A Steampunk Pirate Wedding Inspiration Shoot

Today I get to share with you this wonderful steampunk pirate perfect inspiration shoot that took place at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham from one heck of a team, photographed by the amazing Cristina Rossi Photography.

With gorgeous dresses by Ian Stuart and delicious cakes from Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, what more do you want?!

Every time Gwenda invites me to photograph a styled shoot, I know it is going to be a great one. It’s such a joy to work with a wonderful team with lots of beautiful details and great creativity. Sometimes we just stop shooting because we run out of light! We get carried away, yes mostly me, if it was light till midnight I would probably carry on shooting till then. I decided to take a bit of a fashion approach to this shoot in terms of posing, especially with the fabulous Ian Stuart’s gowns, I wanted to show them off as much as possible, particularly the boudoir one, my favourite without a doubt, and Gwenda modelled it just perfectly. 

“The moment Elizabeth asked me to co-ordinate a Steampunk-inspired shoot, I instantly thought of Ian Stuart gowns” Explained flower extraordinaire and steampunk bride Gwenda.. “They are the perfect mix of luxury and drama. For the flowers, I was seeking a similar effect, so I used intensely coloured calla lilies, astrantia, hydrangeas, eryngium, delphiniums, spray roses and berried viburnum with collars of gilded ferns.  I was fortunate enough to stumble across Jack, who kindly agreed to be my ‘groom’ – some members of his Steampunk Morris group joined in the day to be my awesome ‘bridesmaids’. It was really great to work with a full ‘bridal party’ – big thanks to all of them.”

The cake design Elizabeth envisaged for this shoot was very elegant and simple one in cream and gold.. All steampunk cakes don’t have to be brown and brass. The bottom tier of the cake was decorated with classic gold swags and drops, creating a structured look. The middle tier, an hour glass shape which was a nod to Victorian corsetry, a number of  gold gears, cogs, wheels, keys and locks were positioned right in the centre on the front and back. The top tier was a top hat decorated with edible wafer feathers and a flower corsage. The rest of the sweet treats were decorated in the same colours and decorations, showing that steampunk can be very elegant.

Sarah of Russet and Gray wanted to create an eye-popping set of stationery, with enough wow factor to suit a steampunk theme but with an element of subtlety to feel like a range fit for a wedding. The dark starburst background was printed on luxury Conqueror card set against vibrant tones of blue in the details. She chose a mixture of poster fonts to compliment the eclectic nature of the design. The menu, table numbers and name tags were all created to match the main invitations and add a splash of colour to the table settings.

“For my interpretation of this look, I wanted to not be too literal with the Neo Victorian style as I wanted it to still be “pretty” to go with the beautiful Ian Stewart gowns.” explains Dawn Taylor Beauty “Make-up and hair was created “al fresco” with no hot styling tools or airbrushing. Using MAC and Illamasqua I created a pale base and then eyes were created using dark charcoals, purples and taupes. I then clipped in some real (previously curled) hair extensions to create the first style and then weaved and pinned into place to create the second look.”

Angelique of I Love Nails had so much fun creatively, designing the nails for this steampunk bridal shoot. “I was able to really push the barrier colour and style wise, compared to the normal bridal nails I have designed in the past using the typical blushes, pinks and glitters. I really wanted the nails to capsulate the feel and look of the ‘Steampunk’ genre, so I decided to be bold. With the first set of nails I went with gold, black and ivory; accented with a bronze floral pattern and miniature pearl and gold stud detailing. Whilst I painted the second set of nails in a blush that has a gorgeous bronze hue to it, that I accented with hand painted peacock feather details and tiny clock work and cog piece attachments. I loved the over the top dramatics of my designs, these nails are definitely fit for any steampunk diva bride!”

The amazing boots that Gwenda modelled were created by the talented Marsha Hall Handmade Shoes “I chose a leather that had an industrial look, whilst still remaining elegant but dramatic. The ribbon lacing adding a touch of femininity. The spats were the result of a collaboration with bespoke shoe maker Laura Risbridger and these were made of an ivory silk with hand stitched miniature cogs and watch mechanisms to give a true steampunk feel to them. They were further enhanced with beautiful large button straps.”

How amazing does everything look? This is one of my favourite shoots so far – I love the colours. Be sure to leave all the suppliers some love (There’s a full list at the end of the feature), and thank you to Gwenda of Vintage Floral Design and Cristina Rossi Photography for sharing with Marry Me Ink today!