Alternative Weddings

Lady Of The Lake: A Styled Bridal Shoot In The North West By Fable & Promise

Julia Smith

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ZT Photography

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I love it when a styled bridal shoot lands in my inbox that completely knocks my socks off.  Today’s entrancing submission sent to me by Brides Up North Featured Supplier Charlotte of Fable & Promise did just that, and then some.

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This striking collection is so different, and has been beautifully and tastefully executed by the team.  The set of images stays true to theme throughout and the story really comes through.  The result makes for uncomfortable – yet stunning – viewing, as I really feared for our tragic heroine in white.  Be sure to give the film a spin too for an alternative look.  

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Haunting perfection. 

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ZT Photography

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Lady of the Lake from Motion Films on Vimeo.

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Charlotte of Fable & Promise says: I’m not entirely sure how the idea evolved but somehow the Lady of the Lake idea grabbed hold of our imagination and took on a life of its own. The initial idea and location were Kerry (Kerry Baker MUA) and Andy’s brainchild, but what it turned into perhaps wasn’t envisaged by any of us at the outset. After showing me a couple of photos of a recent trip to Buttermere Lake, that first grain of an idea turned into something we can all be proud of.

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Kerry and I had worked on a couple of projects together and very quickly discovered that we shared the same enthusiasm and creative direction. A harmless conversation turned into a plan, a simple idea into a mighty project and what started out as a very romantic, possible risk the dress shoot, very quickly turned into a much more creative, sod the dresses photo shoot.

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Well, if you’re going to do something, do it properly!

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The whole idea behind the photo shoot was to explore both the light and dark sides of the Arthurian Legend of the Lady of the Lake… was she the romantic heroine that aids King Arthur and his knights in his endeavours or the dark temptress that seduces Merlin and traps him by using his own magic against him?

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This gave Fable & Promise the opportunity to really unleash the creativity. We instantly knew that our favourite San Patrick dress was perfect for our heroine played by Sadie; the dress is called Calais, with layers of the softest tulle and feather detail. It was ideal for our innocent Lady of the Lake. We knew it would catch the breeze and float on the water and really create that ethereal beauty.

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We then needed something completely new for our darker Lady of the Lake played by Rosie. Fable & Promise not only showcases stunning contemporary bridal designers but we also create bespoke garments and couldn’t resist letting our alternative influences take over. We decided to make our temptress a dress in the richest aubergine satin and tulle; similar in silhouette to Calais but wilder.

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Kerry and I seem to spark off each other and I think Kerry’s imagination really took off with this photo shoot. The looks she created for both Sadie and Rosie were simply stunning and perfectly contrasting. I’ll let Kerry explain how she got there:

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“Sadie’s look was of one of purity and innocence with an effervescent quality to add a touch of magic. I used a combination of reflective pigments and soft sheer colours to create a light, dewy finish. Real human hair false lashes were used top and bottom to add a whimsical, romantic touch.

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Rosie’s look, by contrast, was dark, seductive with a earthy quality. Her eyes were laced with purples and green pigments to compliment the tones in the dress. Our temptress was also given dramatic lashes and glossy, wine coloured lips to complete the look.

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The products I used on the shoot are almost entirely by an amazing brand called Illamasqua…and it is thanks to their amazing skin base foundation that the models skin looks as flawless both before and after their dunkings! “

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We called on a handful of amazing individuals to help us bring this idea together:

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Duncan Fisher interpreted our vision perfectly, creating soft romantic curls for Sadie and tempestuous tresses for Rosie. The weather was quite mean to us so Duncan had to work particularly hard to keep the girls locks in order through the wind and rain… and repeated dunkings in the water!

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We were also delighted to have Chic Flowers of Leyland on board too. Chic Flowers is a new venture but they are not new to floristry and the bouquets and hair pieces they created for our theme were amazing. They knew exactly what we were looking for and really pulled out all the stops.

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We approached ZT Photography absolutely certain that Zoe was the right person for the job. I’d worked with Zoe and Liam on a previous shoot and knew the idea would spark her interest. She also captured the contrast between the purity and the untamed perfectly. I caught my breath the first time I saw some of the images and I’m still in awe of the levitation shots! Our lips are definitely sealed on that one.

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We also had Chris and Mike of CMY Productions on hand throughout the day creating the brilliant ‘behind the scenes’ video. I think they’ve really captured the feel of the day – and I don’t even mind that they caught me on film!

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Our models Sadie and Rosie were both completely amazing and perfect for this theme. It was a cold and windy day and neither of them even blinked an eyelid to us wanting them to get in the freezing cold water, repeatedly and completely! I certainly wouldn’t relish lying in cold stony water as the sun dips behind the hills and the wind whips wet hair against my face, but they were completely committed to what we were trying to achieve and I love them for it. You can see in the behind the scenes video that even completely soaked to the skin they are both big grins the entire day.

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And the day wouldn’t have worked without our good friend Andy; tour guide come extremely good natured dogsbody. He was an absolute star running about for everyone and generally helping the day run smoothly.

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I can’t tell you the excitement we’ve had over this photo shoot. Right from the very beginning we’ve know it was going to be pretty special but the results just blow us away. The anticipation to see the images has just been insane… I was literally on the edge of my seat as I downloaded the folder and waited as each image loaded and Kerry and I passed frantic messages between ourselves as we saw what had come out of everyone’s hard work.

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Little Black Book

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Concept, organization and styling -Kerry (Kerry Baker MUA) and Charlotte

Dresses- Fable & Promise Wedding Co. Ltd

Make up – Kerry Baker MUA

Hair – Duncan Fisher

Flowers – Chic Flowers

Photography – ZT Photography

Videography – CMY Productions

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  – Images © 2012 ZT Photography 

Fable & Promise is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier, but this is not a sponsored post

Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier

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