Bridal hairstyle galleries

A visit to Rangoli involves lots of chatting about your wedding day - I want to hear all about your personal style as well as the gorgeous ideas and things that you have planned! So it's a chance for you to create a storyboard of ideas and inspiration - the more fantastical the better!

As well as designing your bridal jewellery and hair accessories, I can offer you advice on choosing your hairstyle. I am putting together albums of inspiration hairstyles on my Rangoli Facebook page. Here you can look at albums of short, half-up and upstyles. I'll be updating these albums regularly so if you 'like' my page, you can keep up to date with the latest Rangoli news and events.

As always, I welcome your feedback and suggestions ~

Winter Wonderland Cupcake Kit

It's snowy white and very cold outside so I feel I am entitled to post about plastic reindeers and other important seasonally related stuff! These cool cupcake kits are available from BakeLab and cost just $12 - worth it for the reindeers alone I think!

Bespoke Rangoli headpiece

I love working on special commissions and photographing them just before they are collected! This little beauty was taken away by someone at lunchtime today and the studio was abuzz with that wonderful 'soon to be married energy'. The new owner is so happy with her headpiece and is dying to wear it on her wedding day. This piece was designed to go with the Jenny Packham 'Cornelia' dress and I think it's going to be perfect with it.


I was a teeny-weeny bit sad to see this piece go but so happy for its stylish new owner. I wish you all the best Ms. L :-) and I'm looking forward to seeing your photos.

Read more about my recent commissions or have a look at my Rangoli Brides album on my website.

Colour therapy for a grey day

It's so grey and wet outside today. As I sat in a coffee shop earlier, looking out the window, I realised that I love that heavy foreboding grey sky. The shade of grey that makes all other colours just pop alongside it.

Here's an image that I came across recently by the amazing Rodney Smith. What a dream-like scene and what magical and striking colours. I want to see what happens when this woman floats into the water but it's up to my imagination to visualise it! I suppose that what makes this image so engaging.

This blog is also about things that inspire me to design and colour is something that makes my heart sing, especially on a grey November day like today. And there's definitely some wedding colour palette inspiration in there too...

Short-haired brides

I've been so looking forward to posting this feature and have enjoyed researching this topic...no end. However you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find images of real brides who have short hair! I contacted over ten Irish and International photographers and most said that they had never photographed a short-haired bride. What is going on?

Anyway, never mind - I managed to collect some gorgeous real-bride images to share with you. I've also included a few 'faking it' longer styles as well as some celeb versions.

So let me introduce you to some super-stylish brides...

First of all I'm going to start with Paige who I featured in my opening post. Paige is American and we've chatted away by email and I've found out a bit more about her personal style and thoughts on hairstyles!

"I would just say that short hair is what makes me feel like me. I feel that short hair fits my personality the best. I've always liked to be a little different and not so "cookie-cutter", and I feel short hair gives me that uniqueness. It makes me feel cute, quirky, stylish, and different. When I did have long hair, I was never that good at doing it. With short hair, it's so easy to look good all the time, and that makes me feel consistently better about myself.

When I couldn't find any pictures of short-haired women at weddings, it was frustrating because I knew I wanted short hair for my wedding, but I didn't know how to go the extra step and make it befitting for a wedding do -- elegant and more than just my everyday short hairdo. However, not being able to find pictures of short-haired brides did support my thought that it would make me stand out and be original!"

This photograph is courtesy of Rhonda Steed and you can view more from this wedding in my Flickr album.

Next, let me introduce you to Esther who is my first Irish representative! The wedding was photographed by Claire Wilson from Gingerpixel Photography. I love Esther's natural look.

"Like a lot of others, I was really frustrated by the lack of images of short-haired brides in magazines, etc. Offbeatbride was a great resource, though, because they show a more diverse range of looks, and it was really nice to see some brides who looked a bit more like me! In the end I decided I didn't want to try for a fancy style, as it would just be another thing to stress about on the day, so as you can see I kept it very basic. My flower hairclip cost a couple of Eur in Boots -- it was the only nice decoration I could find that would actually stay in my hair!"

