When Nosferatu flickered back onto cinema screens, Lauren from Nick and Lauren Photography left the theatre feeling inspired by the film’s shadowy beauty. “I was inspired by the cinematography used in the movie, and wanted to do a wedding shoot that emulated that same aesthetic, but without being vampire based,” she told us. “We decided to combine the elements of country meets alternative, and started joking about what Nosferatu’s wedding would look like if it were in the West. Everything snowballed from there!”

Lauren sees it as a reminder that themed weddings don’t have to mean costume parties. “Themed weddings don’t mean they need to be an entirely accurate representation of a certain fandom,” she said. “Themes can be a feeling, and there is no right or wrong way to have a wedding as long as it’s entirely what YOU want. And there’s no such thing as too much candlelight.”

The shoot is thick with symbols. Dozens of candles surround a couple cutting a skull cake with a Vorpal Blade. “We hadn’t seen the idea done by anyone else yet,” Lauren added. “We’ve seen numerous gothic weddings or ones with a black dress, but none surrounded by numerous candles, cutting a skull cake with a Vorpal Blade, and with a whole new genre to play with.”

Lauren’s own journey as a photographer turned bride shaped the whole thing. “Being a photographer before I was a bride truly helped prepare me for the wedding planning,” she said. “My husband and I knew exactly the vision we wanted that felt like us, magical and whimsical with a bit of edge, and colourful beyond all means.”

If there’s a message in the candles and skulls and western shadows, it’s this: do not take advice from anyone who doesn’t live inside your love story. “Do not allow people who have had opinions on your relationship to have any say on your wedding planning without your asking,” Lauren concluded. “Weddings are all about you and the person you choose to spend the rest of your life with. The best way to have a wedding is to make sure everything is entirely and absolutely what YOU want it to be. Don’t accept added pressure.”

Nosferatu may not have found love, but if he had, this definitely would’ve been his kind of wedding – dark, strange but absolutely beautiful.