Overall style and inspiration
This styled shoot was inspired by the decadence of the Romanov dynasty that ruled Russia, particularly in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Fascinated by the imperial family, we wanted to bring their beautiful aesthetic, detail and wealth to a one-of-a-kind wedding shoot, but with enough modernity for a real life, 21st century couple.
Colour
The palette we chose was relatively soft, with pastel pinks, creams, greens, peaches and blues. However, we also included stronger shades, such as touches of royal and navy blue, fuchsia pink and plenty of gold! Metallics definitely played a key role in this shoot, almost as the dominant colour at times, but while still remaining tasteful and subdued by lighter accent hues.
Venues
Vienna was the city of choice for this styled shoot. While it was the Habsburg family and not the Romanovs living and ruling in Austria, the city and its wealth of palaces proved more convenient than flying to St Petersburg. We were fortunate enough to be hosted by the beautiful Palais Hansen Kempinski, which was both our base and the location of our more contemporary shots; as well as the stunning Liechtenstein City Palace, where we set up our table and showcased Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium’s stunning cakes and desserts. We also made the most of the quiet city at sunrise, walking to the Hofburg Palace and shooting outside the magnificent entrance and inside the courtyard.
Bride and groom outfits
This was undoubtedly one of our favourite parts of the shoots. We wanted to have two jacket options for our groom’s tuxedo: the first was a traditional Oliver Brown navy blue velvet dinner jacket, for the more formal shots of the day, while the second was a Hussar-style military jacket in a light blue-grey, with gold braiding, from the National Theatre Costume Hire department. We wanted to incorporate the essence and aesthetics of 19th century Russia, without dressing our groom in a full blown costume, which is why we paired the Hussar jacket with a contemporary tuxedo and simple dress shirt.
Our bride had three gowns courtesy of Brides Do Good, with the first being a Vera Wang blush pink and off white asymmetrical tulle ballgown, with gathered fabric and a sweetheart neckline: a perfectly dramatic gown for sunrise at the Hofburg. The second was a one shouldered, empire line silk gown, complete with elegant draping and a low back, more as an ‘after party’ outfit, and the third was a Phillipa Lepley sleeveless full lace ballgown with a dramatic train, perfect for our reception set up at the regal Liechtenstein City Palace.
We also wanted to include a pair of bridal shoes that would catch the eye but still blend in to our aesthetic, which is how we selected the Dolce & Gabbana gold sequinned sandals.
Accessories & jewellery
With each outfit, our bride wore a sapphire and diamond engagement ring and wedding band from London Victorian Ring Co and a different headpiece. We wanted to make sure that our bride had a crown of some kind to go with each gown, and our final three choices were an imposing preserved floral crown by Sophie & Luna, a replica of the Duchess of Sussex’s bridal tiara (the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau from 1932) and a Jane Taylor London pearl embellished headpiece. Jewellery was mostly kept to a minimum, but we did include some stunning gemstone earrings from Eva Gems & Jewels.
Hair & makeup
We chose to keep our bride’s makeup fresh, dewy and natural: almost ethereal. For the hair, we opted for two looks: one with loose waves and the floral crown, while the tiara and pearl headpiece worked better with an updo, complete with gentle waves and face framing tendrils. We were careful to steer clear of anything too harsh or strict, as we wanted to keep the overall look romantic and regal. Alma Milcic, a local Viennese artist brought our vision to life in the most perfect way.
wish not to disclose