Not every bride imagines themselves in a white dress, soft and glowing on their wedding day. The beauty of a wedding day is making the day and vibe unique to who the couple is as people. Some folks feel that they are following tradition enough just by having a marriage celebration. For those who may not feel comfortable dawning the white dress and want to create something unique for their wedding day, may I suggest a black wedding dress, floral tattoos, and bone jewlery?
Oh yes, you heard me correctly. Floral tattoos. Bones.
When designing this look, Erin with Camas Designs (www.camasdesigns.com) asked about playing around with a newer concept by creating floral tattoos for our bridal model, Katie. I was totally sold on the idea, and ready to let her play. The whole look was originally inspired by Katie’s bright yellow hair, created by Brenda Tift with The Experience Salon in Mt Vernon. We were able to work with her as the hair stylist and makeup artist for the shoot as well.
The ever amazing Grey Jays Jewelry (www.greyjays.com) provided the rings, hip bone necklace, and tooth earrings. These were all created through found and sustainably forage materials then crafted through Lindsay’s unique and powerful vision. They added so much to the edgy, modern gothic bridal look we were going for.
In looking for a venue, we choose Northern State Park, the old site for a mental health facility that shut down in the early 90s. This site has a fairly dark history, and we wanted to make sure not to commodify mental illness in our photos, but instead strength and empowerment.
The final touch was the smoke bombs to add to the dramatic flare within the space. It was a cold and rainy day, so they also served as good handwarmers!
We found the black wedding dress through a wedding dress vendor in Bellingham, Alicia’s Bridal, that is now no longer in business. However if you are looking for a black wedding dress in the Bellingham area, I recommend talking with Frankie and Maude (www.frankieandmaude.com) ! They have beautiful custom pieces, and are incredible at working with each person to create their unique looks.
Enjoy this modern gothic inspired bridal photoshoot!
