Rangoli Jewellery and Hair Accessories by Aisling Nelson

A pen for you and me - Pen Type A

2012-01-25T13:55:00.000Z

Who likes writing with a nice pen? I do and I wanted to have a special pen for my customers to use when we take notes in the studio.

So, I like writing with nice pens AND I like supporting other creative people. One day last year, I came across this inspiring couple on the Kickstarter website. Kickstarter is so cool - their copy line is "A new way to fund and follow creativity". Artists and designers around the world have the chance to pitch their idea by using a short video. You can choose to fund their dream in a number of different ways.

I chose to buy one of these cool pens because I believed in these two enthusiastic people. I bought into Taylor + Che-Wei really and the bonus is that I (and anyone visiting my studio), will get to use this special pen. These two remind me why I love my job so much. I have enjoyed being on the journey with them and getting regular and really funny updates on how the manufacturing process is going... including all the hicups :-)

Taylor + Che-Wei wearing balloons!

Taylor + Che-Wei's pen is so minimal. I love the clean lines, sleek feel, (only imagined as yet) and most of all, the popping sounds it makes caused by the air pressure that holds it in it's container, (listen for the pop, pop, pops at the end of the video!) If I'm honest, the popping sounds were the deal clincher. It's a pen, it's a ruler and they promise me that it will last for generations. How cool is that?

You can read more about the Pen Type A pen or choose your own project to support on Kickstarter.

Let me know if you'd like to visit me and try out my new pen! (it hasn't arrived yet but you'll hear all about it when it does).

a thousand words - Brosnan Photographic

2012-01-11T11:36:00.002Z

We've all heard the phrase 'An image speaks a thousand words'. Great photographs tell a story by capturing a moment in time. In this series, I am asking some of my favourite wedding photographers to describe one of their cherished photographs. My inspiration is the book Photography Speaks: 150 Photographers On Their Art. This book features a number of iconic photographers who share some personal reflections about one of their photographs. Although I don't yet own a copy of the book, the idea captured my imagination and is the inspiration for a new series of guest blog posts with photographers.

This month, we're back in Ireland, chatting with Christina Brosnan. Christina is originally from Chicago but now lives in Ireland with her Irish husband. I love her feminine style and eye for beautiful details. I was excited to see Christina's chosen image. The suspense was worth the wait - what a spontaneous moment!

{Click image for a larger version}

"I chose this image of one of my recent couples because it's a very organic moment. Often my best images happen when a couple is very relaxed in front of the camera. When I told Eimear and Cathal to go in for a kiss, Eimear grabbed Cathal without realising they were hidden behind the bouquet. But it created for a perfect little moment and a great photo. I feel as if they're having a sneaky little kiss. The way they're leaning shows they weren't afraid to really go for it!

I approach every wedding with the same technique. I keep a couple interacting to help produce those natural moments. I prefer to see movement than stiff posed statues. For me the time I spend with a couple is my favourite part of the wedding day. My style is more about capturing the intimacy between a couple than putting them against a pretty landscape. All you need is a little bit of good daylight and a fabulous couple and you can create magic!"

Thanks for chatting with us Christina and adding another dimension to this treasured image - For all existing and new fans, check out Christina's portfolio on her blog and website.

This photographer interview is part of a series which you can read in full. Come on; tell me about the photographer you have chosen or admire!

Gold - my favourite 2012 wedding trend

2012-01-06T16:06:00.000Z

I'm going to let you in on a big secret... I've been in business for fourteen years and I've been waiting for this moment to come.

"One of the big trends for 2012 is metallics; gold in particular."

Little known facts about me - I have a rose gold wedding ring and a bathroom with gold leaf wallpaper. That's not to say that I don't love silver and platinum, it's just that I'm monogamous in my metal choice!

So are any of you choosing a dress with gold detailing or including some precious metallics into your colour theme? I'm already seeing lots of dresses with touches of gold embroidery or fabrics with a golden hue. The gorgeous gown above is by Badgley Mischka, (full credits below).

My sister Tara is looking into metallic icings for her cakes this year. I'll keep you posted on all developments and tasting sessions :-)

Let 2012 be the year of metallic opulence! Please indulge me by sending me pics of your favourite golden moments x

Image credits:
Clockwise from top left - Rangoli bride Aisling wears a delicate crochet headpiece to match her Claire Pettibone gown, a glimmering cake to melt my heart, a set of Rangoli pale gold and pearl hairpins and a stunning Badgley Mischka gold and white gown.

Fiona and Dan's Shelbourne Hotel wedding

2012-01-03T12:55:00.000Z

Welcome back everyone - did you have a great Christmas? It's the start of a whole new exciting new year for all of us! I've been saving Fiona and Dan's wedding as the first post of 2012 - this stylish fairytale will warm your hearts and tingle your toes.

First of all, I'd like to say that it's not that often that I get to meet both parents of my clients and it was really touching to see how involved Fiona's parents were in her wedding preparations. Being their only daughter... and only child made this a very special day for the family.

Fiona brought along lots of images to show me. We chatted for ages about all the ideas she wanted to bring together. This style board helped us both to come up with suggestions on how to accessorise her look. After trying on lots of different designs, we decided on the perfect hair accessories; a gold rhinestone vine comb and finest pearl and rhinestone bracelet. I love her elegant look! And I really had fun designing a headpiece and necklace for Fiona's Mum as well as brooch style combs and bracelets for the bridesmaids. Here's Fiona to tell us all about how she planned her day!

"Dan and I had been together for ten years and engaged for two years when we finally decided to set the date! We had been playing with the idea of going abroad but never really found the right location. We were walking through St Stephen's Green in Dublin City on New Year's Day 2010 and realised that the perfect location was right under our nose. My Parents and Grandparents had both been married in The University Church and our first formal date had been my Debs Ball in The Shelbourne Hotel, a decade earlier. We wanted something intimate and classy so the St Stephen's Suite in The Shelbourne Hotel was perfect"

"When it came to choosing my dress, I knew I wanted something that would fit in with the Art Deco elegance of The Shelbourne. When I tried it on I knew. It had a beautiful lace train with a gold thread, pearl and rhinestone detail. It also had a champagne satin ribbon around the waist with a vintage brooch attached to it. It was perfect! The bridesmaid dresses were a simple champagne colour with a stunning ruching detail, flattering all the bridesmaids. The boys would be in Black Tuxedos.

My dress had so much detail that I didn't like the idea of wearing a tiara as it would have taken away from it so when I came across an article on Rangoli Jewellery on Weddings Online, I fell in love. I loved the idea of having custom made to compliment my dress and the hair combs were such a beautiful traditional idea."

"I called Aisling to make an appointment and as soon I spoke to her, I knew that she understood what I was looking for. On the morning of my appointment, it was lashing rain and my Mum and I were soaked when we arrived at The Design Studio. Aisling was so pleasant and welcoming and instantly made us feel at ease.

Aisling showed us some of her hair accessories and it was really like we were in heaven, they were all so pretty, I wanted them all! I showed Aisling pictures of my dress, described the theme of the wedding and a sample of the detail on the train and slowly, before my eyes, my hair comb came to life, along with a very delicate pearl bracelet to compliment it."

"Aisling also helped me to design beautiful hair brooches and pearl bracelets for my three Bridesmaids, even getting the detail of the girl's wrist sizes. When my Mum, Helen, saw Aisling's designs she was so impressed that she made an appointment for herself! My Mum is not really a hat person and was dreading having to wear one so she fell in love with the coloured jewel wire hair combs. My Mum was feeling very nervous about her outfit and Aisling really helped her to feel at ease and offered her excellent advice. She also designed a stunning neck piece to flatter the neckline of the dress she would be wearing.

When we went in to collect the pieces, we were so excited! Aisling had understood exactly what we needed, they were perfect! I kept the jewellery a secret right up until the morning of the wedding and the girls were thrilled when they opened the boxes. In keeping with the vintage theme of the day, my hair was styled up in an elaborate bun. My antique style veil sat over the bun and my hairstylist placed my comb to the right side, so it would be visible when we were saying our vows at the altar."

Bridesmaids pearl hair comb

"The church mass was beautiful and personal. As there was only forty guests, everyone was involved and we were able to walk through the church to shake all the guests hands at The Sign of Peace. After the service, we had some stunning shots taken arong St Stephen's Green and Grafton Street by Brosnan Photography. Our Rangoli jewellery sparkled in the late Autumn sunlight in our beautiful city.

"The reception was lovely. We had fabulous food and were entertained in style by The Swing Singer and Shane Black, the illusionist. Our magical day was topped off by meeting The Former President of The United States of America, Mr Bill Clinton!"

"It was truly a day to remember and I look forward to hopefully one day, giving my Rangoli comb to my daughter to wear at her wedding. I would recommend Rangoli Jewellery to anyone who is looking for something special and unique for their Wedding Day.

Thank You Aisling!"

Thanks to you too Fiona - I am glad that you were so happy with your Rangoli jewels. I'll be patiently waiting for that photo of your daughter wearing your comb :-)

A big thanks also to Christina Brosan who photographed Fiona and Dan's wedding.

Check out some more Rangoli wedding reports on the blog - definitely my favourite posts - how about you?

Supplier details -
Photography: Brosnan Photographic
Venue: The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin.
Dress: Nicolini Rosetta at Berketex
Jewellery and hair accessories: Rangoli Jewellery
Suits: Black Tie
Hair & Makeup: James & Sarah at Ebano Salon, Balinteer
Flowers: The Frog Prince
Cars: Terry Flanagan at Gold Cars

A Christmas wish - Believe in magic!

2011-12-19T12:49:00.003Z

How about a Roald Dahl wish for Christmas? Let's all watch the world with glittering eyes in 2012...

Thanks to all of my readers - I hope you'll be back in January to keep me company. I'll be sharing lots more bespoke designs, real wedding reports & tips and advice!

To my Christmas brides, I'll be chinking you over my hols and wishing a happy 'first married Christmas' to all of my 2011 clients :-)

My first post in 2012 will be an amazing wedding report from Fiona and Dan who met a surprising visitor at their Shelbourne Hotel wedding!

Happy hols everyone - I'm off to practice using my twinkly eyes...

Image credits
Top two images via Pinterest

a thousand words... a thousand images - Velare Imaginarium

2011-12-13T11:00:00.000Z

If you've been following the "a thousand words series", you will have enjoyed reading about photographers talking about one of their favourite images. Most have said how difficult it is to choose just one! For the month of December, I'm doing something a little bit different but still totally relevant to the theme.

Thank you Twitter for introducing me to the the work of Velare Imaginarium - Every time I watch one of their beautiful wedding films, I'm just carried away to special place. And I realised yesterday that the dreamy slow motion reminds me of one of my favourite experiences ever - a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia. Slowing things down, makes us see the emotions so much more clearly; a caress or a sweeping expression on a guest's face. There's much more to these films than the pace though; Steve and Tim are able to capture the essence of a day of immense love, movement and words in under five minutes. So for the month of December, please welcome Velarium to the 'A thousand Words' series.

sam // steve from Velare Imaginarium on Vimeo.

This beautiful film tells its own story but I'm so grateful to Tim for telling us a little bit about the creative and technical skills that go into creating a film like this. (This company combines the skills of two talented creatives - Steve Stanton is an International photographer and Tim Twinem is the principle cinematogrpaher.

"This beautiful, mountain wedding at Della Terra, in Estes Park, Colorado had SO many contributing elements making this such a unique and special day. First and foremost, the deep love that Sam and Steve have for each other melted into every detail of their day. Between the two of them and their tight-knit family and friends, every time my camera was rolling, a moment of great importance and great love was taking place. Another contributing element was the beautiful nature surround Della Terra, from the scenery to the wildlife, filled this Fall day with a surreal, fairy tale feel that infected every guest and magnified the love and ceremony taking place.

