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The City of London comes to life in this dreamy elopement shoot

Tying the knot in central London doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on romance and dreamy styling. Photographers Leanne Ashcroft and Mal Sivapunniyan teamed up with a group of talented local suppliers to show just that!

“Our vision for the shoot was to create luminous, dreamy, romantic images that’ll offer inspiration to modern, diverse brides and grooms,” explains Leanne. “For the style-conscious romantics out there, why can’t you glide through the streets of London wearing that elegant, floaty dress? Why should you sacrifice dreamy delicate bouquet details? The answer quite simply is – you shouldn’t!” she adds. “We had a pop of pink running through the styling, our bride wore the Francine dress by Wendy Makin and flowers by Elizabeth Marsh Floral Design demonstrated just that.”

This shoot emphasised that you don’t have to be wearing a trend setting jumpsuit or a short funky dress to pull off an elopement in the city. “We wanted to show that simplicity, style and romance does work with London as your backdrop,” says Leanne.

Diversity and inclusivity were important to the team. “Firstly, the location’s one of the most multicultural cities in the world, so we wanted to feature a real-life couple from different backgrounds. We didn’t just want diversity on display within our images, we wanted it to be behind the scenes too and there was also a wide range of representation from our team of suppliers,” she adds. “We also wanted to challenge stereotypical views. For this reason, we collaborated with War Paint for Men for our groom’s skincare and make-up.”

SHOOT SUPPLIERS Styling and concept, Leanne Ashcroft Photography, www.leanneashcroftphotography.co.uk; Mal’s Photography, www.malsphotography.co.uk | Venues, Chelsea Town Hall, www.rbkc.gov.uk; Peggy Porschen Chelsea, www.peggyporschen.com/pages/peggy-porschen-chelsea | Photographer, Leanne Ashcroft Photography, www.leanneashcroftphotography.co.uk

Dress, Shades of White Bridal Boutique, www.shades-of-white.co.uk; French Collection by Wendy Makin, www.frenchbywendymakin.com

Hair stylist, Zoe Emmett Hair, www.zoeemmetthair.com | Make-up artist, Makeupology, www.makeupology.co.uk | Flowers, Elizabeth Marsh Floral Design, www.emfd.co.uk | Stationery, Love Cards by Lynda Loves, www.lyndaloves.com | Male beauty, War Paint for Men, www.warpaintformen.com | Nail art, Niny Beauty, www.treatwell.co.uk/place/niny-beauty | Rings, BWR London, www.bwr-london.co.uk Accessories, Vivienne Westwood, www.viviennewestwood.com