My wife-to-be and I are having a quirky wedding inspired by pre-Raphaelites. Do you have any ideas on how we can do this?

Question

Accepted Answer

The pre-Raphaelites period began in 1848 and lasted until the early 1900's, so look for venues of that era. Think Gothic revival-styled houses and those from the arts and crafts movement. Look for properties with amazing gardens and old walls, vines, wisteria or rambling rose walkways. Influences were largely taken from the Medieval period, Christianity and nature. When adding touches to your ceremony, draw from the colours used in artwork by Burne-Jones and Waterhouse using free, natural shapes. The look you want to achieve is of grace and beauty, with flowing, loose-fitting long dresses and slightly wild hair, often with flowers or jewels. Castles are also perfect settings and lend themselves perfectly to unity ceremonies such as handfasting with cords in your chosen colours or wine blending. The pre-Raphaelites loved lots of intricate detail and vibrant colours. Burnt oranges, dark teal and deep reds, but they equally embraced the polar opposites with ethereal whites, soft pastels, golds, silvers, coppers and bronzes. They were not keen on using extremes of dark and light simultaneously. The drama was essential but in a quiet and still way. Readings are a must since poets were involved in the movement. You could also consider something by JRR Tolkien, as even though he was a much later writer, he was heavily influenced by the pre-Raphaelites. Talking of Tolkien, it would be very easy to add legend and fantasy to this style, think Game of Thrones or The Witcher. There is so much beauty and grace to be had within this theme, and the possibilities are endless in terms of how you make it your own.

FAQs and expert advice about celebrant