The theme for this bespoke wedding dress photoshoot in London can be summarised as “Nile Queen”. Whilst being inspired by things of the past, we still wanted to keep this wedding very modern and chic.
I had the pleasure of designing the wedding dress for this shoot, and absolutely loved making something fit for a powerful, beautiful queen. For the dress, I wanted to do a modern twist on ancient Egyptian and Greek fashion, like the way that Game of Thrones brought an updated view of medieval dress to TV.
This shoot was conceived and organised by With Akilah & Co, with logistics from Middlemen Logistics, making it all happen.
Scroll down to see more photos from this gorgeous shoot, and our amazing list of London suppliers at the bottom.
Holding Court
Our choice of venue echoed the themes of this wedding; old meets new. The spacious, airy rooms coupled with the renaissance artwork of RSA House was perfect. We wanted light, chic and stylish table settings. Hallmark Hire understood the assignment with crisp white linens, buttery yellow napkins and simple wooden chairs, all finished off with elegant stationery by Blue Pumpkin Calligraphy.
Dressed in Finery
Let’s talk about the dress, shall we? Made by Felicity Westmacott (that’s me!) – I got to design and create this based on the idea of “Nile Queen”.
I wanted to take inspiration from beautiful, powerful rulers, like Cleopatra. But also extend this idea to a more generalised idea of an Egyptian or Grecian queen. Inspiration is the key word here – this dress is not something you’d find in the ancient world.
The fabric and style are unarguably modern. I used stretch jersey to create the base of this asymmetric dress. Then I chose a high waisted chiffon drape, going over one shoulder and becoming a long, floor length train. For the one sleeve I added gold detailing, which matched the (removable) underbust corset. I used gold vegan snakeskin leather and a glass bead trim for added opulence. I also made the corset (or cincher) asymmetric, to echo the neckline and sleeve.
The skirt was floor length, with a high slit to show some leg. On top of this I added a tulle overskirt, to add some drama, which I dip dyed gold and then added metallic gold leaf. It was new technique, but I really enjoyed it!
The overall effect was an elegant, chic dress, with a regal twist. Perfect for royalty (even if it’s just for a day). To order your own copy of this ensemble you can enquire direct or visit my Etsy shop.
Gilded and Glowing
Our bride was given a day look and a night look by our talented hair stylist, Hair By Duboux and
makeup artist, Melinda Bridal. The day look made full use of our bride’s natural curls, accentuated with a statement beaded bow from Saint Beth Official. And the make up reflected our simple yet elegant setting. For the evening, the hair was a more slicked back affair, with a bedazzled eye look to sparkle under the disco lights. Jewellery from Catherine Marche complimented the dress, and looked stunning against our model’s bronze skin.
Let Them Eat Cake
Matching a cake to the theme of a wedding is no mean feat, but Peboryon nailed it. This precise, stylish cake was so beautiful and perfect for our bespoke wedding dress photoshoot in London. It looked light and airy, with the gold details tying in perfectly with the bride’s dress, as well as flowers that looked like they’d been plucked straight out of the bouquet.
Flowers Fit For a Queen
Sustainability is really important to a lot of couples on their wedding day. Flowers can often represent quite a substantial hidden carbon footprint, with imported flowers creating 10 times the carbon footprint of locally sourced flowers. Another way of reducing the effect on the planet is by going for silk flowers instead of real flowers. Which is exactly what Fleur De La Couture provided. Everything you see here is a fake flower, and even up close, I really couldn’t tell. There’s your run of the mill fake flowers, and then there’s these beautiful works of art.
And shout out to our confetti supplier, Confetti Club London! Made from real flower petals and therefore completely biodegradable. What wedding is complete without a bit of confetti?
The Royal “We”
There are so many special touches that a couple can choose in order to make their day completely unique to them. Your choice of celebrant is key – what kind of mood do you want from your ceremony? Sincere, emotive, light-hearted, entertaining? For our bespoke wedding dress photoshoot in London, Dave The Celebrant brought the party to this celebration, without a doubt!
We also has customised couples newspapers from Photo Press for our wedding guests. They’re a great addition to the tables, give the guests something to connect over, and they’re the perfect memento to take home and remember the day by.
This shoot wouldn’t have been nearly as good, if it hadn’t been for our gorgeous models (and very obviously real life couple), Dom and Yana. Yana was the most radiant bride, and Dom the most handsome of grooms. They both exuded royalty in a way that was perfectly captured by our amazing photographer, Jamie Edward.
Living Like A Queen
A hint of a gold is such a gorgeous choice for a bridal look. Have a look at another one of my creations – this backless white wedding dress with gold detailing for another way of incorporating it into your look. Or if you’re having a cross-cultural wedding, you might find some inspiration from this Indian fusion wedding dress.
Suppliers
Photographer – Jamie Edward
Venue – RSA House
Concept, Design & Shoot Coordinator – With Akilah & Co
Videographer – Alfie’s Visuals
Content Creator – The Wedding Storyteller
Florist – Fleur De La Couture
Delivery & Logistics Team – Middlemen Logistics
Hair Stylist – Hair By Duboux
Makeup Artist – Melinda Bridal
Jewellery – Catherine Marche
Cake – Peboryon
Stationery – Blue Pumpkin Calligraphy
Linen, Napkins & Furniture – Hallmark Hire
Models – Dom and Yana
Celebrant – Dave The Celebrant
Bespoke Dress Maker – Felicity Westmacott
Bride Accessories – Saint Beth Official
Confetti – Confetti Club London
Newspapers – Photo Press