One of the thing I definitely struggle with the most when it comes to approaching a couple's highlight video, is music selection. For me, the inspiration starts with the music. A bad music choice will leave me banging my head against the wall through an entire edit, and inevitably leads me to scrap what I have so far, and start my process from the top again: finding the right music. Looking through my footage of Sam and Steve's day, I just felt the emotions contained in Josh Ritter's song "The Curse", matched the romance and love captured in the footage. I know, "The Curse" sounds like a funny song choice for a wedding video, but I couldn't walk away from how perfect the emotional match was.

Lastly, in my list of 'contributing elements', was Sam and Steve's willingness to quickly jump away from their guests at the reception, and let me shoot some shots of them with one light in the dark woods. As a cinematographer, I understand that video can sometimes take a back seat to photos throughout the course of a wedding day. I find so much value in getting a couple to do something specifically geared towards video, even if it's only for 10 minutes. Being able to put a couple in a beautiful place, with specific elements for video (movement, lighting, audio), dramatically adds to the story I can communicate with the footage I've captured, and, in my opinion, adds a lot of value to a wedding video!"

Thanks guys - you have a lifetime fan here! I hope my readers leave you lots of great comments.

Read my other post about another Velare Imaginarium film or see a portfolio of work on their website.

This feature is part of a series called 'a thousand words'.

Rangoli bride Aisling marries Ian

2011-12-05T10:30:00.000Z

This year I designed accessories for two amazing sisters;Aisling and Kellie, who were both married within a couple of monthsof each other. (Keep an eye out for Kellie's feature coming soon).Girls, all I can say is that you were both a pleasure to design forand work with and I'm so glad you both had brilliant days!

I designed a crochet headpiece and bracelet for Aisling tocomplement her Claire Pettibone 'Willow' gown. I used peach and ivory pearls to pick up on the unusual embroidery detail on the dress. Here's Aisling to tell us about how she planned her magical day.

"I know what I have written is WAY too muchinformation, however I really couldnt begin anywhere elseother than the beginning of our story......

"It was back in 2003 that Ian and I both met (at Witness nowknown as Oxegen), Ian is a Dub and I myself am from Co Down. Wespent 5 months inseparable, (when possible) before he had to takeoff on a pre-arranged trip around the world. It wasn't long thoughuntil my sister, friends and I decided to do exactly that. Ian andI met again in Melbourne that following summer where we livedtogether for 6 months. Ian's dad passed away very unexpectedly andbefore we knew it we were back in Ireland living apart. But not forlong...."

Aisling's sister Kellie is seen on theleft in the picture above

In September 2008, Ian surprised Aisling with a trip to Florence,where he proposed to her! Almost two years later, the couple headedto the Amalfi Coast in search of the perfect wedding venue.

"We did find one but it just happened to be at the top of amountain....'Ravello'. This place was really beautiful, however along, long way to take our guests. After much deliberating wedecided to give our homeland a chance."

Lots of research and weekend travelling, (would you believe over 1000km?), finallyled Aisling and Ian to Tankardstown House which immediately won themover.

"As soon as we walked through the front doors of this charmingplace we were sold! It possessed all the old world charm but with abright and new feel to it. There was an open fire roaring in thehall way and as we made our way through the house we did not knowwhere to look first; there was so much character. This houseset the foundation for the theme and style of the day that I hadplanned in my head for God knows how long! I pictured the day to beenchanting, romantic, poetic and with all that Tankardstown Househad to offer again including the grounds this was most definitelythe place."

"The next big thing was the dress... I spent hours (maybeeven days ("~) surfing the net using blogs such as Style mePretty, LaneDittoe, Wedding Chicks for inspiration. I googled words suchas vintage, illuminating, delicate and then I stumbled uponClairePettibone. Her dresses were magical. Every dress was made for afairytale. When I tried on 'Willow' in Myrtle Ivory,Dublin, I was blown away! I didnt want to take it off and so I knewit had to be the one. The style of the day that I had imaginedwas finally starting to take shape...a mix of vintage flair with amagical feel of a 'A midsummer nights dream'.

The venue was booked, the dress was ordered, we soon found asweet little chapel, the bridemaids dresses were being sketched.The groom and groomsmens suits were decided upon. Everything wasfalling in to place. Make-up I would do myself, the only thing thatwas left in terms of the bridal party was my jewellery. As achild I always pictured myself wearing a headpiece on my big day,something that would sit delicately on my forehead. So it wasback to the drawing board... Google to some, (my new best friend).It wasn't long though before I came across the very creative andtalented Aisling Nelson, Rangoli."

"After visiting Aisling in her delightful studio Isoon knew she would create something really special. Aislingdid her own bit of research for me in terms of deciding upon thecolours and beads that would suit 'Willow'. The headpiece was soperfect I had to ask for Aisling to make me a bracelet also.The attention to detail that went in to both pieces wasexceptional. I will treasure both pieces forever and I love thatalthough our big day has been and gone I can still wear mybracelet, look back and remember what a truly magical and wonderfulday we had. Thank-you for your amazing input."

"When planning a wedding though,...it doesnt just stop atthe wedding party and venue. As I previously stated I soon becameaddicted to wedding blogs. There was the invites that I handmademyself (that took me way too long,..more than I care to remember),I bought my paper from Daintree in Camden Street Dublin and thesame paper I used for my buntons to decorate my sweet treat table.I used it for the table plan and also the guest book."

Wedding invitations made using Daintree paper

"We used sweets that reminded us of when we were lilones...cola cubes, fish 'n'chips, saucers, shrimps, banana's,raspberry ruffles (my dad's favourite). Ian loves my home bakedraspberry and coconut frou frou cupcakes and I happened to find aplace in town that most definitely uses the same ingredients, so Iknew I had to have some there also. I always loved polaroidpictures so I left one by the guset book for people to leave alittle pic with some well wishes. Ian has always loved cigarsmoreso on special occassions and so he got a humidor and overtime time collected a number of quality cigars for those that wouldenjoy them on the big day.

I arranged an overhead projector to be set up in the drawingroom of the house and after the dinner we all moved in to watch aslide show of photo's including all the guests with Ian and myselfat some stage in our lives creating happy memories.This was justanother little feature. Helena (a very special lady that I caredfor, for 4 years) said an amazing poem 'Young Lord Lochinvar' bySir Waltar Scott. This poem is very beautiful andromantic."

"The fabulous photographer who really captured the essence ofthe day was the one and only Peter Gordan of ExploreLight. Peter who is also a closefriend spent some time with us prior to the day in deciding uponwhat exactly we wanted from our photo's and he really did all thatand more!"

Flowers by Sweet PeaDesigns

"The flowers were decided upon after two hours with the floristat her kitchen table. Catherine Handley of 'Sweet Pea Designs'spent this time with me trying to grasp an idea of what I hadpictured. I wanted the flowers to be delicate and to havea somewhat rustic feel. Catherine did all so tastefully. The chapelwas amazing with candles everywhere.

I also wanted heatherfeaturing somewhere. This was something that reminded me of mychildhood. I grew up at the foot of the Mourne Mountains andheather grew everywhere. Catherine went one step ahead and actuallysourced the specific heather found in the mountains of CoDown. You can see it a little in the bouquets and the boysbuttonholes. The flowergirls were like little fairies with theirfloral crowns. Catherine also used her glasswear that her fathercollects for her (ie old ketchup bottles, Chanel perfume bottles)to decorate the main dining room including thefireplace."

"There really was a lot of attention to detail and as I write this it dawns on me how much time and effort really goes in to creating something so special. Would I do it again..absolutely..in a heartbeat!!!"

What a pretty wedding and gorgeous couple - don't you agree?Aisling and Ian, thanks for sharing some of your amazing photos andfor taking the time to tell us about all the planning that wentinto personalising your day. I really appreciate your kind words too.

Rangoli bride features are my favourite part of the blog - check out some more wedding reports or have a look at my Rangoli Brides album or Facebook page for lots more inspiration.

Supplier details
Photographer: Peter Gordan of ExploreLight
Venue: Tankardstown House
Dress: Myrtle Ivory Dublin
Flowers: Catherine Handley of Sweet Pea Designs
Paper for stationery: Daintree
Headpiece and jewellery: Rangoli

Arsenic and cheesecake...

2011-12-02T11:58:00.001Z

Just imagine...'Cake Week' - An open invitation to visit Noel and Aga from White Tea photography, sit in their lovely, (calming white and grey) studio, chatting about this and that and being served up fluffy white, (more on this theme in a moment), vanilla cheesecake with warm salted caramel sauce. All washed down with ginger green tea. How could you turn down an invitation like that?

Even better still, all invitees were asked to vote on which cake Aga would make for the week. (I did vote for the plum but was sooo happy with the winner!)

I also finally got to meet Arsenic - Aga's adorable and huge Siberian cat. Obviously the best white accessory in the studio and capable of taking over the entire couch. Myself and Marie from Finer Details were allowed to share it... just about!

Mmm, the warm salted caramel sauce was sprinkled with rock salt

What a lovely afternoon - Thanks Aga and Noel. Congrats also on being voted 'Photographers of the Year' by your photography peer group. So well deserved.

Check out Aga and Noel's website and facebook page.

Unusual table centrepieces

2011-11-17T17:27:00.001Z

For me, inspiration is not just about looking at jewellery and hair accessory trends. I am immersed in the prettiness of weddings and get to see amazing details and ideas that reflect the personalities of couples getting married.

{image via DustJacketAttic}

Lately I'm noticing much more natural flower displays And I am always collecting pics that inspire me. One of my favourite resources is Pinterest. If you haven't signed up, go do it immediately! Be prepared to be addicted though :-) This site allows you to create a virtual scrapbook of ideas and follow other creative pinners.

{image via HeyLook - see the diy tutorial}

This centre-piece looks like it was plucked from the forest! Just shows that you don't necessarily need lots of flowers - greenery is so striking when you just add a small blast of colour. It might surprise you to know that this floral sculpture could be the starting point for a beaded hair vine! I'm a nature girl at heart.

{image via TheLoviestDay}

Posies are so pretty too. How simple is this one with the surprise of a couple of red roses? I'm really into asymmetric designs at the moment and think this bouquet is quirky and so delicate at the same time.

You can follow Rangoli on Pinterest. I have lots of albums there including one on Yummy Hairstyles. Let me know if you sign up!

Map of a woman's heart - 1800's

2011-11-15T12:02:00.001Z

{Click for larger version}

I found this beautiful drawing of a map of a woman's heart from the 1800's. It tells us a lot about how women were perceived at this time. You'll need to enlarge it to see the detail. I love the huge 'Love of Dress' section which seems to be intersected by the 'Sea of Wealth'. How apt!

The article was found on the wonderful Brain Pickings blog.

I'd like to see a 21C version of this map. What would you add to the modern version?

a thousand words - Lisa O'Dwyer

2011-11-04T09:07:00.000Z

We've all heard the phrase 'An image speaks a thousand words'. Great photographs tell a story by capturing a moment in time. In this series, I am asking some of my favourite wedding photographers to describe one of their cherished photographs. My inspiration is the book Photography Speaks: 150 Photographers On Their Art. This book features a number of iconic photographers who share some personal reflections about one of their photographs. Although I don't yet own a copy of the book, the idea captured my imagination and is the inspiration for a new series of guest blog posts with photographers.

This month, we're chatting with Lisa from Lisa O'Dwyer Photography. Lisa is originally from Pennsylvania, has travelled and lived all around the world and now lives in Ireland with her husband and children. Here is one of her favourite bridal images that she took at a recent wedding.

"The reason I like this photo is because I think it captures the couple's personalities and the relationship they have together perfectly. They are a fun people and I like how the groom is teasing the bride by tickling her and then going to play at chomping down on her cheek. I like how they interact with each other and play together. I can't recreate this pose and lighting for another couple. I feel that this photo is unique to the couple that has been captured.

The sun was low in the sky and so we got the lovely backlit "California" style lighting. I LOVE to get this kind of lighting in portraits. It's simply magical and worth waiting for.

