How to Embrace the Dark on Your Wedding Day

Jon Carpenter

Mikaela Antonelli

November 25, 2025

From atmospheric venues, to dramatic outfits, to styling ideas for the quietly unhinged - here’s seven ways to invite darkness into your wedding day.

Nosferatu Meets a Candlelit Western Wedding

Kat

Nick and Lauren

November 25, 2025

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!”

Romantic Gothic Wedding Weekend

Kat

Wilde Weddings

November 13, 2025

Aimee and Onyx leaned fully into their shared love of fantasy aesthetics for their wedding. They wrote their vows in a cemetery (where they had their first date!) and were married surrounded by friends who camped out for the weekend. The day was romantic and a bit vampiric. In fact, they wanted their day to feel like it had been plucked straight from a gothic romance novel.

When We Were Young: Gothic Desert Elopement at Eldorado Canyon

Kat

Electric Sugar Elopements

November 5, 2025

Aimee and Jon left Birmingham to get married in the Nevada desert. The bride loved the idea of Vegas, the groom wanted something outdoors or in the mountains, so as soon as they found out about the little chapel at Eldorado Canyon, they knew it would be the best of both worlds. Eldorado Canyon gave them the intimacy they wanted, but they still ended the day in true Vegas fashion. After the ceremony they changed outfits and headed to the Strip and Downtown to celebrate.

Ask An Expert: How to Plan a Gothic Wedding (Without Anyone Forcing You to Wear White)

Guest Contributor

Eloise Pitcher

November 4, 2025

We are so excited to be having a gothic themed wedding. I am wearing black and we love skulls and Halloween! How do I find wedding suppliers who actually get the gothic vibe and won’t try to make me wear white, put my bridesmaids in blush pink or have centrepieces made of peonies?

A Hauntingly Beautiful Corpse Bride Editorial

Kat

Lauren New

October 31, 2025

Nothing says Halloween wedding more than the Corpse Bride and this shoot may be one of the best homages we've ever seen. In fact we loved it so much, we made it the cover shoot for our November/December print issue which dropped yesterday! It blends slight Victorian-inspired details with modern drapery and design elements, bringing together a touch of the past and present for a hauntingly beautiful, editorial goth vibe.

This ‘Goth Glam’ Shoot Is Proof That Weird Is the New Luxury

Kat

Stag & Bird

October 29, 2025

This shoot, dubbed Goth Glam by everyone involved, was created out of a need to shake things up. The team wanted to bring together Kansas City’s weirdest, boldest, and most unapologetic creatives and make something that proved “high-end” doesn’t have to mean beige. They called it a love letter to the alt-lux side of weddings: velvet and smoke, drama and decadence, edge and elegance. The goal was to show that goth, glam, and alternative can sit right alongside luxury, without losing the grit.

Whimsical Gothic Forest Elopement

Kat

Wander Soul Stories

October 27, 2025

Tiago and Joana chose to elope in Sintra, Portugal, at the Santa Maria Tower. They wanted their day to be about them, and no one else. “We know that if we were to get married, it had to be somewhere in Sintra to match our magical, whimsical, forest-y and eerie atmosphere,” Joana said.

A Punk Romance at Sure Thing Chapel

Kat

High Roller Elopements

October 21, 2025

Heather and Angus met in the comment section of Reddit and ended up eloping in Las Vegas. They have a long-distance relationship between New Orleans and Scotland, and although they're still working through the visa process to Angus to move to the US, they didn't want to wait a moment longer to be married.

Halloween Wedding Shoot in Ecuador’s Enchanted Dry Forest

Kat

LH Film

October 20, 2025

Halloween is a little different in the southern hemisphere. In the dry forests of Quito, Ecuador, it arrives with sun, dust, and a different kind of magic. Assyah of Jamila and Juliette, who conceptualised and styled this photo shoot, wanted to capture that energy in the shoot, blending local traditions with a gothic edge.

