Roll Up, Roll Up! – A Dark Circus Styled Shoot

Hello Lovelies! And welcome to Bespoke Bride, for those of you that are recently engaged and taking a gander at us for the first time! Today I would would like to introduce our first styled shoot of the year, shot by CTI Photography. Newbies might not be sure on the concept of a styled shoot so, I thought I would give you a little background information on their purpose here on Bespoke Bride.

The idea of a styled shoot has gained much popularity with wedding suppliers over recent years, as they pull together to organise shoots that promote their work, products and styles. Many suppliers want to show their flexibility and more often than not it is a chance for a supplier or photographer to express their creativity and learn or do something new. You might wonder what purpose it serves for those planning their wedding? Well not only does it give a supplier a chance to show what they can do, but the shoot itself can also act as inspiration as suppliers strive to create something unique and original, encouraging couples to build the wedding they want rather than the wedding they think they should have (but thats a whole new topic that we could spend forever talking about!).

The circus is often thought of as being bright and colourful but what I love about this shoot is its dark, gothic undertones, certainly not what you would expect from your average trip to the circus! Here is photographer Clare to tell you a bit more about the inspiration behind the shoot…

I have always wanted to do a photoshoot in a big top of a circus, and so when I found out that a circus was in town, I thought it would be a good chance to see if I could make that happen! What was even better was that they had a big red vintage curtain which was just what I wanted to work with. I wanted to do something a little bit different, and have more of a gothic/alternative feel to the shoot. I wanted some strong contrasts within it. I worked with some incredible suppliers who were fabulous and really helped bring my ideas together.

I got inspiration from films such as Black Swan, particularly with the make up. Vicky Brown did an amazing job with the hair and make up for Rachel our model. Faith Caton-Barber provided the dresses which were stunning and something a little bit different from traditional wedding dresses, which went perfectly with headpieces by La Dame Au Beret.

The Cheese Plate provided us with a cheese cake which fitted in with our alternative theme, as well as having a gothic styled wedding cake created by Bite Me Bakery. Blue Sky Flowers provided the floral arrangements and bouquet, and we also had a button bouquet from Beaubuttons. Beautiful Moment handpainted some shoes for us specifically for the shoot which were stunning.

Oh my gosh is anyone else falling in love with those handpainted shoes? And that cheesecake looks all sorts of yummy, who wouldn’t want a cake of cheese, thats my dream!

Much Bespoke Love

Emily x

Photography & Table Styling – Clare Tam-Im Photography /Dresses – Faith Caton Barber / Head dresses – La Dame Au Beret / Flowers – Blue Sky Flowers / Cake – Bite Me Bakery / Cheesecake – The Cheese Plate / Makeup and Hair – Vicky Brown / Button bouquet – Beaubuttons / Shoes – Beautiful Moment / Model – Megan Darkes-Seddon / Venue – Billi Smiles All Human Circus