The way I approach creating the couple's portraits is to find some great light and background, then to let them interact naturally with each other while I snap away. If they start to get stiff or awkward at getting their photo taken, I joke around and generally embarrass myself to get a laugh. I find that being a Yank is to my advantage because people like to laugh at my accent and the weird stuff I come up with. I direct them a bit because I find people generally need this for me to get artistic portraits. I've found that when I have had my own picture taken, I've needed the direction too. I want the photographer to have an artistic vision of what they want and to help me get into that vision by giving me some direction.

For the photographs I create, I want them to look artistically composed, but natural, with a couple who feels beautiful and looks like they're having fun and enjoying this moment in their lives. Time passes by so quickly and it's so important to document our lives with artistic photography that is natural and emotive. I think it's the exact opposite of studio-based photography which is contrived, artificially lighted, and stylised."

This is a beautiful image Lisa. Thanks for telling us more about how you interact with your subjects too - Now I want to see a video of you in action!

Make sure to check out Lisa's website and blog to see her varied portfolio and read about the other featured photographers in the series.

Following the Silk Road

2011-11-01T10:26:00.000Z

I am just back from an amazing holiday in Central Asia - three weeks soaking up the ancient culture of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan was part of the old Silk Road which extended from China to Turkey. Everything from silks, gold, iron, glass, fur, spices, tea, porcelain, lacquerware and mirrors were transported by camels across a variety of mountainous and desert terrains during the Middle Ages.

Uzbekistan is mostly desert with cities and settlements built along river courses and oases. Cities such as Samarkand, Khiva and Bokhara have 1,000 year old mud-brick buildings that are decorated with beautiful blue ceramic tiles. I took the photo above at sunset, overlooking the city of Khiva. I was sitting against a mud-brick wall that was radiating out the heat from the day's sun! This gorgeous desert town is full of palaces, medrassas, minarets and endless windy streets to explore.

The photos below were taken in one of blue-tiled palaces. The walls are covered in a patchwork of indigo and turquoise patterns. These elaborate courtyards are open to the sky and built on a huge scale. Pattern heaven for me!

Everywhere we went, we saw weddings. Entire wedding parties would walk around the towns, stopping to have photos taken. I was that really persistent and annoying tourist who chased around after them asking if I could take their photo! The wedding below was my favourite for the setting as well as the bridal fashions... all of brides I saw wore very elaborate white dresses, encrusted with rhinestones, along with lots of jewellery. The fingerless gloves were linked to the middle finger with a loop, (I'm sure they have a name).

Unfortunately I don't speak Uzbek or Tajik and only have about three short Russian phrases, (one of them being 'Do you speak English?), but a smile goes a long way.

I love this photo with it's crazy mix of cultural influences - Mum in her traditional garb, the bride in her Western style wedding dress and the bridesmaids in funky short red dresses. It looks a bit like a stage set with the 1,000 year old brick minuret in the background. (It's worth clicking to see the larger version).

Here is a pretty Muslim bridesmaid from another wedding. She's covered from head to toe and still manages to look totally glamorous!

And one of my favourite images - a girl from Samarkand, dressed in black and white with that amazing ruffled headpiece.

Desert cities have an amazing feel at sunset when all the pinky brown tones merge with the changing colour of the sky. This was one of those moments in time.

And finally, my new prized pocession; a blue, (artic fox but more likely beaver) fur hat. Bring on those crisp winter days! I hope you enjoyed reading about my holiday. It feels like time to start planning the next adventure.

Alexander McQueen Spring 2012 Collection

2011-10-27T11:06:00.002+01:00

Alexander McQueen has long been a source of inspiration for me - someone who combines artistry with technical genius, masculine and feminine, both minimal and over the top ornateness. I love a sense of magic and am drawn to the dream world that this design house evokes. Sadly Alexander is no longer with us but the new Creative Director Sarah Burton seems more than capable of carrying the company forward.

I hope you enjoy these two videos - the first is the catwalk show of the Spring 2012 collection and the second is an interview with Sarah about the inspiration behind the collection which is inspired by an underwater world. The show is memorising in many ways; the liquid golds, soft corals and black, the organic movement of the fabrics, the slightly Gothic yet ethereal lace masks. Waists are pulled in with chunky metallic belts in contrast with oceans of soft ruffles.

It's amazing to get an insight into both the workspace and creative process involved. Sarah describes the collection -

“I was thinking about a woman as an object of desire. We go to such lengths to adorn ourselves that we almost become our clothes or are taken over by them. This is a collection about excess – an exploration of ideals of beauty at their most extreme.”

In this short film by Dustin Lynn, The New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn meets Alexander McQueen Creative Director Sarah Burton at the label’s Paris atelier to explore the house’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection.

I hope you enjoyed the two videos! For more information on McQueen, visit the website. You might like to read my previous post too.

Aisling wears 'Willow'.

2011-10-18T15:52:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone - I'm back after a wonderful three week holiday in Central Asia. (I'm planning on writing a couple of posts about my trip including some glamorous Asian brides that I photographed there!)

This beautiful photo was waiting for me in my email in-box. I was lucky enough to be asked to design accessories for two sisters; Kelly and Aisling who got married within a couple of months of each other this year.

Aisling, seen above was married in August and she wore the beautiful 'Willow' dress by Claire Pettibone which she purchased in Myrtle Ivory. This delicate gown has ivory and peachy coloured embroidery. Claire's dresses have that enchanted fairy-like feel. Aisling fell in love with my crochet headbands. I designed one for her in pale gold crochet with ivory and peach pearl details. The pieces ties at the back with a long organza ribbon.

This image was taken by a family friend but I'm hoping to share both sisters weddings when they receive their official photographs.

Thanks Aisling for sending me this beautiful sneak peak!

Check out my other recent bespoke commissions or visit my website too see my collection.

Holiday time!

2011-09-24T16:14:00.000+01:00

It's time for another adventure! Rangoli is closed for holidays and will re-open on Monday 17th October. This year, I'm travelling to Central Asia. I'll tell you all about it when I get back!

For anyone with an upcoming wedding, I have lots of pieces in the showroom that can be purchased at short notice on my return.

Image via DustJacketAttic

a thousand words - Belathée Photography

2011-09-23T10:58:00.000+01:00

We've all heard the phrase 'An image speaks a thousand words'. Great photographs tell a story by capturing a moment in time. In this series, I am asking some of my favourite wedding photographers to describe one of their cherished photographs. My inspiration is the book Photography Speaks: 150 Photographers On Their Art. This book features a number of iconic photographers who share some personal reflections about one of their photographs. Although I don't yet own a copy of the book, the idea captured my imagination and is the inspiration for a new series of guest blog posts with photographers.

This month, let's welcome Annabel and Dorothée from Belathée Photography who are based in New York and Seattle and also work internationally. Take it away girls...

{click image for larger version}

"As you'll probably hear from many photographers, it's really hard to pick just a few of your absolute favorites... there is usually a connection to most of the photographs we take, they are like little flashes in our memory.

This photograph of our bride Nicky however just has something a little bit more magic about it and we can't even really put it in words. In astudio it's much easier to control the perfect lighting and composition, when photographing a fluid event like a wedding however, those factors are not in our control and we just rely on our experience and intuition to capture the perfect moment.

A hotel lobby isn't always the most magical place for shooting but in this case the chandelier and room lighting worked out in our favor and allowed for this moment to be captured.

On her way to a little ceremony in Gramercy Park (in NYC) a guest spotted Nicky and called for her attention, allowing for that candid moment of her turning back around.

The concierge and the leaving guest make it obvious that she is in a public setting although it's hard to believe at first. We love that, otherwise it would seem " too perfect".

Even 30 seconds later her reality was a completely different one but for this split second she was in the " 1000 words setting" we are so grateful for.

We hope you enjoy this photograph as much as we do.

Annabel and Dorothée"

I'm a big fan of Belathée and love their fine art photography. Check out their website and blog for more gorgeous imagery. (You can also read about other featured photographers in the 'thousand words' series.)

Autumn amber shades

2011-09-19T16:13:00.002+01:00

I'm designing a headpiece for this striking Vera Wang Evelyn dress. I love the lines of this contemporary gown. I'm incorporating gorgeous shades of amber, golden topaz and white opal crystal. Perfect for this time of the year!

I found this inspiration board over on The Finer Things stationery blog and love the rich palette. Silver or white gold are still the most popular colours for accessories but gold is definitely a trend for 2012 weddings.

~~I'll be able to show you the finished piece in October when I get back back from holidays.~~

Below you can see the finished design. With this commission, the client was fairly open about the style of headpiece that she would like. Her only guidelines were that she wanted the piece to be in gold tones and not too vintage in style.

I asked her to send me pictures of combs that had elements that she liked. So, some incorporated the warm gold tones she liked, while others had floral or linear elements that appealed. This can be a great way to pinpoint the type of design you would like even if it seems a bit vague. It really helped me to narrow down the eventual design, shape and form. This piece will be worn at the back of the head. The dress design is very bold so simple gold rhinestone drop earrings will be the only other accessory.

I wish that more of you would choose these gorgeous golden shades. It seems that silver or white gold is still the most popular. I'd love to hear your thoughts on gold versus silver...

Botanic Garden Inspiration

2011-09-15T14:31:00.000+01:00

Autumn is on the way and I'm designing a new collection of ready to wear jewellery which I can't wait to show you. When I saw these images over on Dust Jacket Attic, they jumped off the page for me - they perfectly illustrate the combination of reality and fantasy that influences my designs.

When I start sketching new designs, my pencil creates the most fluid and magical lines. Any form is possible and I get totally carried away in the world of my imagination.

Fashion and nature are two great sources of inspiration for me. I took the pictures below in the National Botanic Gardens. The greenhouses are a wonderland of fantastical sculptures and a great way to spend a rainy afternoon!

I'm off on holidays at the end of the month but I'll keep you posted on the launch of the new collection towards Christmas!

Top photo credits -
by Owen Bruce and styled by Tasha Cain with watercolour art by Iveta Karpathyova for Pulp#3.
Botanic Garden photos by Aisling Nelson

a thousand words - We are the Mastersons

2011-09-06T22:52:00.000+01:00

We've all heard the phrase 'An image speaks a thousand words'. Great photographs tell a story by capturing a moment in time. In this series, I am asking some of my favourite wedding photographers to describe one of their cherished photographs. My inspiration is the book Photography Speaks: 150 Photographers On Their Art. This book features a number of iconic photographers who share some personal reflections about one of their photographs. Although I don't yet own a copy of the book, the idea captured my imagination and is the inspiration for a new series of guest blog posts with photographers.

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Brian and Trish from We are the Mastersons with a beautiful image that they have chosen to speak about - {click image for larger version}

"Having to choose a favourite image from our photographs has turned out to be a lot more awkward than we had expected. It feels like we have a huge family of children, and suddenly we have to pick out which one is our favourite. The system we’ve used is completely random and thoroughly unfair, and by tomorrow we will probably have changed our decision. But for today, here it is.

Each year we get the chance to work with great couples and we’ve been incredibly lucky to shoot weddings for graphic designers, artists, other photographers, or for people who just love photography as much as we do. Working with visual people and having them trust us has given us the freedom to develop our own style. In the last couple of years I think that you can look at an image and know that it's one of ours. So much of our work happens before the wedding day in just talking to people, asking questions and listening. Listening is the most important thing that we do. The more that we listen, the more we know and understand a couple, what they like and what makes them laugh, and the better the images of the day will be.

Somebody once mentioned how our photographs reminded them of the classic cinema of the early 70's and I think that's true, not just in the colours but the way that they feel. With our photography, we try to make images that are both strong enough to stand on their own, but that will also work alongside the other shots from the day. It’s like watching a classic film and trying to select twenty individual frames that tell the story. Because at its best, that’s what wedding photography is – it’s storytelling. When you start studying photography, you concentrate on making each image the best that it can be. And then with experience, you begin to stand back and see not just individual images, but how each one fits into the day as a whole.

