Candy & Sam’s super elegant wedding at Halloween, with Elegante by Michelle J

Published by Claire Gould on

Happy spooky weekend, my lovelies! I hope you all have fabulous plans and wonderful outfits! As the end of October festivities kick off, we’re thrilled to be sharing Candy & Sam’s Victorian gothic inspired Hallowe’en wedding, sent in by luxury wedding planner Elegante by Michelle J.

The styling is as beautiful as Hallowe’en ever saw. The tables glisten with candles nestled in sumptuous floral arrangements. The stationery is exquisite: vintage Hallowe’en in style with moons and stars… and Love Potion alongside bottles of ‘Poison’ on the tables! Candy is just stunning and Sam her perfect handsome groom – and the atmosphere of the day is joyful, exuberant and full on party vibes!!!

Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography

Words: Elegante by Michelle J.; photography by Pippa Mackenzie

Upon approaching St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, the grandeur of the architecture takes your breath away. Towering above you on your approach, the Victorian inspired building was once said to be “too beautiful and too romantic to survive” – Sir John Betjeman. This venue is so much more than where the Spice Girls filmed “Wannabe”.

Upon meeting Candy & Sam they were quick to tell me how much fun Hallowe’en was for Candy growing up with parties year after year and, when Sam moved to London to start his career, they made sure that Hallowe’en became “their thing”. With so many of their friends marrying over the Summer, Candy & Sam wanted to not only incorporate their favourite holiday into their wedding, but they also wanted to stand out from the crowd. Enter Candy’s vision of a Hallowe’en inspired wedding.

Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography

One thing to note here, well, the only thing to note here is that this wedding didn’t encapsulate Hallowe’en as we all know it. There were no orange pumpkins, no dress up boxes or apple bobbing; Candy & Sam had their hearts set on a Victorian inspired Gothic wedding to stand out from any other event they had attended that year. Candy recalls “We picked The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, because we loved the gothic feel and beautiful architecture inside and out. It made the perfect setting for our Hallowe’en inspired wedding”. Bringing this vision to life with Candy & Sam was inspiring from the get-go, especially because Candy is a creative director at a creative agency; I had my work cut out for me and I couldn’t wait to dive in.

Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography

Candy saw the Chuppah for the first time as she walked down the aisle and they’ve both commented on how the ceremony was their favourite part of the day. Artistically Twisted pulled out all the stops and the Chuppah was definitely a talking point for the rest of the day! Candy comments “I don’t think I could have imagined a more perfect Chuppah if I tried!”. Candy walked down the aisle to Boi Beshalom and Sam and his family were serenaded by the Totem choir to “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, a touching nod to Sam’s relationships with his parents and his upbringing in Liverpool. Personal touches such as this truly inject your personality into your wedding and is a reminder as to why everyone is here. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Candy & Sam wrote their own words for the Ketubah, as prompted by their Rabbi; their personalities shone through making the ceremony incredibly special for all those present.

Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography

As with every wedding, securing the right suppliers I key and we hit the jackpot with the likes of photographer, Pippa MacKenzie, florist Artistically Twisted and the finest entertainers in the industry, Totem.  Every supplier was integral in bringing this vision to life and ensuring it remained classy and true to Candy & Sam’s vision.  I sourced the linen from 88 Events in Scotland, the tableware from Options Great Hire, and cutlery from Duchess & Butler and worked closely with Artistically Twisted to bring the table scape to life.  We added pops of red and glitters of gold along the black tables, focusing on the theme of a medieval banquet. 

Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography

Whilst the venue (The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel) boasts grandeur and brilliance, we didn’t want this to overpower the day; with such an impressive venue it is the smaller details that will be the talking points for your guests. We incorporated nods to Victorian Gothic detail throughout the day, such as Candy’s glittering hair and moon hair clips that shimmered under the Chuppah, more on this later. Other small touches that really elevated the space was the stationary by Suzanne Oddy and “poison bottles” of red cherry sours as favours. Tying these aspects into the day was seamless as I followed and built on Candy’s vision and mood boards.

Now onto the party, and what a party it was! With Totem at the helm I knew guests would be on their feet all night and I wasn’t wrong. From touching ceremony music to outbursts of Sister Act during dinner and disco lights galore late into the night, this wedding was a real “Thriller” (sang by the band as all the guests started mimicking all the moves!). Candy and Sam remember the dancing during dinner as being “outrageous in the best way possible”; the band, guests, bar staff and team couldn’t keep still and dance-offs were a regular occurrence! Late into the night we welcomed Roseanna Velin to get everyone into the Hallowe’en spirit with incredible face painting and artistic make up. This was a Hallowe’en party for the ages.

Every element of the wedding perfectly paired with the theme of a Hallowe’en wedding, and not a pumpkin in sight!

Planning: Elegante by Michelle J
MUA: Sophie Fleur Beauty
Hair: Hair by Slo
Dresses: Sassi Holford
Bar: Jonny Cocktail Events
Catering: Adam Nathan Catering
Ceremony: Hebrewear and Chana
Rabbi: Rabbi Paul Glantz
Face Paint: Roseanna Velin MUA
Band: Totem
Florals: Artistically Twisted London
Videography: AK Films
Photography: Pippa Mackenzie Photography
Production: Powerhouse Hire
Rentals: 88 Events; Duchess & Butler; Options Greathire
Stationery: Suzanne Oddy Design
Venue: St Pancras Renaissance Hotel

Planning: @elegantebymichellej
MUA: @sophiefleurbeauty_mua
Hair: @hairbyslo
Dresses: @sassiholford
Bar: @jonny_cocktail_bars
Catering: @adamnathancatering
Ceremony: @hebrewear and Chana
Rabbi: Rabbi Paul Glantz
Face Paint: @roseannavelin
Band: @totemsuperstars
Florals: @artistically_twisted_london
Videography: @akfilmsweddings
Photography: @pippamackenzie
Production: @powerhousehire
Rentals: @88eventscompany @duchessbutler @optionsgreathire
Stationery: @suzanneoddydesign
Venue: @stpancrasren

Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography Candy and Sam's gothic inspired halloween wedding in London with Elegante by Michelle J and Pippa Mackenzie Photography


Claire Gould

Claire spends her days writing - either in beautiful calligraphy or online. She lives on the edge of the English Lake District only minutes away from the beach, where she loves to escape and unwind. Claire's calligraphy can be found at www.byMoonandTide.com. Claire launched the English Wedding Blog in November 2009 - it's been a top 10 UK wedding blog ever since, with a regional focus we hope you LOVE.

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Avatar placeholder

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Read previous post:
A bride with her dog, nose to nose
Welcome! Rabbit House Studio Photography

This week we're thrilled to welcome lovely Cornwall based wedding photographer Rabbit House Studio Photography to English Wedding! Hannah captures...

Close