Gothic Wedding Styling at Browsholme Hall

Today we have some beautiful pictures to share with you from a Gothic wedding shoot, which took place at Browsholme Hall in Clitheroe, Lancashire. The shoot was organised by Laura Soothill of Perfect Choice Planning, who told us how the shoot came together…

The idea for the shoot started when Joanne from Simply Bows & Chair Covers Lancashire approached me and asked if I would like to collaborate on a shoot to promote her new black flock chair and table covers. She had a clear idea that she wanted to incorporate deep, dark reds with this design to make the covers stand out.

Joanne says “The idea for the shoot was inspired by some gorgeous black and champagne handmade flock organza I found, which I decided to get creative with and make into fabulous sashes and elaborate chair veils. I often get brides who come to Simply Bows and Chair Covers as they want something a bit different, so I wanted to show brides how they can put the wow factor into their big day by using different fabrics, putting colours together, and using alternative styles. Ok, so the Gothic wedding style may be a bit unconventional, but brides can still relate to it, and they get to see a different edge to wedding suppliers that they wouldn’t normally see.”

Of course, when you add red to black and white, an instant Gothic feel is obvious. We didn’t want to go overboard with the theme, so we decided to incorporate a classic yet mysterious feel, hopefully adding a timeless essence. Together, we brought together a top-class group of wedding industry suppliers to help create our vision.

The stunning location for the shoot was the breath-taking Browsholme Hall and Tithe Barn. Rebecca from the venue was wonderfully accommodating, allowing us to use as much of the property that was available, weather permitting.

The dresses and suits were supplied by Brides Gallery in Eccleston, and I hope you’ll agree that they are stunning. We spent a good few hours deciding which ones to use, finally deciding on the five contrasting dresses. With the dresses being so different, we could create different looks and different characters with our model, Katie, on the day of the shoot. The suits also looked fabulous. We chose three styles, with waistcoats and cravats in silver, black and reds to incorporate the Gothic wedding theme, which our model Sam wore very well.

The hair and make-up was done by the talented Nita at Silk Make Up. After hours of consultation, Nita worked her magic creating the perfect looks for each dress, which perfectly embodied our Gothic and classic contrasted theme. The beautiful accessories and hair pieces were provided by the wonderful Laura at Laurel Weddings, which included stunning handmade silver masks that embodied the mysterious element in the shoot. Having worked with Laura on shoots before, I knew her gorgeous pieces would be ideally suited to our shoot.

The crystal bouquets and buttonholes were provided by the highly-reputable Mat from Red Floral Architecture, who also created the amazing floral centrepieces that set off the gorgeous black flock chair and table covers. Joanne from Simply Bows & Chair Covers was brilliant to work with, and her contribution in the planning process was invaluable. The chair and table covers looked beautiful and, along with all of the suppliers involved, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

To help set off the black flock covers, we enlisted the help of Beth from Cakes By Beth, and Deborah from Grafted & Crafted stationery. The stationery from Grafted and Crafted was perfect for the Gothic wedding theme. Deborah created a stunning alternative table plan, three stunning table numbers, place names and menus, and provided additional table decoration that enhanced the shoot beautifully. My favourites had to be the hot chocolate powder favours!

Beth’s cakes are outstanding and created with absolute care, not to mention that they are delicious! She created a stunning central three-tiered cake based on her Gothic Birdcage design from her 2012 collection, alongside exquisite cake pops, biscuits and mini black forest gateau cakes topped with figs; a feast for the eyes and mouth alike! I know that Joanne particularly liked these: “Beth from Cakes by Beth made individual black forest gateaux filled with jam and topped with figs, that not only tasted delicious and fitted the shoot to a tee, but could also be used as an alternative to cupcakes and wedding cakes.”

Finally, our photo shoot would not be complete without the talents of our wonderful photographer, Alex from Alexandra Jane Photography, who worked tirelessly to capture the incredible images that you can see here. Alex was a delight to work with and, after both Joanne and I wanted to work with her for a while, we were definitely not disappointed by her work, enthusiasm and final images.

The shoot was a great success. The vision that we had was created beautifully by all of the quality suppliers that we had working with us. Our wonderful models, real-life couple Katie and Sam, worked very hard to pout and pose their way through the day. It was a pleasure to work with everyone, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them all to brides in the future.

Joanne says “Having witnessed Laura’s work firsthand before, I knew instantly that I wanted her involved with the shoot due to her long list of amazing contacts and her strong organisational skills. She managed to round a rowdy bunch of local suppliers up to be in the same place at the same time, and put together a shoot straight out of my imagination with results that were beyond my wildest dreams.”