Being a photographer at a wedding is like having a film played out in front of you. And as with films, there is a pace and a rhythm to a wedding day that we try to capture in our photographs. That’s why we love designing the albums as we get to the chance to recreate the rhythm of the wedding in the way that we lay out the photos – moments of quiet followed by moments of excitement.

It’s surprising where you get inspiration from. We tend not to look at too many wedding blogs and I think that has helped us to find our own style. We get influenced by what we see. Watching the wide open spaces of the films of Terrence Malick, or the tightly cropped individuality of Wes Anderson; or feeling the stillness of a Wim Wenders photograph and in the paintings of Edward Hopper. It all has an impact on what we do.

I think that is why we chose this photograph as our favourite. Time on a wedding day moves pretty fast. It’s filled with the hustle and bustle of meeting friends and sharing stories; hours of laughter and minutes of tears; and if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you’ll miss it. When I look back on the photographs of a wedding, I’m drawn to the shots that capture the ‘space between’ – those moments of complete stillness for the couple, where they don’t need to go anywhere or do anything. They just have to be. Raymond Carver described it as “the difficulty of being simple” and that’s what our photographs try to achieve – when the bridal party and the speeches and the flowers fade into the background and all that’s left is two people, side by side, in love.

Those are the moments that make any relationship special and that’s why I love this photograph."

Brian and Trish are an Irish husband and wife photography duo. Be sure to check out the 'We are the Mastersons' website and blog - their images speak for themselves.

Something blue

2011-09-01T16:39:00.000+01:00

I love getting the opportunity to design for brides from different countries and cultures. I really need one of those spinning globes for my studio!

I'm heading off to Uzbekistan in the next few weeks for a travel adventure so I was so excited when Tahkmina told me that she was from Tajikistan; another amazing country on the Old Silk Route.

Tahkmina is a bride to be from Tajikistan, getting married in Turkey and wearing a traditional Chinese blue silk gown.

I designed this delicate beaded spray for the back of her hair as the dress fabric is quite elaborate. The piece is embellished with aquamarine, pearl and crystal. Wishing her all the very best for her wedding!

Check out my other recent bespoke commissions on the blog or get in touch to arrange an appointment to visit my showroom.

The 1947 wedding of Tineke, my Mother-in-law.

2011-08-27T16:35:00.006+01:00

A few weeks ago, I was looking at a jewellery tool that I have used every day since I set up my business in 1998. It was given to me by Tineke, my Dutch Mother-in-law who was also a jeweller. It got me thinking about memories and how objects and photos can tell a story.

Tineke is one of the most inspiring women I know, apart from my own wonderful Mum. At the age of eighty six, she has boundless energy for life, even though her limbs are physically slowing her down a bit now! I thought you might like to hear some stories about her life in Amsterdam, both during and after the Second World War, before she moved to Ireland in 1956 with her husband Cor. I'm glad she did, or I would never have met my husband Ben!

I am going to write two posts - this one is about Tineke and Cor's wedding. The second will be about how they both previously met in Art College - Tineke studying jewellery and Cor, commercial art or Graphic Design.

Tineke, thanks for taking the time to chat about your wedding day! Can I ask you first about what it was like living in Holland in 1947?

Amsterdam Street scene, 1947, courtesy Chiesavecchia Collection via Flickr

"Amsterdam in 1947 was very much working on getting the city in good shape. After the war there was much rebuilding to undertake; for five years nothing had been built and bombed places needed to be repaired. In Amsterdam there was not as much damage as in Rotterdam, where the Germans bombed the centre of the city to rubble."

WWII Ration card, Netherlands, 1944

"In 1947 we had still coupons on certain things especially for clothing and bedlinen, blankets etc. For our wedding we got special coupons for those things, such as the material for the wedding outfit."

Detail of wedding invitation designed by Cor

I have always loved your wedding outfit - tell us about it?

"Yes, it was in three pieces. The blouse was parachute silk but thinking about it, it must have been the first nylon. We didn't know in the war about nylon. You had a sort of silk that wasn't real but it was not a nylon - it was something in between. And after the Arnhem raid, somehow my sister-in-law got hold of a piece of what we thought was white silk. My mother-in-law had a piece of black velvet and on the coupons I got two metres of another heavier fabric to make the skirt in blue. That was a colour that I loved and then at the bottom there was a band that looked like fine embroidery. Somehow somebody had a piece of that. It was an idea of a farewell to my maiden name Margadant, which is originally a Swiss name. [The bodice] was velvet and was even lined with something black... and no, I don't think it came to Ireland."

Cor and Tineke on their wedding day, July 1947

I asked Tineke about how the wedding was planned in those days. She laughed and said that they were so eager to get married that they were married within a month of registering their intent. They went to the marriage registrar on 24th June 1947 and asked what was the next available date.

"...and they said, the 30th July is free, early in the morning, or 8th August - [and we said] 'No, no, no, we want July, What time? They said it was half past nine in the morning and we said OK. We didn't think any further. We came home to my mother-in-law, and she said 'What?!, half past nine in the morning? [for a] wedding? How do I get ready, how do I do this and that?' She was up in arms about it! 'Stupid you, why did you pick so early?' We were so eager to get married that we didn't think about it. She accepted it then - that was the time we were going to get married!"

Wedding dinner at Cor's parent's house

The wedding party consisted of a gathering at her husband's parents' house. Only a few close family and relatives were invited for a meal and celebration. There were no official speeches or dancing, "...everyone just chatting away".

"The next morning, [there was] a ring on the bell and Cor's father came and he had the little booklet you get when you get married, [in Holland]. We were planning to go to Paris and he said 'you might need it, you know, if people ask you; you look so young'".

Proof of being married?! So the rings weren't enough?

"No, probably not, he didn't think about it. And the rings, you give them to each other when you get engaged... When you are engaged, you wear it on your left hand and when you get married you wear it on your right hand.

I made the rings; I had to go around the family to get gold because shortly after the war you couldn't just go into a shop to buy gold - it was impossible to buy a strip. I got a ring from my step-mother and Cor's mother had a gold ring that she gave and I think a few other people gave something but I had enough then for the two rings. We got them inscribed; the engagement date - my twenty-first birthday and the name [of the other person] and then when we got married, the wedding date as well."

So you went to Paris on your honeymoon?

"Yes! We didn't get up so early as we had planned. We put on our rather heavy rucksacks and went by tram to the spot were all hitch-hiking started. Because transport was still so primitive and expensive, so many young people wanted to travel in Europe. During the war we could not leave Holland. We were amazed that the long bridges over the Rhine and Meuse were still lying in broken pieces in the river, but parts connected with Bailey bridges.

In Paris we had to go to the youth hostel, because, we had no money for a hotel. We took the Metro for the first time and with the help of the map we found where we had to go, Metro to Porte d'Orleans and a long walk to Ville de Malakoff, where we found the youth hostel. We met many people from other countries, even Americans. This was so nice in the evenings.

We took the Metro back into the city and went to all the city landmarks over the next few days. A fantastic view was when we went to Palais de Chaillot and entered the plaza between the two arms of the Palace and you see the Seine, Eiffel Tower and in the distance d'Ecole de Militaire. All on such a large scale, you realize you are in a world city. Another place we liked very much was Montmartre, high on the hill the Sacre Coeur and the Place du Tertre, where many artists were painting or drawing the tourists, not just making sketches, but the sitters had to pose. We saw the Louvre, but didn't go in at that time, [we] left it for the many times we went back.

After ten days we went to friends in Le Havre. We passed the town of Rouen and were so sad to see it in ruins. The cathedral and other ancient building were very badly damaged. Of course it had been damaged during the Allied landings in 1944 and so was Le Havre. Even in the landscape you could see war damage. From Paris we headed North via Luxembourg and the Ardennes and then home to Amsterdam. Paris was all we expected and more!"

A recent photo of Tineke taken by her daughter Emma

Tineke, it's been so interesting listening to your stories and looking at your photographs - thanks for sharing them with me and my readers.

Keep an eye out for my second post about Tineke's time in Art college studying jewellery design - young designers in love, listening to illegal American jazz and studying the subversive social ideas of the Bauhaus movement!

DIY paper fun

2011-08-22T11:37:00.000+01:00

These three paper ideas caught my eye - they are fun, easy and inexpensive to customise and make yourself. The paper serviettes above, found on Martha Stewart, are printed with a mongram design. You could have your own design made into a stamp and ink them up yourself.

I love the sentiment of including a personal message on these drink coasters. So many possibilities for your choice of wording!

And finally, this unusual guest-book idea for those of us who are shy when it comes to leaving a message in an open book. Write your personal message and seal it for the couple to read later. Read about this real wedding on Ruffled blog.

DIY wedding ideas are so popular at the moment - I'd love to hear about some of your creations...

Behind the scenes at the Rangoli Showroom

2011-08-08T16:27:00.002+01:00

Today Rangoli Jewellery et moi are featured on the brilliant 'White Tea' Photography website. Noel and Aga are photographers with a really fresh style and making big waves in Ireland! I recently featured one of their wedding photo-booth films.

They decided they'd like to photograph designers in the wedding industry in their place of work - a kind of behind the scenes photo essay! In their words "The-inner-workings-of-wedding-suppliers-photo-journalistic-interview series".Love it :-)

I spent an afternoon with Aga and Noel with a strong coffee to calm the nerves. I have to say it was lots of fun and I'd like to thank them for the eclectic mix of images they took. It's funny seeing my studio through someone else's eyes too.

Read the full article on the White tea website & leave me a comment - I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Rangoli bridesmaids brooches

2011-08-03T10:00:00.002+01:00

Todays post is about favourite colour palettes and bridesmaids dress brooches! Yurishan asked me to design brooches for her three bridesmaids. Their dreamy dresses combine dusty pink and toffee colours - one of my favourite colour combos as anyone who has seen my Rangoli stationery and branding will know!

Rangoli stationery

It took me no time to pick out a combination of golden topaz and dusty pink crystals, creamy pearls, rhinestone and bronze seed beads. I love how the silver-lined scalloped edging sets them off perfectly.

The girl's dresses are being made at the moment so I hope to share some photos at a later stage. (I have lots of interesting commissions on the go at the moment and want to share them with you as I make them! I'll then link the wedding features back to the relevant posts.)

I think brooches are a unique way to accessorise your bridesmaids dresses - I'd love to hear what creative ideas you have in mind for your lovely ladies!

Check out my other bespoke commissions or see some Rangoli brides on my Facebook page.

Tim and Amy "A wedding in reverse"

2011-07-27T15:18:00.006+01:00

Tim and Amy // A Wedding in Reverse from V E L A R E on Vimeo.

This short wedding film is just beautiful. It's just three minutes and seventeen seconds long but it captures the most unique moments and emotions. It's filmed in reverse and in slow motion. When I heard that Wes Anderson was an inspiration for this piece, it made complete sense. The Darjeeling Ltd is one of my favourite movies, with it's quirky yet dreamy slow motion scenes. Slowing things down makes you notice all the precious expressions and emotions of this beautiful wedding.

The film is the work of Velare Imaginarium - Steve and Tim bring their photography and cinematography skills together to amazing effect. Below Tim Twinem talks about his inspiration for this film.

"When Tim and Amy approached me about shooting their wedding, I was so pumped! I’ve known Tim since middle school, and was honored to be a part of their special day. Something that really was on my mind leading up to their wedding is that for a couple who’s lives are based around art (Tim is in a great band, CHURCHILL, and Amy is a fantastic artist), a normal “wedding highlight video” wasn’t going to cut it. The more time I spent searching the internet for wedding films that were doing something different, the more I came up short. So I started to put my brain power attempting to come up with something that would fit their personality, and not fit the norm. I’m a huge Wes Anderson fan, and his films have turned me into a sucker for great slow motion (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, just to name a few, all with fantastic slow motion sequences). So I decided to shoot their whole wedding at 60fps (slow motion). I think there’s powerful story telling when you pair great slow motion with great music. Then, setting my sights at something I wasn’t sure was a good idea or not, but at least was something I hadn’t seen, was doing the entire thing in reverse. Being newly married myself, I like the idea of always coming back to the love you had on your wedding day and thought doing the video in reverse would be a great way to visualize that idea. Thanks again Tim and Amy for giving me a little creative freedom to explore something new!!"

