The Goth Wedding Edit: All the essentials you need for one hell of an unholy matrimony

 
 

For jewellers like me, spring means the start of wedding season. Because the wedding industry doesn’t really cater to lovers of the macabre (A.K.A people like me), I thought I’d make an edit of all my favourite goth wedding vendors, creators, and venues. 

Everyone featured is UK-based and independent, so your money will go towards supporting small businesses. If you want a goth wedding to die for, this is for you.

Gothic wedding venues

You might recognise The Mount Without as the location from my promotional shoot with The Costa Sisters (who are also super awesome and mentioned below). It’s a 900-year-old grade II listed building that used to be a church. The delicately arched ceiling is painted with celestial clouds, and the raw stonework is right out of the pages of an 18th-century gothic romance novel. It’s got drama for days. There’s also a little stone carving of a skull and crossbones in the ladies toilets!

 

Alternative wedding attire

I might be a bit biased, but I love the gowns made by my good friends at Legend Bridal. Their alternative wedding dress designs are inspired by myth and folklore, so you’ll find garments named for ancient deities and goddesses. 

Their 2022 bridal collection is a trove of dark, ethereal designs — each a supernatural vision of draped tulle, intricate lace, and hidden hexagrams. Legend Bridal makes their gothic wedding dresses to order, so they fit people of all shapes and sizes.

If dresses aren’t your thing, bespoke alt-bride and groomswear tailor Atelier Rahman come highly recommended. The couture collection is my favourite — exquisitely tailored custom tuxedo dresses, velvets, embroidered silk, faux fur trims…statement garments with serious drama to them.

 

Gothic wedding rings and statement jewels

Since this is my blog, I’m going to recommend SLAB Jewellery. My jewellery is made to fit and can be created in any size for any person. There are no rules here!

Gold tourmaline ring with a skull and spikes at the top of the stone

Gold tourmaline skull ring – £600

I've just finished a collection of gothic wedding rings using the traditional 16th-century lost wax casting method that I use for all my Memento Mori jewellery. The designs are based on gravestone inscriptions and mediaeval posey rings (intricately engraved bands containing secret love messages). My gothic wedding rings have messages like ‘In love abide til death divide’ and ‘My gift is myself’ engraved into the outer band. Dark romance at its best!

Inscription rings, available soon

My skull rings strike a balance between delicate and striking — you can even choose to customise the design if you like. I also offer the option to rework existing family heirlooms, like engagement rings handed down through the generations. Together we’ll work on a design that honours the inherited piece while incorporating your own wild spirit. It’ll be totally one of a kind. 

Just a heads up: it can take anything up to 10 weeks to rework jewellery or around 6 weeks to create something from scratch, so please bear that in mind before you pop the question!

Dark image of a woman sitting on the steps of a church wearing a black dress and a gold Blanche skull ring

Photo credit: The Costa Sisters

Kaleidoscope image of a woman against a sky painted ceiling wearing gold SLAB Jewellery

Photo credit: The Costa Sisters

Memento Mori jewellery is an awesome way to embellish a dark bridal look. Balance elaborate wedding attire with simple, elegant pieces like the Perossa Bone Chain necklace or a classic Memento Mori Clairval Skull medallion. The medallion necklaces would be perfect as bridesmaid gifts, too! If your outfit is simple and classic, you can add an edgy twist with statement earrings — the Morano Spiked Halo earrings or Iscariot Skull earrings are my top recommendations.

Woman wearing statement skull earring and large rings

Iscariot earrings – £130

 

Dark videography and photography

If you’re planning an alternative wedding, you won’t find better videographers than The Costa Sisters. I’ve worked with Elena and Sofia on a stylised promotional shoot, and they simply blow me away. They’re natural rule breakers, only interested in making you look epic on your big day. You can check out their full film reel here or get a taste below.

Two women holding hands stood in front of a brightly painted wall

Photo credit: The Costa Sisters

 

Funereal florals

You can’t have a goth wedding without an awesome alternative florist. I love Bristol-based Pretty Wild because they offer fun dried flowers alongside show-stopping arrangements. Their tagline “wild and wilful” says it all! They’ve got an ancient, folklore feel with simmering occult undertones.

 

Sinful delectables

Dark Matters are Bristol's “bangin’ black metal brownie baker” and a firm favourite of mine. I can just imagine these gooey vegan treats piled high on a tiered cake stand as an alternative to wedding cake or offered as a sinful snack with the champagne toast. For an extra gothic twist, I’d go for their Roses For The Dead Brookies — a brownie and cookie hybrid, studded with rose Turkish Delight.

Bristol-based Ahh Toots bakery is also a good shout. Their cake creations have a grand, old-world feel, with rich colour palettes and slick finishing. I’ve seen them decorate cakes with tumbling masses of flowers and some with sculptural jagged chocolate shards jutting proudly from the top. Just like Dark Matters, Ahh Toots can do gluten-free and vegan options.

I hope you found this helpful! Please go and check these great businesses out, and don’t forget to give me a shout if you’re in the market for gothic wedding rings. Visit my bespoke page for info on the process or check out the ring sizing chart here.

 
Hannah Royce-Greensill