Theatrical vibes and a little bit of Romeo and Juliet inspiration created today’s styled shoot at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre Group, Stratford upon Avon styled and photographed by – Sara Beaumont of Sara Beaumont Photography we catch up with her and the rest of the team to find out all about how it was created…
“I have a strong connection to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre as I shoot there quite often. I am always ‘wowed’ by the spaces and the incredible opportunities to immerse myself in the history and creativity of the place. Even more incredible is the fact that you can get married there and host an intimate celebration, or a party of epic proportions. With this awe-inspiring place in mind, I wanted to rediscover the classic tale of star-crossed lovers – ’Romeo & Juliet’. A Shakespeare classic, it has been dramatised many times. I wanted my interpretation to be edgy, but also playful as we rediscovered this powerful love story; keeping as much connection to Shakespeare and the theatre as possible.”
“We started the shoot at ‘The Other Place’ – close to the theatre. The spaces are lined with bare plywood and have open ceilings and foil-covered ducts which create the most amazing landscape. It also houses the RSC’s Costume store containing some 40,000 items available to hire. All of the costumes have appeared on stage at the Theatre over the years. There is rack after rack of clothing, hats, shoes, masks, and accessories spread over three floors. It’s the closest you will ever get to Narnia. It is THE place to visit if you are looking for a completely unique and sustainable wedding outfit. The Theatre has also now opened up the Prop store for hire. Similar in scale to the Costume store, you can visit and hire furniture, thrones (we had to have one of those) goblets, chairs, statues, frames, fags, lamps, everything that you could possibly imagine! Hobby horses – another must-have for this shoot .. oh, and a life-size alligator!”
Photography- Sara Beaumont Photography
“I love to collaborate and create styled photoshoots. It is incredibly exciting to design and direct something from scratch. It really sparks my creativity and makes me a more adventurous photographer. I am always seeking something different, and once I get the idea, I start to look for collaborators that will complement the vibe. It’s usually a bit edgy, kind of quirky and always very bold. We had the most amazing fun creating these images, and I really hope that they provide the inspiration to inject a little theatrical sparkle into your wedding day.”
Bridal
Look one- “Ruby rocked an off-the-peg wedding dress from Asos Edition with fuchsia heels, fall-down lace socks and a bespoke shoulder piece. Wedding dress by ASOS EDITION – smooth satin cami dress with paneled seams. Bridal Shoes – Vero Moda Star Tulle Socks – an Etsy find Denim Jacket – an Ebay find – customised by Lilly Dilly’s”
Look Two – “We chose a ra-ra skirt for Ruby with a sheer top and Madonna-esque boots. – all hired from the RSC Costume Store.”
Hair & Makeup- Rebecca Haines
“I wanted to create a beautiful enchanting off-the-wall Bridal Look. For Ruby’s Hair & Makeup I decided to go for a green/gold smoky eye when dressed in the ivory dress, with a simple low-up do with gold leaf hair accessories. This look is very wearable. For the second look where we used the outfit from the Costume store, I stayed with the greens and golds on the eyes and added a bright lip, to accentuate the bolder colour in the bouquet. With the hair I still wanted her to look beautiful but creating something a little different to compliment the creativity that can be explored when getting married at this venue. Not forgetting the boys,!! How can you not add a little guyliner and a heart-shaped beauty mark when getting married at the theatre!”
Grooms – Duncan James of Walsall
Look One – “Suits by Duncan James of Walsall is a third-generation menswear establishment trading for over 60 years. The suits were updated versions of classic menswear tailoring. The traditional evening suit is brought up to date with tailored styling and black satin scooped waistcoat to complete the look. To compliment this we used a contrasting claret three-piece extra slim suit from the ‘Spin’ Autumn/Winter campaign shown with double-breasted scooped waistcoat.”
Look Two – “We went new romantic style with suits, hats, boots and pocket watches all hired from the RSC Costume Store.”
Flowers – Vale Garden Flowers
“Jayne at Vale Garden Flowers grows and arranges all her flowers and foliage just ten miles from Stratford upon Avon and the emphasis is on natural and seasonal British blooms. The golds and reds in this design complement the Autumnal feeling of the shoot using late season dahlias, grasses, roses and fery foliage. The autumnal meadow arrangement provides a dramatic and colourful backdrop and the seasonal bridal bouquet is finished with a gorgeous golden ribbon.”
Accessories- Lilly Dilly’s
“Photoshoot collaborations are a highlight of my job, especially when they involve a plethora of creatives combined with a jaw dropping venue! Our vision was to create an ‘off the wall’ eclectic ‘new romantic’ vibe to compliment the ‘quirkiness’ of the RSC’s setting. My accessories were designed to show couples that individual style is what their wedding should be about and that the bespoke design service I provide gives them the opportunity to explore ideas that are ‘outside of the box’. I also wanted to incorporate the theatrical element to pay homage to the RSC which is where the idea for the dramatic bridal epaulette, customised denim jacket and use of opulent fabrics and colour palette for the gent’s accessories came from. This photo shoot was incredibly exciting and really was an honour to be part of.”
Stationery – Little Bird Weddings
“I wanted the wedding stationery designed for this photoshoot, to have a romantic and almost theatrical feel. I used sumptuous deep burgundy and gold colours to give drama and the watercolour background used in the printed stationery helped add to the creative, artistic look of the styled shoot. I also used gold calligraphy and lettering for the stationery and signage to ft in with the theme of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The place settings / tags are hand written onto dyed handmade paper and for the signage I stained wooden boards with a lovely burgundy colour and added metallic gold lettering. This style would be perfect for a bold theatrical wedding but also any modern romantic style wedding. The colours can be changed to suit your colour scheme.”
Wedding Cakes – Elegant Bakes by Elizabeth
“I decided to go all out theatrical with the Wedding cakes. Making a bold statement with the 3-tier black cake, I added deep red sugar paste roses and a hand painted quote to tie in with the theatrical theme. The ivory cake added contrast with its stenciled gold base and tumbling sugar paste flowers and foliage. Both designs perfect for a theatrical setting.”
The Team- Romeo and Juliet Theatrical Wedding at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Styling & Photography – Sara Beaumont Photography @sarabeaumontphotography
Styling, Hair & Makeup – Rebecca Haines @rebecca_haines_makeupandhair I
Venue – “The Other Place” part of The Royal Shakespeare Company @thersc I Bespoke Accessories – Lilly Dilly’s @LillyDillys I Groom’s Suits – Duncan James of Walsall @duncanjameswalsall I RSC Costume Store I RSC Prop Store I Bouquet and fower arrangements – Vale Garden Flowers @valegardenflowers I Wedding cakes – Elegant Bakes By Elizabeth @elegantbakesbyelizabeth I Stationery – Littlebird Weddings @littlebirdweddings I Model – Ruby Smith @ruby_lolax I Model – James Newman
@jamesnewman12 I Model – Billy Pearson @billyidiot_
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