Steve and Tim - your films have such a peaceful, meditative feel to them - I think I'm going to be a lifelong fan! Thanks to Marie from Finer Details for tweeting this earlier!

See more wonderful films by Velare on Vimeo.

You might also enjoy my previous posts -

"I do" an animated stop-frame short film by Manasi Kashyap
Photo-booth animation by White Tea Photography

Rangoli lace headpiece

2011-07-21T13:56:00.000+01:00

Sometimes it's hard to say goodbye! This bespoke headpiece was collected yesterday and is going to a lovely happy owner...(You may have read my previous post about this inspiring commission.)

I loved working on this piece with *Lena. She had very specific ideas about the look and feel of the piece as well as the shape. Her gorgeous lace dress will be worn with a long sleeved bolero. Pearl was to be the main component of the design. I had to create a flat design which replicated the delicacy of lace. Lena had an image of a rhinestone comb that she liked the shape of. We were able to use this as a starting point and template.

For this design, I printed the image of the comb that Lena had brought so we could look at this shape on her head. This probably sounds mad but it gave us both an excellent idea of how the form would look! Above, you can see how I have pinned on some small beaded shapes on top of the paper.

Once we were both happy with the scale and shape of the piece, I began working on detailed sketches of the intricate form. I then created many individual beaded elements which were finely woven together as the piece was being constructed.

Once I begin constructing the design, I work directly in three dimensions and I leave the sketches aside. This design took many hours to make but was a fascinating new direction for me in terms of assembling a piece from a number of smaller forms.

I'm really looking forward to sharing this wedding with you in a couple of months. Lena is so happy with the piece, especially as she had such a clear idea in her head of how she wanted the piece to look like.

You can read about some of my other commissions on the blog. All feedback is really welcome so leave me a comment or chat with me on my facebook page!

* For anonymity reasons, Lena is not her real name!

Siobhan and Eoin's wedding

2011-07-07T13:24:00.001+01:00

I'm so excited to share this wedding with you! When I first met Siobhan, she told me about a special piece of jewellery that had belonged to her Nana. (You can read my earlier post about this). In fact this pearl necklace was an engagement gift from her grandfather and was worn on her wedding day. The necklace had got damaged over the years; the three strands were reduced to two and Siobhan loved the idea of somehow converting it into a bracelet and wearing it on her wedding day.

"...Being able to wear my Nanny's pearls feels like they'll be there in spirit and they'll never be forgotten, and means so, so much to me. I am so grateful to Aisling for making this a reality, when you strip away all the pomp and fluff from a wedding it's the people, present on the day and those we'll never forget, that really count."

Above you can see a picture of Siobhan's grandparents on their honeymoon along with some sketches and photos of the beautiful peach pearls in their treasured box. We decided to use the largest of the pearls and to make a feature of the striking rhinestone clasp as the centre piece. I also included a row of cream pearls, spaced with tiny rhinestone elements as a contrasting element to the design. It's been amazing for me to be involved in this project and to see these pearls being worn again on such a special occasion.

To complement Siobhan's delicate lace gown, she chose to wear a 'Diamond' design hairwire. I used soft gold beading in this piece along with some cream and peach pearls. I love how the pearl hairwire sits in her soft hairstyle. And to complete the look, I made a simple double pearl drop with tiny rhinestone setting. There is a single one of Nana's pearls in there too! Here's a few words from Siobhan -

"We have such wonderful memories from our wedding day, start to finish. Everything ran so smoothly, even down to the weather! The beautiful singing by the amazingly talented Naoise Stuart-Kelly, gorgeous flowers and our wonderful priest helped create a relaxed and special atmosphere in the church that continued throughout the day. Niall our photographer did and excellent job of capturing the atmosphere and the little touches we had wanted to include in our special day. Little touches, such as and in particular, the fabulous jewellery made for me by Aisling, re-modelled from my grandmother's own wedding pearls. It meant so much to me and my family that they were able to be restored.

Aisling did such a wonderful job. She was really creative with ideas on how we could redesign and update them. I'm delighted to say I've been wearing them regularly ever since after years of leaving them lying neglected in their box. Our reception in Ballyseede Castle surpassed our expectations, the setting was beautiful yet intimate, the food was delicious and the staff could not have been any more helpful or professional. It's easy to say we had our perfect day.

Thank you so much Aisling for all your help. It really was a pleasure to work with you, you took such care and interest in my project and created something really special and beautiful for me."

Doesn't Siobhan look gorgeous?! I'm sure you'll agree that they make a very stylish couple.

Siobhan - it was an absolute pleasure to be asked to design your accessories; in particular, your bracelet. I think your Nana would be so proud and delighted to know that you are continuing to get lots of wear out of it, while keeping her memory alive.

Thanks to both of yourself and Eoin for sharing these images and telling us the story of your wedding.

Credits
Photography - Niall McGann
Church singing and music - Naoise Stuart-Kelly at Encore Occasions

Flowers - Eleanor's Florist

Reception - Ballyseede Castle

"I do" animated short film

2011-07-04T10:59:00.003+01:00

Ok - I think you're going to lurrrve this! I spied it over on the fab 'Inspired by this' website and it certainly inspired me. In fact, it made me smile a lot. I'm a sucker for magic - more the magic carpet ride style than the rabbit in the hat variety...and this film has lots of floating magic as you'll see...

This quirky short features Jade and Raymond. The film is directed by Manasi Kashyap, who is an Indian photographer, living in London.

I Do. Short film by Manasi Kashyap. from Manasi Kashyap on Vimeo.

Below, I asked Manasi to tell us a bit about the inspiration and process behind this style of animated film.

"I always give people I work with much latitude to talk about their ideas & if they fit into the overall artistic vision - use them. Often, the personal stories I get have to be greatly abstracted in a way for them to work for both the movie & the people in them. Sometimes, though, an idea looks better in our heads than in motion & might have to be edited out.

If I'm able to visualize a story well from the input I've received, I'm able to story-board it over a week or two & discuss it with the people in it.

Stop-motion story shoots work differently from photography as they are largely pre-determined & require significant direction and co-operation from the people being photographed (especially if there's a specific story line). One of the prime reasons I love stop-motion is that it gives you lots of opportunity to work in beautiful magic using simple props. Stop-motion will also work if you just shoot things as they happen, but then it's not as easy to incorporate magical elements into it."

The number of shots I take is often dictated by the music I choose to tell the story with, the beat of the track, when the beat changes & when the song changes mood. There is a lot of math involved because the frames I shoot a scene with have to work with a certain frame rate (it can't be too slow & it can't be too fast)."

Thanks Manasi for telling us a bit about your creative process. Please let me know when you have made your next film!

You can see more of Manasi's photography over on her website. Also check out the Inspired by This blog for tons of bridal inspiration.

Bridal hairstyle inspiration

2011-06-28T15:57:00.006+01:00

It's that time of the year again when my summer and autumn brides are on the look-out for hairstyle inspiration. The hairstyle you choose will determine the look and style of your hair accessories - are you going classic or boho-tousled, up or down or somewhere in between?!

Even though I have short hair, it doesn't mean I can't dream of having a hairstyle like this...does it? Hair extensions are so good these days! Below is my alter ego on a train ride somewhere in Russia with a sharply dressed secret agent.

Image via Dustjacket Attic

...and back to reality - I am always gathering images of pretty bridal hairstyles and have discovered a website called Pinterest which is amazing for visual inspiration. Once you have an account, you can save multiple style boards. The image below is from one of my boards called Yummy Hairstyles.

I also have folders of images on my Rangoli Facebook page. Check out the albums for Half-up hairstyles, Soft up-styles, and Short bridal hairstyles. Don't forget to look at the Rangoli Brides album too!

I've written lots of posts on hairstyles which are archived here. Have fun choosing your hairstyle and let me know if you'd like some advice on styling your bridal look!

Rangoli headpiece - Lace love

2011-06-23T12:03:00.003+01:00

I'm working on a bespoke commission and thought I'd share my work in progress. It's no secret that I love lace and find it inspires many of my designs. I love it on many levels, for it sheerness, transparency and romantic qualities...its timeless nature and ability to work with vintage and contemporary dresses. Most of all, I love the linear floral motifs that twist and flow, following the contours of the female form.

The person that I am designing this piece for is having her dress made by London designer Fiona Clare. Let's call her *Lena! The dress features Chantilly lace as seen above. Lena just loves pearls which are the perfect choice for this style of gown.

Once I had met Lena and heard about her ideas, I began by making sketches of the lace design. There's so many interesting forms in there if you look closely!

For this commission, I'm working to a specific brief for a glamorous side piece which will replicate the lace design. The finished piece will be striking and very feminine. I also like that I've been asked to exclude rhinestone elements - it will be interesting to focus purely on pearl as the main component. I can't give too much more away at the moment but I hope to be able to share some wedding photos with you at a later date!

I'm currently working on lots of individual beaded motifs which will be woven together to form an intricate pearl lace form. I'm having fun creating vintage roses and delicate twisted vines, all lavishly embellished with ivory pearls of different sizes.

Welcome to my world - Hope you enjoyed reading about this latest commission! Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss some ideas for jewellery or hair accessories.

Have a look at my other posts featuring lace or check out my other recent bridal commissions

*Lena is the secret identity that I have given this client but her real name is even more beautiful!

Cake Pops!

2011-06-22T21:32:00.009+01:00

Some of you probably know that my 'ickle sister Tara runs a cupcake business called Cupcake Me. Her cakes are truly gorgeous and I get to sample lots of them so I can say that hand on heart! The first I heard about her new cakes pops was when I saw her post on Facebook today...and I let out a mini-whoop because they look so cute!

Here's a few words from the Master Baker -

"As you know, I spend hours online checking out some seriously excellent UK and American cake websites and blogs. I came across the cake pops craze recently and thought to myself that I just had to get a bit of that action. So, armed with a book that I bought online and all the necessary bits, I set about putting some of these beauties together. Voila! The first batch that I made are featured in this picture - they are carrot and walnut with butter-cream bases, covered in a special type of candy coating and decorated...well, pretty much anyway you want!"

What's even better, we had a special home delivery of two cake pops this evening. Myself and Ben got to fight over which sprinkles toppings we preferred. (I went for the one which was ever so slightly larger). I'm delighted to say that I have now sampled my first, very delicious, cake pop. Can't wait to see the full range of colours and designs Tara!

For more info, visit Tara's website and Facebook page.

Bespoke Rangoli Hairwire

2011-05-31T11:33:00.014+01:00

I just love sharing some of my client's weddings with you. It's really rewarding to receive photos along with kind words of appreciation - I am continually reminded of why I love my job so much! So thanks to each and every one of you who have shared your weddings with me.

Rachel came to me with an idea for a beaded hairwire. She wanted it to incorporate a variety of different sized pearls along with a little bit of sparkle. The classic hairstyle that she chose is so elegant and I think the hairwire complements it perfectly!

Rachel's family surprised her on the morning of her wedding with a gift of this Rangoli pearl and rhinestone necklace along with a matching bracelet, (which can be seen on my website).

I also designed a beaded headpiece for Rachel's Mum Rose, seen below, along with a delicate 9ct gold beaded pendant. Rachel's two sisters wore a bespoke comb and hairpins to match their gorgeous black and gold Monsoon dresses. Here are a few words from Rachel -

I just wanted to say a big thank you to Aisling in Rangoli Jewellery. I had heard of her work through WeddingsOnline. I purchased my hair vine and bridesmaids head pieces from Rangoli. Aisling is so easy to work with. It was a pleasure to visit her studio where she showed my sister and I various pieces she had made and allowed us to try them on. I showed her a picture of a hair vine that I liked and she made me exactly what I wanted.

