How to Embrace the Dark on Your Wedding Day

Jon Carpenter

Mikaela Antonelli

November 25, 2025

From atmospheric venues, to dramatic outfits, to styling ideas for the quietly unhinged - here’s seven ways to invite darkness into your wedding day.

Nosferatu Meets a Candlelit Western Wedding

Kat

Nick and Lauren

November 25, 2025

When Nosferatu flickered back onto cinema screens, Lauren from Nick and Lauren Photography left the theatre feeling inspired by the film’s shadowy beauty. “I was inspired by the cinematography used in the movie, and wanted to do a wedding shoot that emulated that same aesthetic, but without being vampire based,” she told us. “We decided to combine the elements of country meets alternative, and started joking about what Nosferatu's wedding would look like if it were in the West. Everything snowballed from there!”

Tacos, Broadway & An Obsession with Dr Pepper: A Mexican-American Queer Love Story

Kat

Kenzie Irene

November 24, 2025

We're not crying, you're crying! Freddie and Rodrigo had the most beautiful wedding in Oregon. It was the perfect blend of Freddie's Mexican heritage and Rodrigo's love of Broadway, and a huge celebration of queer love.

A Metalheads’ Wedding with a Bride in Red and a Fire Show Finale

Kat

Céline Kopp Photographies

November 21, 2025

Elise and Steven met in 2007 at a concert for the French rock band Mypollux. Eighteen years on, they celebrated their love under the branches of a 200-year-old tree, surrounded by the people who had been part of their story all along.

Electric Love & Neon Dreams at Camino Real Ranch, TX

Kat

Lomonico

November 20, 2025

This wedding shoot was a riot of neon lights. Born inside the restless brain of Brooke Conaway, founder of CAT HAUS Collective, she wanted to create something that was the opposite of boring and beige. With a Lady Gaga lookalike bride, she built this shoot as an act of rebellion - against conformity, perfectionism, and the wedding industry’s obsession with fitting in. “I’m not a traditional wedding planner,” she said. “I have ADHD, I’m plus sized, an advocate for LGBTQA+ and someone who has had to fight to ‘fit in’ including how to work with my chaos brain, not against it.”

Autumn Alchemy: A Vintage-Inspired September Wedding

Kat

Leonie May

November 19, 2025

Em and George wanted their wedding to feel lived in, bathed in the Autumn light with lots of antique details. They found their perfect setting at Ashridge Great Barn in Devon, a rustic spot that already matched their aesthetic. “One of the reasons we fell in love with the venue was because they had the same stoneware jugs that we had already started thrifting from car boot sales,” said Em.

Rock n Roll Guide: Personalised Notes

Kat

November 18, 2025

Let’s be honest, no one wants another bottle opener with someone else’s initials on it. This rising trend isn’t really a favour at all; it’s something your guests will actually want to keep.

Shock & Awe: A Theatrical Wedding of Kink, Cabaret & Chaos at The Box, Soho

Kat

Kay Zieba Weddings

November 17, 2025

Part art show, part ceremony, part fever dream. Von and Marc turned their love story into a full-scale immersive performance, complete with fake electrocutions, bleeding cake, and a Viking sacrifice! The wedding took place over two days.

How to Talk to Vendors When You Don’t Speak “Wedding Industry”

Kat

October 15, 2025

The wedding industry can feel like a secret club with its own language. You start out thinking you’re just booking a photographer or buying a dress, then suddenly you’re knee-deep in terms like editorial coverage, flatlays, and off-the-rack lead times. It can be very confusing!

You Can’t Buy a Perfect Wedding, But You Can Make a Meaningful One

Kat

October 13, 2025

At some point in your wedding planning journey, it probably hit you: the internet lied. Not maliciously, maybe, but persistently. It told you a wedding had to look a certain way - curated, coordinated, colour-coded to the Pantone shade of the year. That the tablecloths mattered. That the signage had to rhyme. That you needed eight matching friends in identical outfits standing behind you or the whole thing didn’t count.

