A Story of Eros

editorial

4 Nov

Love had many different meanings in ancient Greece and each of these had its own God to represent it. The most familiar of these was Eros, commonly referred to by his Roman name, Cupid. In Greek mythology Eros is the God of love and desire. He was born alongside Chaos and Gaia at the beginning of time and helped create a union between the two that resulted in creating the Night and Day, and eventually the very world around us. As time went on Eros was a favoured companion of Aphrodite and was sent on quests with his magical bow and arrow to make people fall in love. It is said that whoever was struck by Eros’ arrow would immediately fall in love with the person they saw next.

That feeling you had when you first met your fiancé, that was Eros. He creates the warm fuzzy feeling that we all know as love and in turn has created many stories from it. Without the initial prick from his arrow, you would not be journeying through life with the person you love most.

The ancient stories of Eros influenced us heavily. And although some believe the times of the Greek Gods live only in our classical books, we believe that Eros still has a part to play in all of our lives. We, Stories From Eros wish to tell the stories of our couple’s lives, from the moment they were struck by Eros’ mischievous arrow to the present day.

Julia from Frances Day Bridal brought together a selection of unreleased dresses from both Suzanne Neville and Stephanie Allin’s 2022 collections. Julia selected dresses that could not have suited our theme more, this stunning collection of dresses completely wowed us when we saw them on the models for the first time.

2022 Collections

We were blessed to shoot the new Suzanne Neville Nova 2022 collection and the Stephanie Allin Jewel 2022 collection before they had been released. The dresses speak for themselves, but here is a little more information about each of them.

Stephanie Allin’s Jewel 2022 Collection

Flora is a bespoke off the shoulder details - Stepanie Allin’a Flora dress is embroidered with a floral design creating a light ethereal look, the off the shoulder details are bespoke to the dress featured in the shoot.

Pearl was also featured, the beautiful tulle sleeves on this gown are embellished with pearls, blending perfectly with the Grecian influences of The Story of Eros concept.

The final Stephanie Allin dress in this shoot was Seraphine. An exquisite feather tulle gown with a detachable shoulder. Glamorous and radiant, this elegant dress is fit for the Gods.

Suzanne Neville’s Nova Collection 2022

Cora is a sleek belted dress, which imbues the very essence of goddess. The name Cora translates to Maiden in Greek and refers to the goddess Persephone whose own complicated love story decided the very seasons we experience today.

The final dress to feature is Autumn. This dress is wonderfully covered in detailed autumnal embroidery. This dress coupled with a long veil flowed softly in the wind animating it to life during our shoot.

The Story of Eros is a shoot curated to highlight the significance of Eros within a relationship. We seated the Gods of Love around our table setting: Eros, Aphrodite, Anteros, Imeros, Hymenaios and Pothos with name placers meticulously created by Another Loop. Each God represents a different type of Love and so the table represents the very core of love in its entirety.

Our table was placed inside a secret garden, hidden in the beautiful floral overgrowth between towering ivy. Sophie from Gigil and Bloom created a masterful arch of hydrangeas, roses, and delphiniums among the ivy to frame our beatific table.

Blues and whites with highlights of yellows gave the shoot the warm Grecian feeling we were after.

The equilibrium between masculine and feminine energy balanced itself out throughout the shoot, between the strong poses and the soft muted tones.

Our Grecian influences followed through into the styling.

For hair and make-up, we wanted to show the models’ natural beauty, so the skin tones were kept soft and the eye make-up was subtle to allow the eyes to stand out. Hannah Dora’s style fit perfectly with our desire to elevate one’s natural beauty rather than mask it. Her subtle touch and scrupulous care showed and the look she helped to create made for a timeless and celestial look when coupled with our film photographs.

Much of the jewellery used on the shoot incorporated delicate pearls. This precious jewel was treasured in ancient Mediterranean culture. To the ancient Greeks pearls were seen to be tears of the Gods and they symbolised purity, beauty, love, devotion, and marriage. Everything we wished our shoot to represent. The statement bespoke pearled Miss Clemmie crown paired with the Margaux Studios freshwater pearl earrings added a modern, yet classic twist to the traditional wedding accessory.

Without the exquisite and committed collaboration from everyone involved we would not have seen this project come to light. Each and everyone’s commitment to helping us bring our vision to life shows the herculean bond between this group of small business owners. We cannot thank every one of them enough for their input, hard work and creative insights.