Sonya is another Irish bride and I designed her Rangoli vintage lace comb. You can read about the wedding in my previous post. There are lots of Rangoli accessory options for short hair from hairwires to combs to individual hairpins. Photo courtesy of Bernard Carolan at Mark Griffin Photo.

Next up are Australians Nicole and Glenn. I just love the striking details of this wedding. Nicole's hairstyle is so sharp yet totally feminine. And how about the Japanese Obi that she wore as a belt? She also made her paper flower bouquet. The photos are courtesy of Ross Pulford photography.


Gia Canali is a photographer who I featured a number of times so I was delighted when she was able to share a wedding with me for this article. I've chosen to include a couple of black and white images of Sharlyn and Jim as they are so striking. Yes, it's a relaxed barn wedding affair but how glamorous are this couple?


Tim and Andrea make such a cute couple and I'm including three images as they capture such lovely emotions. Again, this short hairstyle is just so pretty and the French netting hair accessory sets it off perfectly. The photos were taken by Abby Rose Photo.



Katie makes quite a statement with this dramatic headpiece and soft curly bob. This wedding was found via StyleMePretty. The photo is by Daria Bishop Photography.

And yet one more gorgeous image - this time it's the wedding of Astrid and Kyle. This photo could have been taken in the 50's and has such a sense of style. Photo by Alex Rubin

So now time for some inspiration ideas. Love these two styles - very sexy and super-elegant. Images found via WeHeartIt and Aveda.

And here's one of those 'faking it' short-long hairstyles...it's all in the illusion. That's why you need a good hairdresser!

And finally a little dose of celeb style with Eva and Katie showing us that short hair can be shiny, classy and chic. I really hope you've enjoyed reading this post - I'd love to hear your feedback and please share this link with all friends or colleagues that have lovely short locks :-)

You can also view my complete album of inspiration photos - I will be adding to this on an on-going basis. I also love long styles so you can read about my other hairstyle articles, featuring 'half-up' hairstyles and soft up-styles.

In addition to the photographer credits above, I'd like to thank Offbeatbride who were a great source for many of these photos. (Thanks for the link Gia).

Follow Rangoli on Facebook for all the latest tips, advice and inspiration...and keep your suggestions coming for articles you would like me to research :-)

White Tea Photobooth Video

Today I offer you a slide-show of pure emotions...

I'm a big fan of individuality especially when it comes to weddings. My favourite weddings are the ones where there is a strong sense of the couple's personalities and style. The day is memorable because you feel lots of warm fuzzy emotions! Recently though, there seems to be a huge emphasis on having the most unusual 'everything' for a wedding. Sometimes the emotion is lost in the quest for the most memorable 'things'.

So when I came across the work of White Tea Photography, I fell for their genuine and personal style. And when I watched the photo-booth session above, they made me laugh and have those fuzzy feelings even though I didn't know the couple or their wedding guests.

Aga and Noel set up White Tea Photography three years ago and I was intrigued by the unusual name - Here's Aga to explain...

White tea leaves come from the very top part of the tea plant, they are young and nutritious and are the the most precious part of the tea plant. We felt that it portrayed where we want to be in the wedding photography industry. From Day One we have had a big commitment to the quality of our products and services. Then on the other hand, we love tea and it is a very comforting drink too. It seemed to us that the untraditional name "White Tea" would combine our quirky nature and friendly approach, along with our commitment to providing each and every couple with the absolute best we can!

These photo-booth sessions can be part of the White Tea photography package. I've asked Aga to tell you more about how they work -

I suppose the difference between our photobooth and the one you can hire is that there is a human being behind the camera (myself or Noel) and we give people a little encouragement! It's a little studio, rather than a box, with professional studio lighting so it's as flattering as possible for everybody. Guests can drop by the booth in their own time, as often as they wish. They can come alone, with a loved one, an old pal, a new pal or a group of relatives they haven’t seen in years. Seeing as for the majority of the weddings we shoot we provide a full day's coverage where we stay until midnight, we usually set the photobooth after the meal is over and the guests begin to let their hair down :)

Thanks Aga and Noel - wishing you both continued success with White Tea!

Check out more of White Tea's photo-booth videos -

Sneaky peak...short hair for weddings!

