle first look. It’s a very popular way for brides to effortlessly take their look from day to night. I recommend it to a lot of my brides who love a statement lip but want something more subtle for their day.”
Stationery – Hawthorne and Ivory
“I knew I wanted to keep a very Gothic and dark edge to the stationery but also wanted to have a literary feel to honour the book. The design evolved into a really textural, layered feel with torn paper edges in vellum and printed ‘book’ pages (no real books were harmed in the making of this stationery!) I kept the fonts and layout minimal to let the texture of the vellum and torn edges shine and not let everything feel too overdone. A lovely thick, heavy cardstock really finished off the luxe feel. When it came to the table stationery, these layers gave me the inspiration for a combined place card and menu which helped to keep the table clutter-free and allow for sleek styling and decor that perfectly matched the theme.”
Jacket – Sammy Lea’s Retro Emporium
“The custom-painted jacket by Sammy Lea’s Retro Emporium referenced Frankenstein’s monster and his bride and perfectly complimented the overall theme of the shoot. Using the shoots colour palette within the artwork meant that we could add some great edgy images within the design – such a lovely departure from the usual floral bridal jackets, and a real statement piece that could be worn for years to come.”
Jewellery – Sam Ryde
“Paying homage to the romanticism and nature theme of Frankenstein, the hand forged jewellery created by Sam Ryde was kept simple and was created in solid gold using both matt and shiny textures and classic dark grey diamonds for a tiny peek of sparkle. The gold necklace was especially kept dainty with a rustic twist brought in by the grey diamond – this slightly industrial yet classy piece showcased the models perfect necklace. Chloe’s signature photography style captures the chilling shadows cast across the stunning, defined neckline.”
“Rings were also kept simple, basic shapes and textures added to the film noire ambience and the gold hues provided a natural, earthen feel to leave the model subtly raw and exposed. Often wedding jewellery can be overly statement-esque but in this classic shoot it was a definite case of less is more.”
Bespoke Paper – Photopress
“The key to any themed stationery is to illustrate the theme with the perfect fonts and colours, but also create something unique that screams your personality. For this design I layered a number of watercolour backgrounds with paper effects and blocks of faint text to reflect the book. I also included an image from the film with an iconic quote – tying it all together. If you want to re-create a theme, brainstorm the colours, fonts and what makes the theme recognisable then, make a list of all the information you want to include and the elements that will really represent both your personalities, because I believe that stationery should 100% be about you.”
Feather/ Sequin Capes – Electric Plume
“Continuing with the layering theme, Electric Plume offers fabulous capes that are handmade and feature ostrich features and sequins, perfect for the bride who wants to be a little ‘extra’. They are made to order and are a unique way of adding some sparkle to your outfit.”
Biodegradable Glitter – EcoStardust
“I really wanted to showcase the importance of a brand like Eco Stardust on the shoot. Not only do they offer fabulous glitter which you can use in a variety of ways to add some sparkle to your outfit, but they also offer biodegradable glitter that is made from plant cellulose, derived predominantly from non-GMO sustainably farmed eucalyptus trees. They are on a mission to spread their vegan and cruelty-free, environmentally friendly, high-quality glitter all over the world spreading happiness and cheer as they go.”
The Team – Bride Of Frankenstein Sustainable Wedding Inspiration
Photographer & Organiser – Chloe Mary Photo @chloemaryphoto
Dresses & Veil – Rachel Burgess Bridal Boutique @rachel_burgess_bridal_boutique / Florist –The Petal Emporium @thepetalemporium Leather Jacket – Sammy Lea’s Retro Emporium @sammyleasretro / Hair – Hayley Penny @hayleypennyhairstylist / Venue – Bristol Old Vic @bristololdvicevents / Stylist – The Little Wedding Helper @weddinghelperuk / Jewellery – Sam Ryde Jewellery @samryde_jewellery / Bespoke Paper – Photo Press @photopressuk / Makeup – Rose Forrest @RoseForrestHairandMakeupartist / Masks – Curious Fair @curious_fair / Glitter – EcoStardust @ecostardust / Stationery – Hawthorne and Ivory @hawthorneandivory / Hair Pieces – Rachel Chaprunne @RachelChaprunne / Cake – Vics Vegan Bakes @vicsveganbakes
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