Till death do us party at Dode

30th November 2019

Halloween is becoming an ever more popular time to tie the knot & without a doubt, Dode is the perfect Halloween wedding location. Due to its age, Dode is steeped in history & with all of its original, quirky features it was the perfect spot for this ‘till death do us party…’

Styled by Lily Jones, this shoot encapsulated the rising trend of the ‘Day of the Dead’ & couples celebrating their lost loved ones on their big day. Lily explains her concept beautifully:

“With the rise in couples wanting to honour past loved ones during their wedding, I wanted to extend this idea into a colourful celebration of both life and death. With Irish heritage, I have grown up with half of my family celebrating the festival of the Day of the Dead. This is something most people associate with Mexican traditions, but it has been celebrated in Ireland and many other countries around the world. The colourful aesthetic of the Day of the Dead lent itself beautifully to the idea that both life and death can be celebrated at a wedding. Even though we vow to love our partners until death, there is an unbreakable bond that extends beyond the physical world. Celebrating death at a wedding is hardly conventional but it can be done beautifully and respectfully.”

Halloween weddings don’t need to be dark & eerie, they don’t have to be serious & morbid…far from it. By choosing a venue like Dode, an ancient Norman Church abandoned due to the black plague you already have the scene set, the history & story is there…its then all about how you dress it, how you choose to set your own scene on your big day. By adding colour & being playful in your ideas you turn what could potentially be a cold & scary venue into a fun & welcoming wedding.

The ‘Day Of The Dead’ Festival has become synonymous over the years and more & more people are choosing to celebrate Halloween in this way, with bold, block colours and candy skulls. The look on this shoot was creative and eclectic & tied in with the gothic elements of Dode beautifully.

Whilst we can’t imagine many of our couples going for a coffin outside the church, the shoot enabled us to take things to the next level & push the boundaries, which in turn, we hope will inspire our couples for their big day. There were so many elements to choose from, whether you love the candy skull favours or the pom-pom table decorations. Maybe it was the aisle carpet that caught your eye or the brides epic shoes…

This styled shoot is a prime example of Halloween weddings not needing to be dark & full of black this & black that. Embrace colours, who says a wedding dress needs to be white or if it is white, why not embellish it with colour…we think the veil with flower petals was such an amazing idea & really gave the WOW factor. This shoot shows you that nothing is off limits, don’t be afraid to try things, think outside the box & don’t feel like you need to follow tradition, why not make your own.

It was incredible to work with such an amazing team on this styled shoot & hopefully we can bring you many more to help inspire you for your big day at Dode.

The team behind this shoot:

VENUE | www.dodevillage.com

VISION, WEDDING PLANNER & STYLIST | www.lilyjonesevents.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHER https://www.facebook.com/ChiaraFulgoniPhotography/

PHOTOGRAPHER | www.tomjeavonsphotography.com

VIDEOGRAPHER | www.filmourday.co.uk

BRIDE MODEL | Elle Payne

GROOM MODEL | Connor Jenkins

FLORIST | www.moody-blooms.co.uk

BOUQUET & BUTTONHOLE https://www.facebook.com/MaddisonRocksFloralSculpture/

CAKE | www.baketothefuture.net

RINGS | www.customandco.com