If you go down in the woods today you're sure of a dark romantic surprise

BY ANNIE MOLENAAR

It’s our favourite time of year - Halloween - and we here to boo-st your enjoyment, creep it real, and maybe even inspire you to propose to your ghoul friend. So, in honour of the most wonderful day ever we are gifting you the most wonderful surprise ever from Sullivan & Co. (our WA photographer mate). We had initially decided to be cool about this and not overstate it’s importance but let’s face it, if you’ve got it, haunt it! So bow down, witches and trick or treat yo’self to this actual #squadghouls styled shoot. We chatted with Chloe, the mastermind behind it all and here’s what she told us…

“It is something I am very proud of and worked hard to put together. I think it offers a gorgeous, modern romantic, slightly gothic take on the classy but alternative bride/groom.

The idea was initially inspired by the fact that Halloween is one of my favourite holidays, and quickly spiralled into a vision of creating a non-traditional, moody and romantic AF wedding setting.”

Well, she certainly did that. And after finding out more about Chloe, we’re not surprised she went for such a dark and moody aesthetic. She is, after all, a self-professed anti-wedding wedding photographer.

We always ask our brides and grooms what inspires the ideas behind what they choose for their wedding day, and where they draw these ideas from. In most cases, couples will tell us they have sourced pics from Pinterest and other popular online resources, which is great but the problem with that is the content on those sites forces you into a holding pattern that ultimately causes you to produce a mood board so cliché it basically looks the same as everyone else’s, even when you’re trying to be unique. In an effort to break that mould and service the needs of brides and grooms wanting a genuinely beautiful point of difference, Chloe created this.

“I wanted to appeal to the more eccentric, creative, and artistic brides who would also not want to get too cliche with their "theme." I am obsessed with the dark, moody tones including the beautiful deep reds, blacks and grey. The contrast is striking and beautiful and something I think the more edgier, fireball gal would totally dig!

I knew shooting outside may pose as a risk especially for Albany WA weather, but I couldn't help but make the most of the eerie vibe of the pines estate. I wanted to use a real location that brides (and grooms) could access and picture on their special day.”

“I wanted to appeal to the more eccentric, creative, and artistic brides who would also not want to get too cliche with their theme.”

For us, the beauty of this shoot is most definitely in the details. The mermaid tail crown adorning the bride’s head, the suspended floral arbor between trees, the rug that centres and grounds the couple to the ceremony space, the gold cutlery… There is so much beauty in the details that every time we come back to these images we find something else to love.