Renaissance Inspired Beauty and the Beast Wedding with a Gothic Twist

Kat

Laura Fitzgerald

October 15, 2025

Do you love Disney but in a dark, alt way more than a girly fairytale way? Then you’re going to love this gothic-meets–Beauty and the Beast inspired wedding shoot. Although it wasn’t a real wedding, there are so many creative ideas you could steal for your own. Think: moody candlelight, corseted gowns, blood-red roses, gilded mirrors, dripping wax, and that perfectly haunting mix of romance and rebellion.

Taylor Swift Meets Gothic Summer Wedding

Kat

I Love You Thirteen

October 10, 2025

Ruby and Rebecca’s wedding was a perfect collision of dark romance and pop-star sparkle. They tied the knot at their local town hall before heading to the Stock Exchange Bar in Haven, for a reception that felt equal parts gothic soirée and Taylor Swift fever dream. “We wanted to incorporate Ruby’s love of everything gothic and my love of Taylor Swift,” Rebecca said. “We kept the colours and theming dark but the welcome signs and mirrorballs everywhere were themed for Taylor.”

Gothic, Halloween Wedding with Corpse Bride Vibes

Kat

Freya Steele

October 8, 2025

Sarah and James planned their wedding around Halloween, leaning into gothic colours, pumpkins and eerie details that made their day feel like a festival of the strange and the beautiful. They worked with Foxglove and Black who helped them bring their vision to life in the most perfect way.

Dave Navarro & Vanessa DuBasso’s Gothic, Darkly Romantic Wedding

Kat

The Drakes

October 7, 2025

Dave and Vanessa, who met eight years ago after Dave reached out after seeing her in a movie trailer, hosted a multi-day celebration at Dunskey Estate in Stranraer, Scotland. The Edwardian castle, surrounded by woodland and overlooking the sea, perfectly set the scene for a darkly romantic, gothic-inspired wedding.

Dark Forest Wedding in a Castle

Kat

Dark Devotion Images

October 1, 2025

Lou and Muz wanted their wedding to feel like stepping into a dark, enchanted forest, with a streak of Disney magic running through it. They chose Danby Castle in Whitby as their setting, bringing together gothic atmosphere, woodland details, and the references that mean the most to them.

Bringing Your Subculture Into Your Wedding

Kat

September 24, 2025

There’s no rule that says a wedding has to look like lace and champagne flutes. If your life is already lived through a scene, style, or subculture, why should your wedding day be any different? Forget toning it down for the sake of tradition. This is your chance to turn the volume up.

Moody Wedding in an Irish Abbey Ruins

Kat

Sean Sharpe

September 22, 2025

Ronja and Alex left Germany to marry in Ireland with just four guests and their baby son. They wanted intimacy, atmosphere and no distractions. Ireland mattered to them. Alex had lived in Dublin as a child, and the couple felt drawn to marry there.

Botanical Soft Goth Wedding in a 15th Century Italian Castle

Kat

Annalucia Carbone Photographer

September 15, 2025

Marialaura and Fausto’s wedding unfolded inside a 15th century castle in Southern Italy. The couple filled it a botanical soft goth atmosphere where black, jewel tones, greenery, and autumn shades set the mood. They walked into their planning armed with the Rock n Roll Bride as their guide, which they said they literally shared with suppliers as a visual manifesto! Their aim was a balance of dark romance, inclusivity, and natural beauty.

Darkly Devoted: A Soft Goth Bridal Editorial for Rock n Roll Bride Magazine

Kat

Katie Rogers

September 11, 2025

This latest shoot from our editorial team, was part of our wider exploration into quieter forms of rebellion. This is your reminder that you don't have to go all-out goth to be an alternative bride! Shot on location at Crowcombe Court in Somerset, we paired gothic undertones with fine art photography, using soft layers of lace to create a mood that felt romantic, restrained, and just a little haunted

Southwestern Goth in the Moab Desert

Kat

Amy Bluestar

September 3, 2025

Taylor and Erik wanted a wedding that doubled as an adventure. They found it in Moab, Utah, surrounded by red rocks, sandstone arches, and the perfect amount of eerie timing. Taylor told us, “We originally chose our wedding date purely for the spooky thrill of getting married on Friday the 13th, but once we realised the eclipse was the next morning, it felt like the universe’s way of telling us: Yep, you picked the perfect time and place to kick off your life together as husband and wife.”