Edgy & Modern Woodland Winter Photoshoot at The Pumping House

Today on Marry Me Ink, this is the first post of 2021 as I’ve been busy working within the NHS throughout the Pandemic, I get to share with you this gorgeous styled shoot from Chris, Birmingham Wedding Photographer – Artisan X Wedding Photography and Amulet Wedding & Events that took place last year at The Pumping House, Ollerton.

Set in the distinctive Pumping House, a local landmark in the heart of Sherwood Forest, this edgy and modern winter photoshoot perfectly blends the striking industrial spaces with the soft and romantic forest surroundings. The venue spaces provided an ideal backdrop to juxtapose the dramatic and moody style of the model. We wanted to create
contrasting scenes to showcase each suppliers work whilst highlighting a variety of unconventional & alternative looks.

Dove and Lace specialise in design of luxury and unique wedding and event stationery –
“The Pumping House has an edgy and industrial vibe which I wanted to capture and portray through the stationery and also to tie in with the alternative, moody and romantic theme of our shoot. From the smaller and finer details on the table, to the main invitation flat lay, the focus was to be edgy, but elegant, distinctive but commercial, still appealing to a wide audience of couples.

For the shoot, I provided the mauve pink vellum menus, hand calligraphy place names with hand dyed silk ribbons. Plus, for the flat lay, an invitation, RSVP, extra details card and vellum wrap, finished with a luxury pink velvet ribbon. Each element has the black and blush theme running throughout to highlight the moody but romantic vibes.”

Chris contacted Scarlet Tayla about being the dress designer for the shoot and said that he would like a big skirt that could flow well with an alternative boho feel to it –
“I decided that a layered gathered tulle skirt would work best, I got all my spare tulles, satins and laces together and started to pin onto my dolly (mannequin) how I wanted it to look, I kind of went a bit grunge/boho. I decided that a waist cincher would look nice too and decided to decorate it to complement the headdress we were using. The bodice of the dress is cappuccino coloured satin covered with black lace, I cut long lengths of satin and plaited them for the straps and plaited extra straps with feathers on the end for some detachable pieces. The skirt has different lengths and colours of tulle in it with a black lining and black lace appliqués. I really enjoyed making this dress and love the final piece a lot more than I thought I would.”

The matching boots were custom designed by Lace and Love for the shoot to bring together Chris’ vision for the shoot, along with elements from the dress and headdress. Layered lace, feathers and a faux lace up front gave them a real rebel festival vibe.

After seeing the dress in person, Alex Archer Makeup Artist wanted the makeup to look romantic and whimsical, but with an edge and giving an almost grungy look. This was done by creating dramatic eyes and giving the lips a “bitten” look.

Flowers from Peonies and Plumes were used to create drama – including an on trend flower cloud of fresh orchids, Anthuriums, mixed roses, foliage and dried varieties of flowers. All in an array from white, soft pinks, apricots through to deeper shades adding depth with caramels and darker foliage.

I am absolutely in love with this shoot – It’s great to see so much colour in a gothic styled shoot. Thank you to Artisan X Wedding Photography for sharing the shoot with Marry Me Ink today – You can see the full list of awesome suppliers involved in the day after the images below.