In April I ran a competition with Kat of Rock n’ Roll Bride for five of her lucky readers to win a trash the dress shoot with myself.

Today I’m very excited to share with you the first collection of images from one of the winners.

Ruth is a musician from New Zealand who lives with her husband Kane in London and plays in their band Death In Texas. When Ruth entered the competition she said she would love to save her wedding dress from the far reaches of Narina a.k.a the back of her closet and swop the great teetering heels she wore on her wedding day for her chucks and be photographed browsing through a record store and busking on Brick Lane.

I loved Ruth’s vision and how she wanted to contrast the glamour of her big day with a more relaxed style, one that captured her lifestyle and suited her personality so well. Brick Lane also happens to be one of my favourite areas of East London as it has some of the best graffiti, so the thought of photographing a stunning bride against some amazing street art was in fact my idea of heaven!

The shoot was on a Sunday and the perfect summers day to take a stroll down Brick Lane. Stopping off along the way at the iconic beigal shop, to browse through a record store, then we hung out and Ruth rocked out in front of the most prefect pre made backdrops ever.

Bespoke boutique made by the very lovely and talented Anissa Lee from the sheet music of Supermassive Black Hole by Muse, which was Ruth and Kane’s ‘walking down the aisle’ song.

Hair and make-up by Becca Ross

All images retouched by Kathleen Smerdon