A Contemporary East Asian Inspired Bridal Fashion Editorial, Featuring RLE Bride

My mission for the editorial was to photograph the looks from fresh, considered wedding artists in the industry right now. Their works are fantastically unexpected, in line with the contemporary wedding, and also personal to their client.

I felt playing with film and flash and compositions for that loose editorial feeling was fitting to what a lot of brides are requesting in their weddings right now.

The Anya Wrapping Dress

This silhouette delicately traces the body’s natural curves, exuding quiet elegance while embracing a playful spirit. Layers of airy tulle add a soft volume, imbuing the look with a sense of lightness and movement. The pleats are made from pure silk organza, unfold like brushstrokes on a dreamlike canvas.

Much like a painter layering veils of colour, this fabric creates a poetic, gauzy effect—subtle, intimate, and evocative of a love both tender and profound. With its graceful fluidity and thoughtful construction, Anya is more than a wedding dress—it is a piece of a woman’s story, designed to accompany her beyond the ceremony, into a future filled with love and celebration.

The Carra Wedding Dress, 琴弦

Meticulously crafted over 75 days, the Carra Wedding Dress is a testament to r.l.e’s commitment to sustainability and artistry. 95% of its fabric comes from upcycled organza, cotton, and linen, patiently collected and reworked in our London atelier.

The remaining 5% is delicately woven with metal threads infused with natural crystals, freshwater pearls, and minerals, adding depth and texture to its sculpted silhouette.

Named “琴弦” (Qínxián, meaning ‘String’), this gown embodies the harmony between structure and fluidity. Just as a string instrument resonates with different melodies depending on the hands that play it, this dress transforms with each bride—shaped by her essence, her journey, and her love story.

Every stitch is a note, every thread a connection, weaving personal memories into a gown that is both ethereal and deeply meaningful.

For hair and make up – I used some bold colours for a couple of the looks, using a lime green on the eyes with pops of red in the hair using dressmakers elastic which added a fun element to the look echoing the playful elements of the very inspirational dresses by RLE bride. I kept the skin very ‘editorial’ and glowy and added more blush than usual to make the look pop! 

The shoot was loosely inspired by East Asian culture with gorgeous rich reds, pinks, and hints of green. From a floral point of view, I wanted to use flowers that reflected the bold shapes and depth of East Asian landscape paintings, particularly ink brush painting. I used red anthuriums in a grouping arrangement to evoke lily pads resting on a pond.

Then, to convey the feeling of deep forests, the orange anthuriums and fritillaries are surrounded by magnolia leaves. My arrangements are always very ‘flower heavy’ and this brief was no exception. I created intricate areas of depth and texture, whilst using tall, shooting blooms to add the welcome height and negative space needed; nerines and calla lilies fit the bill perfectly.