Some shoots stick with you because you love the photographs. Others stick with you because of what they represent.


This Beetlejuice inspired wedding shoot is very much both.


We created it back in August 2024, ready to release alongside the new Beetlejuice film that September. It was one of the first styled shoots I had ever organised within the wedding industry, just a few months after making the decision to leave my job and pursue photography full time.


At the time, I just wanted to create something inspired by a film I loved, bring together some incredible alternative suppliers and see this slightly mad idea in my head become a reality.


Looking back at it two years later, I don't think I realised quite how important this shoot would become to me.

Couple sharing intimate moment, woman with teal hair and dark crown, both tattooed, against rustic stone wall.
Gothic Halloween table setting with black plates, purple napkins, and elegant silverware on a dramatic black and white tablecloth.

Beetlejuice, but make it a wedding



When you think of a Beetlejuice wedding, it's very easy to go straight to red. Lydia Deetz's iconic red wedding dress has inspired plenty of gothic weddings and editorials over the years, but I wanted to take this in a different direction.


Rather than recreating the wedding from the film, I wanted to pull inspiration from the world of Beetlejuice itself using black, purple and greens. The stripes, the strange organic textures and the supernatural slightly chaotic feeling of it all.


This was never about dressing two people up as Beetlejuice and Lydia and recreating scenes from the film. I wanted it to feel like a wedding inspired by Beetlejuice, where you could recognise little nods throughout without the whole thing becoming a costume. And once we had that foundation, we could have a lot of fun with it.

Couple in gothic wedding attire, woman in purple gown with teal hair, man with tattoos, sitting together against wooden wall.

Black, purple, green... And a little bit strange



The colour palette became the thread running through the entire shoot. We had rich purple alongside black, mossy and vibrant greens, with black and white stripes appearing throughout as a nod to one of the film's most recognisable visual motifs. But it was the details that really brought everything together. Moss covered place settings sat against glossy black crockery. Black and white candles, dark glassware and purple accents filled the tablescape. Beetles appeared amongst the florals, alongside crystals, ferns, black flowers and trailing greenery.


Then there were  subtle references throughout, “Never Trust the Living.” The striped “Married As Fuck” banner. Beetlejuice inspired cookies, nail art, stationery and those unmistakable black and white stripes appearing throughout.


It wasn't about hiding the inspiration. It was about taking everything we loved about that world and asking: what could this look like as an actual alternative wedding?

Couple embracing, woman with blue hair, tattoos, purple corset, long nails, and silver necklace in gothic style.
Black and white striped pennant banner with purple fringe reading Married As Fuck held by newlyweds.
Gothic couple embracing, woman with teal hair and spiked crown in purple corset, tattooed man in black suit, dark moody backdrop.

The fashion needed to belong in the same world



I didn't want the fashion to become fancy dress either. Sarah wore this incredible deep purple and black gown, paired with teal hair, dark makeup, statement jewellery and a dramatic crown. Mark's look complemented hers without matching it exactly, with dark tailoring and purple running through his styling. And Sarah and Mark aren't just models who met for the first time that morning. They're a real couple, which brought something to the photographs that you can't really manufacture.


There are the big, dramatic portraits, but there are also photographs of them drinking together, eating the cookies, messing around and actually interacting with everything we'd created.


We could make it theatrical without losing them underneath it.

Tattooed hand with geometric nail art rests on iridescent beetle amid lush greenery and purple flowers.

Then came the smoke...



Of course, I wasn't going to create an entire Beetlejuice inspired wedding and keep the photography sensible. The purple smoke became one of my favourite elements of the whole gallery.


It completely changed the atmosphere of the portraits, taking everything we'd built through the styling and pushing it into something more cinematic, strange and otherworldly. That's still something I love doing now.


You can spend hours creating beautiful details, but the photography shouldn't just document that they existed. I want to take the world we've created and push it further through the photographs themselves.

Gothic bride with teal hair, black crown, dark gown, holding bouquet, surrounded by purple smoke.
Two dancers perform a dramatic lift surrounded by purple smoke against a moody stone wall backdrop.
Man in black long coat with chain and floral pocket square poses against stone wall with green smoke.

The collaboration made it what it was



As much as this started as my concept, it worked because of the people who came together to create it.


This was still really early in my time within the wedding industry, and seeing a group of creatives take an idea and each bring their own skills to it was incredible.


The day itself was phenomenal. Everything ran smoothly, everyone worked together and it felt like all the separate pieces we'd been planning for months suddenly became one thing.


The team behind it was:


Concept & photography: @laurafitzgeraldphotography

Dress & suit: @scarlettayla

Styling: @evaroseweddings

Makeup: @katereynoldsbridal

Hair: @nicolahoneyartistry

Florals: @maddison.rocks.floral

Cake: @amybakerscakes

Videography: @shootingdaggersvideo

Stationery: @birdhouse197

Banner: @irregular_signs

Cookies: @serinabakes_

Necklace: @lunaamatores

Crown: @dark.lemon.art

Nails: @oracle.nails

Permanent jewellery: @adorn_permanent_luxury

Rings: @bonearrow_

Sarah & Mark: @sarahjemimah & @markweatherhead_tattooartist


Every person brought something different to the concept, and the finished shoot wouldn't have been what it was without all of them.

