AN understanding bride indulged her new husband’s passion for the living dead by slipping back into her wedding dress for a zombie themed photoshoot.

In years to come, when Jay and Katy Tate get out their treasured wedding album, friends and family may be in for a bit of a shock.

For along with the romantic pictures of the big day itself at Crook Hall in Durham City, the Bowburn couple can be seen staring hauntingly into the camera, covered in blood and threatening each other with weapons like a scene from a horror movie.

Thankfully, this is not evidence of a marriage dangerously on the rocks.

Mr Tate, 29, is one of the directors of the region’s largest Halloween haunt, Scream Factory in Kirkleatham, near Redcar. He loves zombies and all things spooky, so when it came to his wedding day, friends were convinced the living dead would make an appearance.

Mrs Tate, originally from Bishop Auckland, said: “Jason had some big ideas of having zombies turn up on the day but I put my foot down.

“Our photographer, Jade Angus from Gasp Photo Company, suggested doing a trash the dress shoot, and Jason thought that would be a good way of doing something Scream Factory related.

“It was a bit of a compromise.”

The photoshoot took place at the Scream Factory a week after the wedding, with the newlyweds putting all their finery back on for the stunt. Mrs Tate’s dress not only got covered in fake blood but it turned blue from the smoke.

“I haven’t taken it to the dry cleaners yet,” she joked.

“It was a bizarre experience and really quite terrifying because the sets are really scary even during the daylight. But it was great fun, and something we will look back at forever. “Not many people can say they have done what we did. If Jay has his own way, I am sure a photo will make it onto a wall somewhere in our house - but next to one where we are not dressed as zombies of course.”

Mr Tate said: “My role at Scream Factory is usually very much behind the scenes and though I have acted on a couple of occasions supporting at the event, this was a totally different experience.”

Located behind Kirkleatham Museum, the Scream Factory is a Halloween experience set up by the Tate family to diversify their Redcar-based flood restoration business.

Now in its fifth year, it employs over fifty people including electricians, architects, structural engineers, joiners and actors, who act on the set when the event takes place from October 21 to October 31.

Tickets are available from screamfactory.co.uk