Boho Wedding Dresses: How to Find One That’s Actually Unique

Guest Contributor

October 8, 2025

The boho wedding dress market has a problem. What started as a celebration of free-spirited, unconventional style has become just as formulaic as the traditional bridal it was supposed to rebel against.

Pre-Wedding Dreams: WTF Is Going on in Your Head?

Guest Contributor

October 6, 2025

Wedding planning messes with your brain. Even if you’re the most laid-back human alive, your subconscious will still find ways to throw curveballs at 3am. Don’t panic: pre-wedding dreams aren’t omens, they’re just your nervous system running dress rehearsals for all the big stuff - love, money, family, visibility, identity. Basically, your brain is binge-screening your anxieties like it’s Netflix.

Old Vegas Meets New Vegas: A Bold, Maximalist Elopement

Kat

True Colors Creative

August 25, 2025

Alyssa and Tay, a real couple, became the focal point of this gorgeous shoot set inside the newly renovated themed suites at the Westgate, Las Vegas. Photographer and stylist Jazzmin of True Colors Creative wanted to create something bold and maximalist, and the patterned interiors ending up being the perfect inspiration. After the ceremony set up, they travelled around the city, shooting in the monorail and in front of the iconic Bonanza Gift Shop.

A Little White Chapel Wedding with All The Rock ’n’ Roll Vibes

Kat

Jamie Y

August 22, 2025

Jade and Stu had been together for ten years when they decided to combine their honeymoon with a wedding in Las Vegas. They wanted a day that reflected them, and that meant stripping away most of the formalities. No bridesmaids, no first dance, no “something old, new, borrowed, blue.” They stayed together the night before, got ready side by side, and walked into the ceremony at A Little White Chapel together.

From Horror Films to Happily Ever After

Kat

Wander and Dusk

August 13, 2025

Bri and Matt met after Bri moved to Vegas and joined a new group of friends. “The timing wasn’t right for anything romantic,” she said. “We stayed friends for years, and over time, it became undeniable that there was something more between us.” Seven years later, they were planning their wedding around two things they both loved: spooky season and each other.

Ghost Town Love: Queer Fairytale Meets Desert Daydream Wedding Shoot

Kat

Cat Dossett

August 5, 2025

This shoot, organised The Capture Workshop, was all about blending vintage Vegas glam with raw desert beauty. while this wasn’t a real wedding, this shoot was designed to challenge expectations, especially around what men are 'supposed' to wear when they get married.

Renaissance Inspired Beauty and the Beast Wedding with a Gothic Twist

Kat

Laura Fitzgerald

October 15, 2025

Do you love Disney but in a dark, alt way more than a girly fairytale way? Then you’re going to love this gothic-meets–Beauty and the Beast inspired wedding shoot. Although it wasn’t a real wedding, there are so many creative ideas you could steal for your own. Think: moody candlelight, corseted gowns, blood-red roses, gilded mirrors, dripping wax, and that perfectly haunting mix of romance and rebellion.

The Phantom of the Opera at the Madonna Inn

Kat

Lacey Moranville

October 14, 2025

Cassie and Curtis matched on Tinder and bonded over a shared love of alternative music. Early on, they made a promise: if they ever got married, they’d do it their way. Years later, they kept that promise with a darkly romantic celebration at the Madonna Inn in California, complete with red velvet walls, golden cherubs, and a red wedding dress inspired by Cassie’s parents’ first dance song, Lady in Red.

Dave Navarro & Vanessa DuBasso’s Gothic, Darkly Romantic Wedding

Kat

The Drakes

October 7, 2025

Dave and Vanessa, who met eight years ago after Dave reached out after seeing her in a movie trailer, hosted a multi-day celebration at Dunskey Estate in Stranraer, Scotland. The Edwardian castle, surrounded by woodland and overlooking the sea, perfectly set the scene for a darkly romantic, gothic-inspired wedding.

