Your Kent Wedding -September/October 2020 (Issue 92)

77 LOCAL SHOOT H idden away in the Kent countryside, is a 900-year-old former Norman church, all that’s left of the Lost Village of Dode. Ancient and sacred, it exudes history with an air of the supernatural, having been abandoned in 1349 as a result of the Black Death. What more could this team of wedding suppliers need for their shoot – a celebration of life and death. Shoot coordinator Lily Jones, who specialises in alternative and quirky weddings, says, “Thanks to my Irish heritage, I’ve grown up celebrating the Day of the Dead, a festival that most people associate with Mexican traditions, but it’s actually been celebrated in Ireland and many other countries around the world for centuries, including Spain and Guatemala. The colourful aesthetic of the festival lent itself beautifully to the idea that both life and death can be celebrated at a wedding and that even though we vow to love our partners until death parts us, there’s an unbreakable bond that extends past the physical world.” So, it was with these thoughts in mind that Lily set out, with a fantastic team of more than 20 local wedding suppliers, to create this styled shoot. Marrying bright colours and a celebratory atmosphere, it also features Celtic traditions surrounding the Day of the Dead, illustrating that a gothic-style wedding needn’t be dark and dreary. We hope you enjoy this colourful Day of the Dead- inspired celebration of life and love Images courtesy of Tom Jeavons Photography Lead image courtesy of Chiara Fulgoni Photography  ‘Til death us do party