Raw Elegance: A Seafood-Inspired Editorial at Villa Pessina
There's a moment in every creative's career when instinct trumps logic, when a wild idea becomes too compelling to ignore. For photographer Daryna Huz and wedding planner Yulia Zanegina, that moment arrived over coffee and concept boards - and it involved fish. Not delicate floral arrangements or soft candlelight. Raw, silvery, unapologetically bold fish.
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The Vision
The concept was deceptively simple: take the refined world of luxury weddings and collide it with something raw, textural, and surreal. Seafood—with its metallic sheen, organic forms, and inherent drama—became the unlikely centerpiece of an editorial shoot that would challenge every conventional notion of bridal aesthetics. "We searched Pinterest for references, but nothing felt right. There wasn’t a single shoot that captured what we had in mind — something raw, fashion-forward, and a little surreal," Daryna explains. "So we decided to make it happen ourselves."
The result? A visual feast that's equal parts Vogue editorial and contemporary art installation - a study in contrasts that feels both shocking and strangely inevitable.
The Storm That Changed Everything
But creativity rarely follows a smooth path. Just days before the shoot, Lake Como issued a storm warning. On the morning they were scheduled to begin, the storm arrived in full force. "Our original location had no indoor space, so we had to improvise," Daryna remembers. "Overnight, we found a completely new location — and that felt like a sign."
Villa Pessina, a recently opened historic property on the shores of Lake Como, became more than just a backup plan. With its ornate interiors, soft blue-gray walls, and dramatic architecture, the villa provided the perfect counterpoint to their audacious concept. The cool, aquatic tones of the space echoed the maritime theme, while the opulent details added layers of sophistication. "The architecture and interior of Villa Pessina didn’t compete with the story," Daryna notes. "Instead, they completed it, making the entire concept feel cohesive and intentional."
A Palette of Contrasts
The design language for the shoot was deliberately bold: silver, white, black, and deep green - a trending palette that's simultaneously graphic and elegant. These tones created a visual tension that mirrored the conceptual tension at the heart of the shoot.
Silver and black brought drama and edge. White preserved clarity and bridal elegance. Green connected the design to the lush landscape surrounding Villa Pessina and echoed the natural world from which the seafood came. "For us, it was a way to explore a different, more tactile and surreal interpretation of wedding aesthetics: the raw texture, the metallic reflections, and the tension between elegance and unexpected materials," says Daryna.
The tablescape became a work of art: whole fish arranged on black plates, oysters and quail eggs nestled in metallic vessels, caviar dotting the composition like jewels. Grapes and candles added moments of softness, but the raw seafood remained unapologetically central - beautiful, strange, and utterly mesmerizing.
Fashion as Architecture
For the fashion element, the team collaborated with Milanova, selecting gowns that embodied sculptural minimalism. Clean lines, dramatic silhouettes, and contemporary elegance defined each look - from a liquid silk slip dress with a cowl neckline to a structured peplum gown and a sheer lace mini dress that felt equal parts bridal and runway.
"According to our stylist, Milanova’s designs complemented the concept beautifully: modern yet understated enough to support our bold idea without overpowering it," Daryna explains. The styling was equally considered: slicked-back hair, minimal makeup, and in one particularly striking image, black opera-length gloves holding fish like precious accessories. The bride becomes a fashion muse, a contemporary icon who defies every traditional expectation.
"When fashion meets weddings, something truly iconic and unexpected is born — and that’s exactly our signature style," Daryna reflects. This Lake Como editorial proves that the wedding industry has room for risk-takers. That beauty can be found in unexpected juxtapositions. That sometimes the most memorable work comes from ideas that initially sound impossible. It's a reminder that great art - whether on a runway, in a gallery, or at a wedding - requires courage. The courage to say yes to the wild idea. The courage to pivot when storms arrive. The courage to create something that doesn't yet exist in the world.
As we look through these images - the dramatic black and white portraits, the jewel-toned seafood tablescape, the bride in her sculptural gowns against Villa Pessina's historic walls - one thing becomes clear: this is what happens when you refuse to play it safe.
And it's absolutely unforgettable.
Team Credits:
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Wedding Planner: @zanegina_production
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Chief Photographer: Daryna Huz
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Venue: @villapessina
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Florist & Decor: @decor_italia
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Video: @anton_yasirov
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Content Creator: @kriss_bell_
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MUAH: @dariia_thor
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Dress: @ideasposacouture
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Wedding Stationery: @lyndaathey
