Backless Beach Wedding Dress Spotlight: Katie May’s Princeville Gown {Images by Abbi}

Katie May’s Backless Beach Wedding Dress ♥

The star of today’s moody bridal fashion editorial is the sultry Princeville gown from designer Katie May, which is the very definition what the perfect backless beach wedding dress. Shot exclusively for Confetti Daydreams Wedding blog at Zuma Beach, California, this look at the sleek and seductively Princeville Gown  is the first of two bridal fashion editorials we have coming your way captured by Images by Abbi. (Yay!) 

Model, Mikala Irion, is a flawless beach bride, strolling barefoot along the moody shore. She is wearing a delicate diamond bezel body chain coupled with a vermeil triple chain anklet and oh-so-boho gemstone toe anklet, all designed by Jacquie Aiche.

Melina Ruize, from Beauty by Melina, styled Mikala’s hair into a gorgeous beach-ready wedding hairstyle: messy waves swept to the side in a loose braid with lots of texture, dimension, and body. For a healthy beach wedding glow, Melina opted for lips and eyes in golden peachy hues, and individually applied false lashes for added drama.

Although there are so many exquisitely styled details in this editorial, I must confess that I am totally obsessed with the custom-made temporary tattoos from StrayTats which quote William Shakespeare & Emily Bronte!

Backless Beach Wedding Dress by Katie May

Katie May’s Backless Beach Wedding Dress

The shoot was conceptualized by Emily Parkin, who tells us about the team’s inspiration:

“For this look we wanted to take it back to where Katie May began. For those unfamiliar with Katie’s story, her bridal collection was launched after she designed her younger sister’s wedding gown, which soon became known as the Princeville. Her sister was married on the beach in Hawaii, so the Princeville was naturally what came to our minds when styling a beach shoot.

The hair and makeup we chose was inspired by Katie’s sister’s wedding look – gorgeous yet natural. The color of the flower bouquet was inspired by the golden and peach hues used in the makeup. We arranged it in a way that made it feel wild and overgrown, which stayed in tune with the relaxed and beachy feel.

For the jewelry, we chose to style the look with pieces from Los Angeles-based jewelry designer Jacquie Aiche. The typical wedding jewelry can be very gaudy and overwhelming, so we absolutely love the way Jacquie Aiche is able to design pieces that are dainty, yet impactful, which is the perfect balance for creating a wedding-day look. For this beach boho look, we wanted to have fun with the jewelry pieces we chose. The back pieces we used decorate the body in a way that is very bohemian, yet chic. The foot jewelry is the perfect way to decorate the feet for brides that want to be barefoot in the sand.

Lastly, we had custom temporary tattoos made to put on the fingers and down the side of the rib cage. We love the idea of telling a story in a way that is tasteful and stylish. We were inspired by quotes by William Shakespeare and Emily Bronte, but they can be lines from the vows or lyrics from the first dance song – anything that is special and meaningful to a bride and her partner. Having custom tattoos made is a way to do something fun and different, and our gowns allow brides to put them in places that are hidden yet still present.”

Upcoming Katie May Trunk Shows

To get your hands of a fabulously fitted Katie May gown see a list of stockists here or be sure to attend one of these upcoming trunk shows:

• Colorado: November 21st, 22nd 2014 –  a&be aandbebridalshop.com
• Pennsylvania: December 12th – 13th, 19th, 20th, 2014  Lovely Bride   lovelybride.com
• California: January 10th to 11th, 17th, 18th, 2015 – And Something Blue, shopandsomethingblue.com
• Minnesota :January 30th, 31st, 2015  – a&be aandbebridalshop.com

Backless Beach Wedding Dress:  Princeville Gown by Katie May // Photographer: Abbi Cooley, Images by Abbi // Location: Zuma Beach – Malibu, CA // Model: Mikala Irion  // Hair, Beauty & Make-Up Beauty by Melina  // Jewelry  Jacquie Aiche  // Temporary Tattoos: StrayTats // Floral: Dahlias

For more backless beauty make sure you take a look at the  previously featured Katie May look book here and if you’re planning a seaside soiree browse all of our beach wedding inspiration here.