On the morning of our wedding to my surprise I received a beautiful gift from my sister and mother of a pearl necklace and matching bracelet which Aisling made and complimented my dress beautifully. I will definitely be recommending Rangoli to as many people as possible as Aisling made the process very easy. I hope to buy some more products from her in the future.

Thanks so much Rachel - I really appreciate your kind words and wish you both all the best!

You can read more about my recent bespoke commissions or get in touch if you'd like to talk about a having jewellery or accessories designed for your wedding or special occasion. I also have a Rangoli Brides portfolio on my Facebook page which is great for inspiration!

Rachel's wedding was photographed by Paddy Burke.

Sometimes when it rains, it pours!

2011-05-24T13:45:00.016+01:00

Here's a post about letting go! I came across these photos by Irish photographer David Mc Clelland and they really made me smile. So much so, that I wanted to share them with you.

It made me realise how important having a sense of humour is on your wedding day...when things don't go *exactly* as you planned them! No matter what month you choose to get married in Ireland, there is no guarantee that the sun will shine. So, make the most of your day of celebration and have fun, regardless of any mini or major blips.

Congratulations to John and Amy were married in Ballmagarvey Village, (on a very rainy day!) Outdoor shots just weren't an option so Dave got creative with a colourful bookshelf, along with some carefully selected books, to create some fun group shots, (click on the images so you can read the book titles.) I bet they won't even remember the weather when they look back on their album!

This is just a sneak preview as Dave hasn't finished editing the wedding. You can see Dave's post on his blog or have a look at his website for more information.

Rangoli Art Deco Hair-wire

2011-05-20T10:30:00.007+01:00

Thanks to everyone who came along to Flower Boutique in Killiney last night. It was a chance for me to meet some new wedding professionals as well as chat to some great brides to be. I also got to showcase my latest hair-wire design which is inspired by Art Deco style.

I forgot how much I enjoy seeing the bride or models look coming together and we were lucky enough to have two gorgeous girls to model for us. Hair-stylist Sian Sharkey was on hand with her rollers and GHD tongs and fine mists of Elnett spray and make-up artist Ellie Balfe worked from an enviable collection of Channel foundations, vast displays of eye shadows and applied amazing lashes for the girls to flutter!

This camera pic is just a quick peek! Derek from Memento Weddings was on hand for the evening a took lots of photos which I will be sharing soon! Thanks to the Flower Boutique for hosting the evening.

New Rangoli Hair-wire design

2011-05-19T13:06:00.004+01:00

I hope you can make it to the Flower Boutique Wedding Fair this evening in Killiney - I'll be showcasing this new Art Deco inspired hair-wire! The models will be wearing some gorgeous pre-loved designer dresses from Discount Designer.

Do say hello if you come along - if not I'll be posting some photos of the event in the coming days. All the details of the event are in the post below.

Rangoli treasure box of ideas

2011-05-09T09:04:00.009+01:00

Rangoli designs are inspired by all sorts of things. I love ornamentation and decorative floral patterns in particular. In between my commission work, I set aside time to experiment and create new forms and sometimes the smallest discovery can be the most rewarding!

I have a few 'treasure boxes' where I keep these mini-experiments. I open these boxes whenever I am working on a new design. I can pick out a small beaded element and know that it will work perfectly in combination with other elements of this new design!

The commission above was a variation on one of my existing designs. The client wanted a more solid or structured design, so I added in some beaded leaf motifs and worked with a combination of pale gold and silver to complement some antique gold beading on the bodice of the dress. The delicate beaded flowers below were another bespoke design. In both cases, the clients really enjoyed being part of the design process and choosing the elements that were incorporated into their unique designs.

I get brilliant ideas from my clients and love hearing about unusual ideas for accessory designs! Do get in touch if you'd like to arrange a visit to my showroom. You can also read about my other recent bespoke commissions or have a look at the Rangoli Brides album on my website.

'Something Blue' sapphire crystal hairpins

2011-04-28T12:35:00.010+01:00

Today someone collected these pretty pale sapphire crystal hairpins. I love including some colour in my designs and especially like this shade of pale grey/blue Swarovski faceted crystal. I've put together a colour board with hints of blue - hope you like it!

Photo credits for montage
Top left - M ariam Sitchinava Photography
Middle: Julianne Swartz
Bottom: Joni Niemela
Right: Via Pinterest

Lemon Daisy Cake

2011-04-26T10:52:00.008+01:00

I'm back to work after a brilliant long weekend, filled with tasty food and good company. What a difference the sun makes!

My sister Tara made this gorgeous Easter cake...It's a pity she made it for her surfing friends and drove off with it in her camping van though :-( Aparently it was very tasty after an afternoon of surfing.

It's a lemon drizzle Madeira sponge with lemon fondant icing. I just love the pattern and big daisy flowers.

You can check out more of Tara's cakes on her CupCakeMe website or follow her latest creations via Facebook.

Vintage brooch bouquets

2011-04-17T15:42:00.018+01:00

Wow - it's amazing when someone you know surprises you with a hidden talent! I've got to know Lisa O'Dwyer, seen right, and her gorgeous photography in the last few months. She mentioned her love for all things vintage and how she was designing some vintage brooch bouquets.

Lisa is originally from Pennsylvania, but now living in Ireland with her husband and two children. Herself and her Mum, also a 'vintage everything' enthusiast, collect brooches and earrings from 1930s-50s designers such as Coro, Lisner, and Hollycraft.

What I especially love about the bouquet below is that Lisa sourced delicate blue vintage paper flowers that had been made in Occupied Japan. Like all things vintage, it's amazing to imagine the interesting stories associated with each piece.

"I had seen brooch bouquets on wedding blogs. I showed it to my mom and she said she wanted to try to make one. She is really good at crafts, and is an expert at stained glass and sewing. She bought the brooches in the US, and made two bouquets and sent them to me but I tore them apart because some of the wires were showing! So I made two types: one with the floral form and brooches and paper flowers and the other with silk hydrangeas and brooches. I used good quality antique brooches, nothing new or reproduction. They take around 6hrs to make. I have some more to make more bouquets, and I'm sure my mom will find some more brooches for me to use when I visit this summer".

Lisa has an Etsy shop called Starry Flower Love and would love her bouquets to be held and treasured forever by some Irish brides! C heck out more images from Lisa's Easter-themed shoot...full of dreamy dresses and accessories and the fluffiest white rabbit!

Credits
Images by Lisa O'Dwyer Photography
Lisa's Etsy shop - Starry Flower Love
Photo of Lisa by Christina Brosnan

Susan and John's wedding

2011-04-13T12:04:00.018+01:00

Susan and John were married in February 2011. Their wedding was in Ratheniska, followed by a reception at Killashee House Hotel, Co. Kildare.

Susan wanted a delicate hair accessory to complement her gorgeous lace gown. She really liked my Rangoli Hairwire styles and together we chose a beaded flower design which picked up on her lace detailing. Susan chose not to wear a veil and wanted something simple yet elegant to dress her hairstyle.

"Aisling, I got lots of compliments about the hair wire on the day and I loved it - it worked out perfectly in the end with the way the hair was done and I even think those that were against me not having a veil were happy enough in the end also!!!!

Thanks again for all your patience with me.

Susan"

Susan was lucky to have Mary Brown as her photographer. I think you'll agree that she captured lots of beautiful and relaxed emotions. Visit Mary's website or see more photos of the wedding on her Facebook page.

Congratulations Susan and John - You look amazing! Thanks so much for allowing me to share your photos on the blog.

Have a look at some of my other bespoke commissions on the blog, or get in touch if you'd like to arrange to visit my showroom.

"10 Things You Swoon Over" with Aisling Nelson

2011-04-06T10:59:00.008+01:00

I have been invited to take part in a great collective project which has been lots of fun! Over the last few years, I have connected with so many creative bloggers and readers and now have lots of new 'online' friends that continually inspire and offer support.

Inspiration and creativity can sometimes be hard to describe but I was invited to write about ten things that I 'Swoon' over for the wonderful US blog Swoon. That sentence was inspiration enough :-) It didn't take me long to put together ten things that I love and illustrate them with amazing images.

Read about my ten favourite things or follow the series over on the Swoon blog.

A big thanks to Ann Nguyen for inviting me to be a gust-blogger - I had lots of fun putting the article together.

Come on summer...

2011-04-04T14:53:00.009+01:00

The sun is really trying hard to make an appearance in the last couple of weeks. If only we could *rely* on the weather here, we'd all be so much more adventurous in our wedding venue choices! We might even forward plan a picnic or two...

These images really captured my imagination. I adore the sixties outdoor wedding setting with mis-matched lounge couches. Hats would be a definite requirement along with legs crossed at a 45 degree angle. Please someone invite me to this wedding. Or how about the lavish velvet curtain back-drop at this circus-inspired celebration? It's nice to bring the inside out, don't you think? See the full wedding feature here which was photographed by Gabriel Ryan.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas on outdoor celebrations!

Image credits
Top image via Enchanted Weddings. Original source PutAWittyHeadlineHere.
Circus wedding via Green Wedding Shoes. Photography by Gabriel Ryan Photographers.

New Rangoli Rhinestone Combs

2011-03-29T13:45:00.003+01:00

I'm really excited to add three dazzling new combs to my Rangoli collection. The first is the Vintage Lace comb, inspired by lace with beautiful scalloped detailing. The second is the Rhinestone Vine comb, inspired by Hollywood Glamour and finally, the Deco Swirl, reminiscent of Art Deco decadence!

Do you have a favourite? Have a look at my website for the full collection or read about some of my recent commissions.

Long, (and medium), distance design!

2011-03-24T11:02:00.002Z

"What happens if I can't visit your showroom?" This is a question I am often asked by International and Irish clients who would love to wear Rangoli accessories for their wedding.

So today I am sharing a commission with you from someone living in Kerry. For the purposes of anonymity, we'll call this bride Emma! Not surprisingly, her weekends are jam-packed with other bridal-related things and she was unable to visit me in person.

I wanted to show you the process involved so you can see how easy it is to have a Rangoli accessory made specially for you and have it delivered to your door!

Emma is wearing the dress pictured above but is having the straps removed. You'll notice that there is a brooch detail under the bust-line.

Emma first contacted me by email and then we got chatting on the phone. Once I had seen pictures of her dress and photo from her hair trial, (see above), I asked her more about her own personal style and her ideas for the hair accessory.

It's important for me to see close-up pictures of any detail on the dress. In this case, Emma had the brooch and was able to send me a photograph of it. She wanted a curved comb to sit above her low bun. The piece needed to be made with rhinestone elements to complement the brooch.

During my research, I discovered that one of my suppliers stocks the exact comb from the dress. I suggested to Emma that it would be lovely to incorporate the oval brooch into the design, with tapering beaded branches as in the Rangoli sketch above.

I must admit, I'm quite chuffed with the sketch overlaid on Emma's hairstyle photo! It allowed her to see the form and how it would look in the hair. We were both happy that the design would complement her dress and hairstyle. Below is a photo of the finished design!

Here are a few words from 'Emma' who is getting married next week!

"After much searching both in Ireland and the US, I eventually found my dream wedding dress. This beautiful antique style dress had a brooch in the centre of the dress and I wanted a hair comb to tie in with the dress. A friend at another wedding mentioned Aisling and Rangoli and I immediately looked her up. As I was unable to visit Dublin, I discussed with her the possibility of going through the process via e-mail and phone calls. I sent Aisling pictures of the brooch, the dress and my hair style and we continued discussions over the phone.

