Chloe & Alex: A Moody Gothic Wedding in Mavka
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Ten years after meeting in a karaoke bar to the sound of Foo Fighters, Chloe and Alex married on 29 April 2026 in a wedding filled with gothic romance, favourite fictional worlds, Warhammer and the people who had loved them throughout their decade together.
And, naturally, there was a black wedding dress.
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
A Love Story Ten Years in the Making
Chloe and Alex's story began in a karaoke bar, where Alex was singing Foo Fighters. Ten years later - and just a few weeks after their tenth anniversary - they became husband and wife.
Even the proposal had a little gothic foreshadowing. Alex proposed at Painshill Park, beneath its Gothic Tower, in a moment Chloe describes simply as perfect.
When it came to planning their wedding, Pinterest apparently had its own ideas about what to call their aesthetic.
“All the Pinterest boards called it ‘moody and romantic’, but I thought of it as gothic.”
We are firmly with Chloe on this one.
But the look of the wedding was only part of what mattered. They wanted the day to bring together the family and friends who had loved and supported them both, while making space for all the wonderfully nerdy things that were part of their relationship. That meant Warhammer figures standing proudly on top of the wedding cake and tables named after fictional places and lots of other nerdy details.
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Finding Mavka
Chloe found Legend after, in her words, “scouring the UK for black wedding dress shops.” She arrived at the studio thinking she knew exactly what she wanted, and then came one of our favourite parts of wedding dress shopping: discovering that what you love on a hanger, a photograph or a Pinterest board isn't necessarily what makes you light up when you put it on.
“I had so much fun trying on all the dresses. It was such a special day. I went in thinking I knew exactly what I wanted but found I liked completely different things when I tried them on.”
Eventually, Chloe found Mavka… In Slavic folklore, Mavka is a woodland spirit: mysterious, beautiful and belonging to the wild. Our Mavka takes her inspiration from that untamed spirit, with metres and metres of black chiffon falling into layers of jagged, lace-edged points. Rather than creating one solid skirt, those individual layers move independently, giving the dress an almost wild quality of its own; soft and ethereal when still, dramatic and unpredictable when caught by the wind. The bodice continues those lines with a deep V neckline and long, draping jagged sleeves.
But Mavka's story has always been about more than wildness. When we created her Deity Card, we wrote that Mavka reminds us that love is not something to be controlled, but something to be nurtured and allowed to grow.
For two people marrying after ten years together, surrounded by the family and friends who had loved and supported them along the way, that feels rather fitting.
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Making Mavka Chloe's
Across Chloe's chest is an intricate tattoo inspired by Gothic cathedral architecture and obviously Chloe wanted the neckline to show it off, so we altered Mavka's neckline and sleeves to sit off Chloe's shoulders, opening the bodice around the tattoo rather than covering it.
And then she added one more detail, between the layers of black chiffon, Chloe chose to add sparkling tulle, catching flashes of light as the skirt moved and giving all that darkness an unexpected glimmer.
It is one of our favourite things about making dresses this way. Our collection might be where the conversation begins, but it doesn't have to be where it ends. A neckline can move. A sleeve can change. Fabrics can be added. Details that matter to you can become part of the design. As Chloe put it:
“I loved being able to tweak the dress exactly the way I wanted it and it was absolutely perfect.”
Mavka was still unmistakably Mavka… this was simply Chloe's Mavka.
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
When They Finally Saw Each Other
After a morning spent apart, Chloe's favourite moment of the entire wedding happened as she began walking down the aisle. She saw Alex… Alex saw her…. and apparently neither of them could stop grinning.
“My favourite moment was when I first locked eyes with Alex as I was walking down the aisle. We both couldn't stop smiling so much and it was so amazing as we hadn't seen each other all morning.”
Which is rather gorgeous.
They were perhaps slightly too eager to begin married life, however, because after the ceremony they attempted to leave without actually signing the register.
“I thought after the kiss you were done!”
😂
Ten years together and they very nearly fell at the final administrative hurdle.
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Make a Wedding You Actually Want to Attend
When we asked Chloe what advice she'd give other couples planning their wedding, her answer was beautifully straightforward:
“Don't worry about what everyone else is saying, just make a day that you'll enjoy. People go to loads of weddings as guests but you only get one (hopefully!) as the main people.”
We couldn't agree more.
There will always be someone with an opinion about what a wedding is supposed to look like. But your guests aren't the ones getting married. If gothic romance feels like you, call it gothic. If Warhammer belongs on the cake, put Warhammer on the cake. Name your tables after your favourite fantasies. Alter the dress so everyone can see the cathedral you've chosen to carry permanently on your skin.
The details that make a wedding meaningful aren't necessarily the ones tradition tells you to include - they're the ones that couldn't quite belong to anybody else.
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Capturing the Day
Chloe and Alex's wedding was photographed by Madeleine Kuklych Photography, who Chloe was particularly keen to shout about — not only for the finished photographs, but for everything that happened around them.
“She did our photos and not only were they absolutely perfect, but she helped organise the family photos, she helped us pose, came to get us for sunset pictures and she made sure not to miss any of the lovely tender moments.”
And those tender moments are ultimately what remain. The dress moving, the ridiculous laughter, the people you love gathered together, the moment your eyes meet after ten years of everything that came before.
And, with any luck, somebody reminding you to sign the register before you wander off into married life.
Madeleine Kuklych Photography
Mavka's Blessing
For every Legend dress, there is now a corresponding Deity Card telling the story of the immortal who inspired her, and offering a blessing to take into whatever comes next.
For Chloe and Alex, after ten years of growing together and a wedding made unmistakably their own, Mavka's feels particularly apt:
May your love remain wild, rooted and endlessly alive.
And perhaps somebody should also add:
May you always remember to sign the paperwork🖤
