couple dressed as ghosts wearing sunglasses kiss as the sun sets for alternative halloween wedding portrait

Love Never Dies:
A Ghostly Halloween Wedding Shoot

Who says love has to end when you die? Certainly not these two!

With ghostly lovers, a candlelit picnic, a dark and delicious-looking wedding cake and a rather enthusiastic champagne celebration, this Halloween wedding shoot takes the familiar sheet-ghost trend somewhere a little more romantic.

Created by Laura Fava of Elleffe Photography, in collaboration with cake and sweet treat maker Casa Dolce Casa, Love Never Dies plays with the idea of “till death do us part”. Because apparently, even the afterlife is no excuse to miss out on cake!

Photos throughout from Elleffe Photography

Behind the Lens with Elleffe Photography

couple dressed as ghosts wearing sunglasses sit back to back behind their wedding breakfast picnic

Laura had originally planned to photograph the shoot in the warm light of sunset, but the weather had other ideas. With overcast skies replacing the golden-hour glow she’d imagined, she decided to make the most of the moodier light instead.

groom ghost holds up a heart shaped biscuit to his chest while looking at his bride ghost

Laura of Elleffe Photography brought together her love of storytelling and fashion-inspired imagery for this Halloween shoot. She developed the concept, styled the picnic and directed the models, as well as taking all the photographs. She wanted to give the playful sheet-ghost trend a more romantic feel, without losing its sense of humour.

A Halloween Wedding Picnic with a Dark Romance TwisT

naked wedding cake with pomegranates and deep red roses for Halloween wedding

For the picnic styling, Laura left the usual Halloween pumpkins, monsters and bright orange decorations behind. Instead, she chose black, white, gold and deep burgundy, with candlelight, vintage candelabras and seasonal fruit.

The wedding cake, created by Casa Dolce Casa, was the centrepiece of the picnic, accompanied by handmade cupcakes and intricately decorated biscuits.

For Laura, the sweet treats were part of the love story she wanted to tell:

“The wedding cake symbolises an eternal promise, cupcakes become small gestures of affection, and intricately decorated cookies evoke the treasured objects and memories of a shared life.”

Even the ghosts got a little fashion makeover, with flowing white fabric, vintage gloves and sunglasses. Because who says you can’t look fabulous in the afterlife?

You might also love our blog: How to Create A wedding Dessert Table
Naked wedding cake topped with roses and pomegranates sat amongst candles at Halloween wedding breakfast picnic
wedding breakfast picnic details with gold pomegranates, candles, strings of pearls and sweet treats
close up of brown and cream cupcakes for Halloween wedding picnic
close up of hand made biscuits topped with icing and painted with gold motifs

When Ghosts Pop Champagne

groom ghost opens champagne at outdoor wedding picnic during alternative halloween wedding portrait session

One of Laura’s favourite moments from the shoot was the champagne toast. And we’ll let her explain why:

“Creating this shot was so much fun because, with the sheets over their faces, the models had absolutely no sense of distance or spatial awareness, so I had to guide their every single movement step-by-step. When the moment came to pop the bottle, it unfolded in a completely unpredictable way. We had such a great time!”

champagne flowing out of the bottle as groom ghost opens it for his bride ghost
couple dressed as ghosts wearing sunglasses toast with champagne for alternative halloween wedding portrait
close up of bride and groom dressed as ghosts toasting their halloween wedding with champagne glasses

Fancy Trying a Ghostly Halloween Shoot Yourself?

couple dressed as ghosts wearing sunglasses holding hands as the sun sets for halloween portrait

If you’re tempted to give the sheet-ghost trend a go, Laura has a few tips for creating your own dark-romance Halloween shoot.

  • Skip the usual Halloween colours. Instead of bright orange and purple, Laura chose black, white, gold and deep burgundy, adding seasonal fruits such as pomegranates and grapes to the picnic styling.
  • Have fun with the ghost outfits. Flowing fabrics give the classic sheet-ghost look a softer feel. Laura added vintage white gloves and heart-shaped sunglasses for a little extra personality.
  • Make the most of candlelight and props. Vintage candelabras, pearls and handmade sweet treats helped create the picnic setting. You don’t need pumpkins and fake cobwebs to make something feel Halloween-inspired.
  • Don’t worry if things don’t go perfectly. Some of Laura’s favourite photographs came from the moments she couldn’t plan, including the champagne explosion and an unexpected visit from a cat!
Looking for more alternative portrait ideas? Check out our blog Let the City In: Rethinking Wedding Portraits Beyond Poses
playful Halloween wedding couple portrait where groom dressed as a ghost photographs his ghost bride
couple dressed as ghosts wearing sunglasses embracing for alternantive Halloween wedding portrait
couple dressed as ghosts wearing sunglasses stood in front of their wedding breakfast picnic
close up of two hands wearing white gloves holding a moon shaped biscuit

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couple dressed as ghosts wearing sunglasses sat back to back for halloween portrait

Photography, Concept & Styling: Elleffe Photography

Cake & Sweet Treats: Casa Dolce Casa 

Models: Cristina & Cristobal

handmade cross wedding dessert biscuit iced and decorated with gold leaves

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