Aisling's suggestions of linking the brooch, the style of the dress and the hair style surpassed any of my ideas. The comb arrived via registered post and I was delighted with the result. It matched perfectly with the dress and the brooch on the dress

I can't wait to wear it on my Wedding Day next week!!"

Thanks 'Emma' for taking the time to share your experience with my readers. I know they'll join me in wishing you all the best for your wedding day!

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss a commission piece or check out my latest bespoke designs on the blog.

Pretty plaits & braids

2011-03-22T11:53:00.016Z

I love plaits and braiding - I suppose my techniques of crochet and wire-wrapping are a similar art form. It's amazing seeing hairdressers create three-dimensional pieces of art on top of people's heads! Sandra Crosbie is a free-lance stylist and friend and her creation's continually amaze and inspire me! (image above). The two images below were found via Flickr and Pinterest.

This hairstyle was obviously created for rolling around in the grass. Very romantic and dreamy and perfect for a wedding style. Or how about the Bardot tousled look? Looks like someone else has been rolling around too...

I have created several hairstlye albums on my Rangoli Facebook page - check out my albums of Short, Soft up-styles and Half-up hairstyles. Lots of inspiration for all types of hair! I hope you like them.

Blackbird & Shell

2011-03-16T14:59:00.008Z

I am super-delighted that Rangoli has been featured on the Irish blog Blackbird and Shell today. This niche blog showcases creative designers. It is a mostly a visual blog allowing the images to talk for themselves! Here's a few words from Éadaoin - "Here you will discover a celebration of creativity, with a special focus on creative folks in Ireland and the UK. In this space I hope to share some of the amazing work that inspires and excites me - there is so much to be celebrated out there."

And here is Éadaoin's brief description of my work - I love hearing how others describe my designs! See the full post over on the blog.

"Aisling is an Irish designer who creates beautiful bespoke hair accessories and jewellery for brides. Her work is so delicate, it has a touch of enchantment to it. These photos make me think of beautiful Irish fairy women!"

I know some of the designers that Éadaoin has already featured and can't wait to see who is up next! Thanks so much for the feature.

Make sure to check out both of Éadaoin's blogs for lots of visual inspiration-

Blackbird & Shell
City of Blackbirds

Stylefish wins the Dragon's hearts!

2011-03-14T10:56:00.010Z

Today I want to send huge congratulations to Julie Cobbe who owns Stylefish and who stole the show on 'Dragons Den' last night! I've known Julie professionally for a few years and her passion for her business is contagious. She truly deserves the financial funding and business mentoring that she has secured. Watching Julie last night reminded me of how much I love running my own business and seeing the happiness that I can bring to other people. Here's a few words from Julie - you can read her full article on her website.

Julie's classes teach women of all ages how to discover their own personal style. It's all about gaining confidence in how you dress so you can feel great about yourself and enjoy shopping for clothes.

There are very few times in your life that you truly feel…this could be a life changing experience. Dragons Den for me was exactly that. Not ALL to do with the amazing response that we got from the Dragons but more so the emotion connected to actually getting on the show, from the decision to go for it to the interviews and the big day you are told you got on! It is a roller-coaster emotionally as a person & professionally! It makes you feel a new level of love for your business and the difference it makes in peoples live more than anything else in the world. We can all get lost in the day to day reality of running a business but to get the opportunity to look at the bigger picture is amazing. They say lots of things in life catch your eye but few really capture your heart and so I will say that style fish owns mine.

I set up my business for one reason. To provide a brand and service that puts a massive smile on women's faces and makes a difference to how they feel about their style. To show that beyond the magazines and the catwalks of the world, ‘style’ is about so much more than fashion and how what we wear and how we feel about our style has a massive knock on effect to every other area of our life. Your style is your story and our story included convincing Norah Casey & Gavin Duffy in exactly that. The difference style fish makes.

Rangoli is delighted to offer a 'Fishtastic Offer' to Stylefish members - I will design a pair of bespoke earrings valued at €80 with any order valued at €150 or more. Find out more about the perks of becoming a Stylish member as well as signing up for one of Julie's classes on the site too.

Oh and if you missed the show you can find it on the RTE player - it's well worth a watch!

Friday decadence with Yolan Cris

2011-03-11T11:14:00.013Z

I don't know where Yolan has been hiding but I just discovered her dreamy collections online this morning. Delicate lace with a sculptural twist, layers of soft tulle - super sassy Spanish glamour.

There's definitely a goddess touch to these gowns but they are also so soft and feminine.

Yolan combines fabrics, mixing embroidered Chantilly lace with taffetas, crepes and sequins...not to mention unusual sleeve and strap detailing.

I hope all that prettiness has put you in a good mood for the weekend?! See you next week when I'll be sharing my 'long distance' commission.

Ring-a-ding-ding...

2011-03-05T11:53:00.007Z

I have an exciting post coming up next week. It's about a lovely bespoke comb that I designed for someone who wasn't able to visit my showroom.

Not everyone who chooses to wear Rangoli accessories for their wedding is able to meet me in person - whether they are living in Galway or New Zealand! I wanted to show the process of how I design such a bespoke piece. These commissions are really interesting for me and I like to involve the client in every part of the design process.

I'm really happy with the finished design - I just have to wait until the Rangoli package has been delivered and opened before posting part two!

You can read more about my bespoke commissions in my blog archive.

Image credit - JL Designs

Rhinestone Bow commission

2011-03-02T13:20:00.012Z

Alice is getting married and is wearing this gorgeous dress - I love it. She also loves bows so once she spotted my Rhinestone Bow comb she knew it would be perfect!

Alice has allowed me to share some of her bridal inspiration pics which she gathered online. She is carrying bow elements into her wedding theme, with vintage dickie-bows, delicate hair-ribbons for the bridesmaids and cakes with perfectly-formed sugar bows!

Wishing you all the best for your April wedding Alice...

You might like to read about my other recent commissions or visit my website for more inspiration. And don't forget to leave me a comment - I love to hear your feedback!

Alice's dress is from U Dreamy Bridal
Her images were sourced on We Heart It

The Alternative Wedding Event

2011-02-28T11:29:00.009Z

I spent a relaxing afternoon at the Guinness Store House on Sunday. This intimate fair had the feel of an auction house, with people ambling around and discovering lots of hidden treasures. I loved the Hayworth stand of vintage gowns as well as Oxfam Bridal with a selection of stunning once-worn gowns. Cake-a-Licious made the love heart cake!

It was also an opportunity to meet lots of bridal bloggers - We know each other quite well 'virtually' so it was great to put a face to each person. Let me introduce you to them...

Lisa from Bride & Joy - a 'real' bride to be who writes a really informative and fun blog about planning a wedding...and counting down to her own November wedding!

Caoimhe from Tinkerbelle Bride - recently married but thankfully still blogging.

Marie from Finer Details - designer of gorgeous stationery for all occasions.

Blaithin, a multi-talented blogger, event planner and author!

Annie from Aislinn Events - an American wedding and event planner living in Kerry.

Naoise, Sue and Mags from One Fab Day - inspirational wedding blog offering lots of advice on sourcing unique elements for your wedding.

And finally photographer Lisa O'Dwyer who took the lovely images in the montage above.

Great to meet you all! Readers - check out all of these great Irish blogs for tons of inspiration.

Top image by Hazel Coonagh
Montage images by Lisa O'Dwyer

Dreamy colour inspiration

2011-02-23T11:46:00.005Z

Today I bring you soft muted colours to alter your mood - colour therapy for a misty, grey Irish day. There are hints of Spring in these palettes though!

These two images were found on the Colour Collective Blog. This is an amazing resource for colour inspiration. You might remember my previous post about creating your own palettes using your favourite pics. Use the online palette generator - you'll have lots of fun!

Rangoli interview on Fly Away Bride

2011-02-21T18:21:00.013Z

It seems that even when I take Mondays off work, something exciting happens!

Pamela from Fly Away Bride invited me to be a sponsor for her site. You probably already know Pamela's gorgeous stationery designs. Her company Farrell & Chase also won Stationery designer of the year at the recent Weddings Online Awards.

Pamela...designer as well as a bride to be, planning her wedding in Italy...are you still with me?! Armed with all those design skills, along with her own knowledge of planning a wedding abroad, had the great idea to create a blog to help others plan their destination wedding. See some of her contemporary 'Save the date' cards below.

I'm so happy to be a sponsor for this great blog and know that Pamela will inspire lots of people with her enthusiasm and keen eye for stylish bridal design.

Read my interview with Pamela on the Fly Away Bride blog today!

The Alternative Wedding Event

2011-02-17T16:25:00.010Z

When Linda and Andrea from One of a Kind Weddings got in touch to tell me about this event, I was immediately intrigued. Wedding fairs can be so bland ... dazed couples zigg-zagging along thronged aisles of supplier stands. How can you even remember who you spoke to when you get home and collapse on the couch?!

The word alternative conjures up lots of ideas like 'non-traditional' or 'wacky' but this event is very much about encouraging couples to express their own personal style on their wedding day.

One of a Kind Weddings is Ireland’s only eco-chic wedding planning company. Between them, Andrea and Linda have experience in event planning and environmental consultancy. They set up their company to offer something different to couples. Here's a few words from Linda -

“On the day we are going to have a whole host of Ireland's best alternative suppliers from vintage bridal, decor and china to fantastic cakes and even a gospel choir. You can grab a pint of the black stuff at the home of Guinness while you watch a vintage bridal show and learn how to create your unique wedding. It’s the wedding event everyone has been waiting for, whether your gay or straight, catholic or no faith.”

I'm especially looking forward to meeting the girls from Pearl and Godiva who rent out gorgeous vintage china for all occasions, as well as new friends Aga and Noel from White Tea Photography, not to mention a few new tweeting buddies!

The Alternative Wedding Event takes place on Sunday 27th February at The Guinness Store House from 12pm to 6pm. Tickets @ €7 available online or €10 at the door.

Hope to see some of you there!

Pearl and Godiva images by Aspect Photography.

Cupcakes and Jewels and my 'lil sister!

2011-02-14T16:22:00.005Z

Do you know that I have a sister who runs a cupcake business called CupCakeMe and makes the most delicious cakes for every sweet occasion? I'm so proud that she has launched such a successful business in just over a year. Sometimes redundancy can lead to the most amazing life changes ;-)

We collaborated with photographer Christina Brosnan for a photo-shoot that combined her sweet art with some of my sparkling jewels. We had so much fun coming up with ideas and themes.

A big thanks to Lisa from Bride and Joy for featuring us on her blog today! Lisa is a real bride documenting her personal wedding journey - her blog is full of useful advice for anyone planning a wedding. Hop over to her blog and check out the post and be sure to leave us some comments!

See more of Tara's cakes on CupCakeMe and Christina's photography on her website.

New Rangoli Combs

2011-02-10T08:31:00.005Z

I'm excited to showcase two new Rangoli combs - here are some words to describe them...high glamour, sparkle and 'so wearable' after your wedding day! These pieces of hair jewellery are inspired by 1920's to 1940's design. I'm even including a pic of the Chrysler building in New York - a classic piece of Art Deco architecture.

The comb on the left is called Rhinestone Vine and features delicate crystal encrusted leaves and beaded vine. The second design is the Deco Swirl, reminiscent of 1920's Art Deco fabulousness. I think it would go perfectly with Jenny Packham's Sorrento dress below.

I love, love, love working with pearls for their lustre and antique quality and have combined some into these designs. However, some dresses just demand that extra sparkle that only rhinestone can provide! I'm already thinking of some occasions to wear these myself! Keep an eye on my website for new designs and remember that I have lots more designs in my showroom.

Which do you prefer - Sparkles or pearls or a bit of both?!