Fact no. 1 - There are lots of women out there with short hair.
Fact no. 2 - There are lots of women with short hair who are getting married.
Fact no. 3 - Short hair can look really elegant, sexy and feminine...

So why do we see so few images of short-haired brides in magazines or bridal blog features?

I'm attempting to answer this question by researching it in detail. (being a short-haired girl myself, I find this issue intriguing :-)

So watch this space as I will soon be revealing a portfolio of yummy, alternative hairstyles for those of you with gorgeous short locks. Forget growing your hair or spending a fortune on extensions. Just be your lovely self.

*I'm editing this post to include a message from Paige who is the person in the photo above! I am so delighted that she got in touch with me to share her thoughts -

"Hi. I just so happen to be the short-haired woman in that picture! It was so hard and frustrating to try to find examples and ideas of short-haired brides, so I'm glad that you're going to be compiling a portfolio of short-hair ideas for us short-haired girls out there -- and that I get to be a part of it! I love having short hair and feel it's so much more "me", so I definitely didn't want to change that for my wedding. Having short hair at my wedding made me feel wonderfully unique and "me"!

Watch out for my album of real short-haired brides coming soon! Read more of my articles about all types of hairstyles.

The image above was taken by Rhonda Steed and was found via Whimsical Wonderland Weddings.

1930's Hollywood Glamour Headpiece

Today I'm sharing a headpiece that I recently made for a client. I love the vintage feel of this rhinestone hairband. It was designed to go with a gorgeous 1930's Hollywood glamour dress and the hairstyle will be a bob with finger-wave curls. Super, super-glam don't you agree? I hope to share some photos of Rebecca's wedding soon.

Rebecca wanted a vintage style decorative headpiece to complement the rhinestone embellishment on her gown. This versatile piece can be worn again with so many different outfits. Wishing Rebecca all the best for her upcoming wedding!

Read more about my recent commissions or follow me on Facebook!

The hairstyle photo above was found via Style-Hair-Magazine.

Lavin Honeymoon suitcases

Well, you'll need one won't you? And unless you're travelling with toy-sized Ryanair hand luggage, you'll want decent sized and very stylish luggage to see you through your first Mr & Mrs vacation...

This baby might be just what you're looking for. The Lavin Honeymoon Suitcase is not just a pretty case. We're talking a canvas suitcase with round corners and silver hardware. And there's more - once you open the case, you'll reveal its treasure of matching accessories. Your goody bag contains a matching printed cotton tote bag that has grosgrain handles, a small patterned drawstring bag, pompom-embellished raffia flip flops that come in one size and a large printed pareo. A pareo appears to be a sarong if I guess correctly :-) and those 'grosgrain' handles must be made of fancy-pants wood...

The price, (in small print) is €460, but I mean look at what you get for your money...
For more details, visit net-a-porter.com

The Bridal Lounge

The Bridal Lounge - Wedding Planning and Inspiration Video, Dublin, Ireland from Deirdre Hynes on Vimeo.
I'm really excited to share this video about The Bridal Lounge. I enjoy working and collaborating with other creative people and I've recently got to know Aoife and Deirdre who co-own this innovative new business. As well as being super enthusiastic and loving what they do - they have many talents ranging from make-up artistry, event planning and floristry and both have a wealth of knowledge of the wedding Industry in Ireland. So what do you get when you put all of this into a creative melting pot? The Bridal Lounge of course!

I've had the pleasure of working with Aoife and Deirdre for a wonderful shoot in Killruddery Estate. In fact Deirdre and her husband, (seen above), were the models for this glamorous engagement session. See more images in my previous blog post.

Aoife and Deirdre I wish you continued success with your business!

Make sure to visit their website and blog for more information.

Video by Trakax
Photo by Stephanie Fay

Bespoke Rangoli headpiece

I thought I'd share some pictures of a recent Rangoli commission. I like the colour combinations - quite moody yet understated. There's lots of slate blues, greys and burgundy around at the moment.


I picked out the Cristal Reiss dress below and think it would work well with this headpiece. And a perhaps some opaque burgundy tights by Jonathan Aston...

The shoes I will leave up to you! Suggestions on a postcard please...I'm thinking patent leather!

Check out some of my other commissions too for ideas and inspiration.