Gothic wedding couple drinking from black vessels, bride with teal hair and spike crown, groom in black suit, floral arrangement.

Looking back two years later...



This shoot will probably always hold a special place in my heart. Not just because I still love what we created, but because of where I was in my career when we created it.


I'd left my job to pursue photography full time, and that's exciting, but it's also a pretty terrifying decision to make. This was the first styled shoot I'd organised that came together exactly as I'd hoped. I had an idea, found a group of people who understood it, and together we actually made it happen.


It was one of those moments that made me realise I'd made the right decision. And looking back now, I can also see the beginnings of something else. I loved bringing alternative suppliers together. I loved seeing what happened when people were given the opportunity to be creative, collaborate and create something that actually represented the side of the wedding industry we wanted to see more of.


That feeling became part of the reason I eventually wanted to co-found the Dark Wedding Collective.


So yes, this was a Beetlejuice inspired wedding shoot.


But for me, it was also one of the first little glimpses of where all of this was heading. And two years later, I think that's why I still love it so much.

Tattooed makeup artist applying lipstick to a woman with teal wavy hair and bangs in a bright studio.
Woman with teal hair gets makeup applied by tattooed artist in a bright vanity mirror salon setting.
Gothic Halloween wedding cake with white ghost toppers, black roses, dark lace details, and black and white striped tier.
Four-tier gothic wedding cake in black and mauve with lace details, ghost toppers, and black rose decorations.
A makeup artist with tattoos applies lipstick to a woman with teal curly hair wearing a black satin robe.
Gothic wedding display with ghost welcome sign, black candles, dark purple tiered cake, and colorful floral decorations.
Gothic wedding tablescape with black linens, purple napkins, black candlesticks, and dark floral centerpiece against brick wall.
Gothic Halloween table setting with black plates, purple napkins, green chargers, and dark cutlery on striped tablecloth.
Elegant Halloween table setting with black and purple accents, crystal glassware, dark floral decor, and spooky themed menu cards.
Black platform boots with a purple ribbon and a 'Never Trust the Living' enamel pin displayed on green moss.
Black plate with moss and purple ribbon table setting, elegant gothic wedding decor.
Dark gothic floral arrangement with black roses, purple blooms, green foliage, and decorative branches in a black vase.
Hand with geometric nail art and tattoo resting on iridescent beetle amid dark floral arrangement with ferns.
Two tattooed people kiss at a table while a pink-haired woman sits nearby, all dressed in gothic attire near a brick wall.
Man in black long coat with floral pocket square and chain, posing against stone wall with green smoke.
Punk wedding couple drinking from a shared goblet, bride with teal hair and spike crown, groom in black suit, floral arrangement.
Gothic couple in dark attire sharing a romantic moment, woman with teal hair and feather headpiece, man with neck tattoos.
Tattooed couple with teal-haired woman and shaved-head man sharing an intimate moment against a brick wall.
Gothic bride with teal hair, black feather headpiece, tattoos, and purple corset holding floral bouquet with groom.
Couple holding a black and white striped pennant banner reading Married As Fuck with purple fringe at a gothic wedding.
Gothic wedding stationery with ghost illustrations reading In This Life & The Next for Sarah & Mark beside a Never Trust the Living cookie.
Dark moody flat lay of wedding rings in boxes surrounded by purple flowers and delicate white feathers.
Dark gothic floral arrangement featuring deep purple blooms, tropical leaves, iridescent pods, and black-and-white striped accents.
Elegant Halloween table setting with black plates, purple napkins, and gothic decor on a black tablecloth.
Gothic wedding tablescape with black tablecloth, purple runner, black and white stripes, candles, and dark floral centerpiece.
Gothic bride with teal hair and purple gown holds wild bouquet beside groom in black suit outdoors.
Gothic bride with teal hair and tattoos adjusting groom's boutonniere, holding dark floral bouquet with crystals.
Couple in gothic wedding attire, woman in purple tulle gown with teal hair, man with tattoos, sitting together outdoors.
Couple sharing an intimate moment, woman with teal hair and dark crown wearing gothic bridal attire with tattoos against stone wall.
Black and white striped pennant banner with purple fringe reading Married As Fuck held by newlyweds.
Gothic bride with teal wavy hair wears black floral crown and purple corset holding dark wedding bouquet.
Dark Halloween wedding invitation featuring two ghost illustrations with
Tattooed hands with dark nail polish and rings resting together in a moody, gothic-inspired close-up shot.
Tattoo artist applying detailed ink designs on a client's arm in a professional tattoo studio setting.
Tattoo artist drawing a butterfly design on a client's wrist with a tattoo machine in a studio.
Gothic wedding table with black and purple floral centerpiece, dark plates, candles, and elegant purple ribbon accents.