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The Edwardian Steampunk Scientist Bride
Today we are excited to welcome back Gwenda Jeffs of The Vintage Floral Design Co. You might have remembered her amazing floral arrangements in the Decadence at the Dockyard shoot that appeared on our blog last year, loads of you commented on how amazing it was and we thought it was about time we showed you some more.
Since then Gwenda has been hard at work founding the ‘Coocouture Collective’ – a group of wedding professionals who share a love for the more unconventional side of the industry. Together, they create inspirational shoots based on different alternative genres and today we are very lucky to share their very first shoot together and blimey it’s a cracker!
It especially tickled my fancy as it took me right back to my sciency roots, I think I could see myself becoming somewhat of a mad scientist one day!
Here is Gwenda to tell you more…
“This ‘Edwardian Steampunk meets Mad Scientist’ theme was our inaugural project and we planned to start as we mean to go on – all systems go!
Our goal is to show how alternative themes can be made accessible and can be translated into the highest quality wedding styling. So, for my floral arrangements, I chose largely traditional seasonal blooms in feminine shades of pink, yellow and green (including peonies, campanula, astrantia, tulips, anemones, eryngium, bupleurum, plus a little craspedia and green trick dianthus). These I arranged in fabulous laboratory glassware, kindly loaned to me by Blooming Green Flowers. The bouquet was a traditional domed hand tie of most of the flower-types, with just a hint of scientifically-inspired quirkiness.
The success of this shoot was down to the meeting of like minds, so I’ll let the other collaborators explain their contributions in their own words!”
“As the theme of the shoot was Victorian with a futuristic-steampunk feel, I went for a very clean, simple edit. The white walls of the venue, coupled with Karen’s white wedding dress, with just a few pops of colour from the flowers and the chemistry-inspired bar, were all we needed to create the right mood!” – Kat, Kat Forsyth Photography
“For my 4 tier cake, I chose a combination of bold colours such as burgundy and soft ivory. I also incorporated some lace and leather together with antique gold charms including a used mini light bulb. The matching test tube liquor favours also fitted our theme.” – Lau, Frenchmade
“A Steampunk person would be ahead if their time, and as such I went for Edwardian Gibson girl hair, mixed in with a bit of Albert Einstein! I kept the makeup fresh and natural with pink stained cheeks and lips, inspired by Edwardian make up.” – Anneke, Retromorphosist
“My metallic, mottled bronze leather 3/4 length high heeled boots were laced with ivory ribbon down the front. The sheer spats, edged with a deep red suede, allowed the subtle colour of the boots to show through and the studded leather loops held luxurious purple suede buckled straps.” – Marsha, Marsha Hall Handmade Shoes
“I’ve just finished watching Breaking Bad so went for some Breaking Bad-inspired stationery for the shoot, using letters from the periodic table to spell words. To add a Steampunk twist I laid the text onto vintage Victorian prints and for the invites, I found a fab font made out of cogs and comPass parts.” – Claire Spake Design &c.
“As an ex teacher of English Literature I was keen to encapsulate some of the themes evoked in writers such as Jules Verne and Mary Shelley, where science and Romance (in the literary sense) fuse together. I used skulls and lace for a softer take on this element of the theme whereas with my galleon mask, I went all out to try and capture the darker side of the genre, using the ship detail to hint at the stories of ’20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ and other ‘journeys’ that are so frequent within the realm of Steampunk” – Gail, GG’s Pin-Up Couture
“I wanted to reflect the emancipation of an intelligent Edwardian woman in this dress, adding to the philosophy behind the Steampunk movement of being able to see the mechanics of industry. This woman has been amongst the first generation of educated women and has embraced the scientific world. The bodice in leatherette is inspired by the white coat of the scientist, with clean lines, practical pockets and Steampunk accessories like the watch chain. The skirt in tulle is transparent to allow the ‘mechanics’ of our models legs to be seen, all scooped at the back in a fabulous bustle topped with a heart shaped base covered in ruffled satin bound net and a little panel of cogs and gears. The headpiece is a replica of the bustle and reminds us of the Edwardian hats worn at that time. The lace-edged bloomers finish the ensemble to protect modesty but also add a bit of fun!” –Karen, Dornellie
We put together a little film to showcase the talents of the whole Coocouture team, using a series of sliding shots and slow pans to highlight the vibrant and quirky styling. Katie & Steve of Skinny Boy Weddings perfectly captured not only the mood of the shoot, but also, in their filming of the movement of the dry ice, highlighted the value of their media in recording all aspects of a wedding day.”
The dry ice in this shoot looks amazing!!!
Super Suppliers (& Coocouturiers) – Photography: Kat Forsyth Photography// Cake: Frenchmade// Make up & Hair: Retromorphosist//Shoes: Marsha Hall Handmade Shoes//Stationery: Claire Spake Design &c.// Fascinators: GG’s Pin-Up Couture// Dress: Dornellie// Videography: Skinny Boy Weddings// Flowers: The Vintage Floral Design Co.//
Thank you to all the Coocouture team for sharing this shoot with us, we cant wait to show you more!
Much Bespoke Love
Emily x
Strange and beautiful. I love the cake charms.
Thanks so much for the feature! I loved being involved in this shoot So much!
Huge thank you to you guys for asking us to feature it, we absolutely adore it and I can definitely see why you had so much fun!! Looking forward to seeing more work from you all 🙂
xxx