A Micro Wedding Styled Shoot at a Former Prison in Canterbury

posted inWeddings, Ceremony Inspiration

Last year, as we saw the size of weddings significantly restricted, we at Rose & Grace Ceremonies set out to inspire couples with a styled micro-wedding that was bold, edgy and full of fun! We wanted to encourage couples to think outside of the box, both in terms of their venue, and the personal touches that could make their day completely unforgettable.

The styling of the shoot was inspired by the glamour of the 60s and brought together bold colours, mid-century patterns, romance and much clicking of cocktail glasses! From the personalised ceremony and bespoke backdrop through to the cocktail shaking and dancing, our focus was on our real model couple and reflecting their personalities in every detail.

The Pound, Canterbury’s former city prison and police station, was the perfect venue. Brimming with character and boasting a very impressive bar, it gave us just the ‘madmen’ vibe we were looking for!

The Ceremony

In order to showcase as much of it’s unique design as possible, we photographed all around the venue, starting in the main bar area where we set up our ceremony. We had created our own backdrop using a mid-century Zoffany Conway wallpaper fixed to a copper frame provided by The Little Wedding Warehouse. The greens and gold in the wallpaper were set off beautifully by the copper wall behind and other elements of the venue’s vibrant décor.

My advice if going for a wallpaper backdrop would be to use strong tape! We had lots of laughs when, in the middle of our ceremony shots, the wallpaper came unattached from the top of the frame and our saviour, Laura of Laura Christine Makeup, had to hide behind the wallpaper and hold it in place. Thank goodness she’s tall!

The Wedding Breakfast

For the ‘wedding breakfast’ we decided to create a dining experience that would be both glamorous and sociable. Making use of the striking high gold tables in the Parade Room we put together a somewhat quirky square table to seat 10 guests on high stalls.

We complimented the style of the tables with vintage plates in white, gold and green, gold cutlery, amber water glasses and rose gold tinted champagne coupes, all provided by A Touch Of Vintage. For extra elegance we added dark green taper candles in brass holders and beautiful woven placemats for the bride and groom, both provided by The Little Wedding Warehouse. Our retro style menus added the final touch as well as the floral centrepiece in a vintage, gold vase.

The Party

The TV series Madmen has had a huge impact on fashion and styling since it’s release in 2007 but one of the things that first springs to mind when I think of Dom and Betty Draper are champagne and cocktails! So we featured both! We had our couple sipping ‘champagne’ from vintage coupes and sampling cocktails made by one of The Pound’s very own mixologists! We even styled a vintage drinks trolley so that the bride and groom could have some fun mixing their own!

The weather, fortunately, was on our side, so we couldn’t miss the opportunity to take our couple outdoors for some al-fresco dancing where we could capture the impressive exterior of the venue against the beautiful colours of Autumn. The Pound boasts a fantastic riverside terrace, set along the picturesque banks of the River Stour with views of the adjoining Westgate Towers, England’s largest serving medieval gateway.

It is, quite frankly, a photographer’s paradise of a venue, and for couples thinking outside of the box this is definitely one to check out!

The Details

Our wedding invites, menus and name cards were produced by the talented Sian of valley_of_the_virgos in a retro aesthetic. The stationery was printed on off-white, textured conqueror card and she used rich, bold tones to match the visual style of the venue and props. These designs tap into the ongoing sixties and seventies revival trend that we currently see in fashion, interiors, music and graphic design.

The bridal bouquet and the floral centrepiece for the dining table by Buns n Roses consisted of wild-looking jewel tones with lots of greenery and some dried flowers added in.

The Fashion

The shoot featured not one but two outfits for both Bride and Groom. For the ceremony our bride wore an elegant, plain satin dress with the addition of a beaded, lace top. With her hair styled in elegant waves set by a beautiful gold hairpiece by Lorna Green Bridal Accessories and her makeup glamorous, featuring the iconic red lips, she looked very much the essence of 60s glam! And then for the reception shots she wore a classic 60s shorter length dress in a gorgeous blush tone – perfect for dancing and twirling!

Our Groom was styled as a modern-day Don Draper. He had the bold-coloured 3-piece suit in a deep burgundy, skinny tie, plenty of swag and the modern addition of facial hair! For the more relaxed reception shots he wore a classic 60s style role-neck with grey trousers – perfect for standing around drinking champagne!

We mustn’t forget our third model, our bridesmaid, Amelie. Amelie wore an ecru satin dress with a mesh overlay and a statement bow at the back. Over the top she wore a cream fluffy shrug to give her a touch of 60s glam. Her long hair was curled into loose waves and accessorised with a beautiful beaded headband by Lorna Green.

Bringing this shoot together was a lot of fun. The venue, the styling and the details worked together perfectly. We hope the wonderful images by Mimi Photography and uber-cool video by Charli May inspire couples to create a wedding day that reflects their own personalities, from their ceremony through to their party!