Dark Forest Wedding in a Castle

Kat

Dark Devotion Images

October 1, 2025

Lou and Muz wanted their wedding to feel like stepping into a dark, enchanted forest, with a streak of Disney magic running through it. They chose Danby Castle in Whitby as their setting, bringing together gothic atmosphere, woodland details, and the references that mean the most to them.

Halloween Wedding Shoot in Ecuador’s Enchanted Dry Forest

Kat

LH Film

October 20, 2025

Halloween is a little different in the southern hemisphere. In the dry forests of Quito, Ecuador, it arrives with sun, dust, and a different kind of magic. Assyah of Jamila and Juliette, who conceptualised and styled this photo shoot, wanted to capture that energy in the shoot, blending local traditions with a gothic edge.

Renaissance Inspired Beauty and the Beast Wedding with a Gothic Twist

Kat

Laura Fitzgerald

October 15, 2025

Do you love Disney but in a dark, alt way more than a girly fairytale way? Then you’re going to love this gothic-meets–Beauty and the Beast inspired wedding shoot. Although it wasn’t a real wedding, there are so many creative ideas you could steal for your own. Think: moody candlelight, corseted gowns, blood-red roses, gilded mirrors, dripping wax, and that perfectly haunting mix of romance and rebellion.

Taylor Swift Meets Gothic Summer Wedding

Kat

I Love You Thirteen

October 10, 2025

Ruby and Rebecca’s wedding was a perfect collision of dark romance and pop-star sparkle. They tied the knot at their local town hall before heading to the Stock Exchange Bar in Haven, for a reception that felt equal parts gothic soirée and Taylor Swift fever dream. “We wanted to incorporate Ruby’s love of everything gothic and my love of Taylor Swift,” Rebecca said. “We kept the colours and theming dark but the welcome signs and mirrorballs everywhere were themed for Taylor.”

Gothic, Halloween Wedding with Corpse Bride Vibes

Kat

Freya Steele

October 8, 2025

Sarah and James planned their wedding around Halloween, leaning into gothic colours, pumpkins and eerie details that made their day feel like a festival of the strange and the beautiful. They worked with Foxglove and Black who helped them bring their vision to life in the most perfect way.

Darkly Devoted: A Soft Goth Bridal Editorial for Rock n Roll Bride Magazine

Kat

Katie Rogers

September 11, 2025

This latest shoot from our editorial team, was part of our wider exploration into quieter forms of rebellion. This is your reminder that you don't have to go all-out goth to be an alternative bride! Shot on location at Crowcombe Court in Somerset, we paired gothic undertones with fine art photography, using soft layers of lace to create a mood that felt romantic, restrained, and just a little haunted

Old Vegas Meets New Vegas: A Bold, Maximalist Elopement

Kat

True Colors Creative

August 25, 2025

Alyssa and Tay, a real couple, became the focal point of this gorgeous shoot set inside the newly renovated themed suites at the Westgate, Las Vegas. Photographer and stylist Jazzmin of True Colors Creative wanted to create something bold and maximalist, and the patterned interiors ending up being the perfect inspiration. After the ceremony set up, they travelled around the city, shooting in the monorail and in front of the iconic Bonanza Gift Shop.

Heads Will Roll: Art History Meets Queer Marie Antoinette

Kat

Hot Metal Studio

August 21, 2025

When wedding planner and stylist Victoria DeRubeis-Godfrey of Devoted to You Events set out to style a shoot, she was inspired by three things: classical art, experimental lighting, and the current political climate in the US.

A Rockabilly Meets Disco Dreams Post-Wedding Shoot

Kat

Cat Dossett

August 12, 2025

Meghan and Seejay didn’t get pictures they were happy with when they got married, but they’ve made up for it (and then some) by creating a whole series of unforgettable photo shoots together, and this latest shoot is nothing but vibes.