Dress image found via Google images
Chrysler image via New York Posters

Rangoli Brides Album

2011-02-07T10:25:00.004Z

The Rangoli Brides Album on my website is my favourite part of my website. Seeing these images makes me realise how lucky I am to have a job that is so rewarding and fun! And I know that this section of the site is really popular with my readers and clients too. It's great to be able to see what my designs look like on different people. It's also a great inspiration source for dresses, hairstyles, make-up and flowers :-)

Have a look at the album to see Sonya, Cliodhna and Tara's weddings as well as the others in the set. You might also like to read about some of my recent commissions on the blog.

A big huge 'Thank You' to all for sharing your photos as well as your generous testimonials.

Rangoli guest post

2011-02-03T17:27:00.007Z

I'm honoured to have been asked to write a guest post on an Indian Bridal Blog called The Unreal Bride. I got to know Kismet through a Twitter conversation - we got chatting about my Indian business name and the rest is history!

Head over to The Unreal Bride and read about the story of how I set up my jewellery business in 1998!

And Kismet has promised to get me a job as a Bollywood designer :-)

Engagement Photography

2011-02-01T08:48:00.002Z

Engagement photography is a relatively new concept in Ireland although it's becoming really popular with couples who are looking for relaxed loved-up photos of themselves in the lead-up to their wedding. Engagement photos allow you to get to know your photographer so you'll be more relaxed having your pics taken on your wedding day - plus you get a cool set of fun photos which are more likely to get framed and make it onto your wall!

I came across this image of Britt and Chris by Studio B Photography and it really made me smile - it captures one of the most important parts of any relationship - hanging out together, goofing around and making each other laugh! This fun loving couple wanted an engagement session that reflected their personalities and love for each other and I think these emotions are captured beautifully. Rebecca is based in Atlanta - you can see the full post on her blog.

The second image of Aoife and Thady is by White Tea Photography - an Irish and Polish photography duo, with an individual and relaxed style. This engagement session took place in the Phoenix Park and you can almost feel the wind blowing through their hair as they roll along on their tandem bike. See more of this carefree shoot on Noel and Aga's website. (Make sure to try some of Aga's apple cake if you visit their studio).

And Finally, Christina Brosnan is an American photgrapher, living in Ireland and married to an Irish guy! Her fresh style is certainly influencing trends here and winning her lots of admirers! Christina will be photographing the wedding of Claire and Aidan in Ireland next year. They are currently living in London so Christina travelled over to shoot their romantic picnic-styled session. The full feature is on Christina's blog - I can't wait to see the wedding...

...maybe I could do a follow-up post featuring all three weddings. Now there's an idea :-)

Christian Dior Couture 2011

2011-01-26T14:25:00.003Z

I simply had to post this image from Christian Dior's 2011 Couture collection...I tried just tweeting about it but it wasn't enough. I'm not so wild about the headpiece but I could definitely find somewhere to wear this dress.

'Three things' 3

2011-01-22T19:28:00.008Z

The 'Three things' series is about things that inspire me to design. This is a visual diary of images I love... might be a colour, a form or simply something that triggers a happy emotion. Welcome to my world - I hope you enjoy leafing through my visual diary!

One of the things that inspires me most, (and is a favourite part of my job!) is looking at the selection of gorgeous gowns that clients have chosen for their weddings. Here are three dresses that I am currently designing accessories for - they each have distinctive features that inspire me to create...and drool over :-) As you can see - Lace is still popular in 2011 collections.

First up is a Cymbeline gown called Eleanor. It's from the 2011 collection. I love the neckline and the softly draped lace. This dress is so feminine and soft.

For this client, I am designing long delicate drop earrings and a fine pearl and rhinestone bracelet. As the hair will be worn up, the earrings will be the key decorative feature.

The second dress is called Satine by Johanna Johnson. Johanna is renowned for her Old Hollywood glamour styles and this sumptuous latte coloured gown features hand-beaded Parisian lace accents and plunging back.

For this client, I am designing a bespoke pale gold beaded comb. The beading will include topaz Swarovski crystal beading along with taupe and champagne pearls. The bride would like to wear the piece to the back of the head for the earlier part of the day and move it to the side for more of an evening look.

The final dress and commission that I am sharing is a Mon-Cheri dress called Emme. This sleeveless lace slim A-line gown features a hand-beaded lace bateau neckline and plunging V-back bodice with cowl draped chiffon straps. I love the back feature of this dress!

For this commission, I am making a delicate beaded hairwire with a vintage lace inspired side feature. The piece will combine both rhinestone and soft pearl detail, to pick up on the rhinestone belt detail.

Are you jealous of my job yet?! I love how varied these dresses and commissions are. I hope to share the finished designs when they are completed!

You can read more of my 'Three Things' inspiration posts or read about my latest Rangoli bridal commissions.

I'd love to design something for your wedding so please get in touch if you'd like to arrange an appointment to visit the Rangoli Showroom.

Confetti Magazine features Rangoli

2011-01-21T11:32:00.003Z

Thanks to Confetti magazine for selecting Rangoli for their 'We Like' section. The feature is in the Spring 2011 issue of the Magazine. The photo is of Sonya and Graham's wedding which I featured previously on my blog.
See the full Rangoli collection online -

Photograph by Bernard Carolan at Mark Griffin Photo.

19 hours in Madrid

2011-01-20T10:38:00.008Z

I've just been to Madrid for 24hrs...well it ended up being about 19hrs due to foggy conditions at Madrid airport. If you missed my previous post - this was a surprise birthday present for my friend Caroline, (co-owner of Dirty Fabulou s). I've never met anyone who loves surprises more so it was fun watching her bounce off the ceiling in the days leading up to our departure :-)

Once we arrived we made our way to our hotel. Above, Caroline surveys the view from our room while I check out the orange couch in the foyer. Time to hit the streets for some 'culture' and shopping.

The towering architecture is amazing with decorative carvings and ornamental balconies everywhere. At street level there are lots of small quirky boutiques and cafes.

Some vintage shopping at Lotta Vintage for Caroline and some bridal research for me!

This parade of horse-men clad in 18th century costumes appeared out of nowhere and stopped to blare their trumpets. They were followed in procession by about twenty people walking miniature dogs. We have absolutely no idea what it was all about but it was hilarious to watch!

After a couple of stops for light alcoholic refreshment we tracked down Baco Y Beto. (Thanks to Caroline for her navigation skills).

Baco Y Beto is described by The Lonely Planet as a hidden gem - the best place for tapas in Madrid. This was one of the delights we sampled - it sounded so crazy, I had to order it...Mi-cuit fois gras with port wine sauce on top of carmalised banana ~unbelievable combination :-) The Galician style octopus in a sauce of piquillo red peppers and cava wine was also a winner.

So would we recommend Madrid? Absolutely...I'll definitely be going back. Caroline is already planning our next mini-vacation. She reckons we should have about four to six of these trips a year :-) I can't argue with that.

For more information on Madrid, visit The Lonely Planet Guide online.

A very special cup of tea!

2011-01-18T17:37:00.009Z

I'm delighted to share this special wedding with you. Fiona and Colm were married a week ago. Fiona rang me a couple of days before the wedding as she was still looking for something special for her hair. I didn't get to meet her in person but she had seen my Silver Lace comb on my website and thought it would be perfect for her bespoke vintage style dress.

This wedding is so stylish, yet completely laid back. Fiona and Colm invited their guests to the Shelbourne Hotel for afternoon tea after their ceremony, instead of the more traditional evening meal. This truly personal celebration was photographed by Christina Brosnan, who captured the emotions beautifully. Fiona and Colm - I wish you every happiness together and many more pots of tea :-)

You can read more about the wedding on Cristina's blog - as well as seeing some of the other engagements and weddings that Christina has photographed.

Read about more of my recent commissions or keep up to date with Rangoli on Facebook and Twitter.

Credits:
Photography by Christina Brosnan
Make-up by Aoife Callaghan
Hair styled by Susan Peggs

Surprise birthday trip!

2011-01-16T15:47:00.000Z

This Monday I'm taking my friend Caroline on a 24hr European-city-mystery trip. It's her birthday present and the excitement of not knowing where she is going has almost killed her :-)

I'll be able to tell you more when I get back to work on Wednesday...can't reveal the destination in case she is peeking at this post. But it's somewhere where neither of us have been before and I CAN'T WAIT to just hang out with her, do cultural stuff, sip coffee, guzzle wine and generally soak up the atmosphere of some place completely new. I'll share a photo-montage in my next post...
if I come back.

Image via Luxe of Italy

Sandra Crosbie - Freelance hairstylist

2011-01-13T10:54:00.008Z

Hi everyone - I promised I would share some dazzling wedding photos with you and here they are. I think you'll agree that the bride, Claire Durkin looks stunning. I think Claire is on honeymoon at the moment so I'm hoping that she will contribute to this article when she returns!

The bridal party were lucky to have Sandra Crosbie to style their locks. Here's the story, I first met Sandra in 2002 when she styled my hair for my own wedding and in the intervening years we've become great friends! Over the last eight years, I've had to opportunity to collaborate with her on various projects and I'm truly inspired by her skills...and humour! Sandra is an Ossie who's married to an Irish guy and she has thirty years experience in styling and colouring hair. When I hear feedback from clients after their weddings or hair trials, Sandra is always complemented on how she makes everyone 'feel' on the day - she's a true professional in every sense of the word.

Claire had a theme of old Hollywood glamour for her wedding and Sandra certainly worked her magic by creating stunning individual looks for Claire and her two bridesmaids, seen below. I think it's lovely for bridesmaids to have their own unique look.

Read my other feature on Sandra or visit her website for more information.

I hope you enjoyed this hairstyle feature. I'll be sharing some of my 2011 commissions with you soon!

Make-up was by Alibhe Lynch
Phototography by Kurt Vinion

2011 Bridal trends

2011-01-10T12:11:00.006Z

Whoooh - back to work and delighted to be sitting at my desk, surrounded by beads and full of ideas for new designs which I'll be sharing with you shortly.

Part of my design research involves keeping up to date with the latest in bridal trends so today I am sharing an idea that is going to be huge in 2011 weddings! Succulents - I love them for their crazy forms and variety of colours. They are sculptural yet simple and can be used in lots of creative ways.

This first photo is the one that wowed me - how about a headpiece made from a succulent that has been sprayed gold? This piece was designed by Clarissa Jones, who is an event planner in California. Her business is called JLDesigns - check out the other succulent ideas from this shoot.

This is a bouquet that I have featured before and was found via Style Me Pretty. I love the colour mix of soft greys and greens with yellow.

And here's a striking cake made by Erica O'Brien. The flower decorations are made from fondant sugar paste. I love when things are not what they appear to be. Totally scrumptious!

In the coming weeks, I'll be sharing 2011 bridal trends for everything from dresses to hairstyles. In the meantime, I need to get back to my design desk!

Rangoli New Year Opening

2011-01-05T16:55:00.005Z

Hi everyone and happy new year to you all! I hope your Christmas break was better than mine...I spent a good part of it in bed with the flu - the *real* flu :-( So I have had to extend my business re-opening date to Monday 10th January. The image above is a happy visualisation for me to cheer myself up!

I'm sorry if this inconveniences anyone. I am replying to all emails on a daily basis and can answer any queries you have about my designs or appointment requests. You can contact me at aisling@rangoli.ie

Can't wait to get back to my lovely studio ~

Image by Randy Martin

Happy Christmas from Rangoli!

2010-12-24T11:25:00.001Z

It's time for me to sign off for a relaxing holiday! Rangoli will be closed for Christmas and will re-open on Thursday 6th January.

Thanks for your support throughout the year - I hope you will continue to keep me company in 2011 via my blog, Facebook and Twitter posts. Make sure to visit my website too!

2010 has been a rewarding year with lots of wonderful highlights. I especially want to thank my loyal clients from 1998 to the present - I appreciate all of your recommendations to friends and colleagues.

So, enjoy your break ~ and best of luck to all my Christmas brides - I'll be thinking of you all :-)

Image via Flickr.com

Rangoli Christmas Competition Winner

2010-12-23T12:42:00.002Z

Wow - thanks for all your brilliant 'one word' descriptions of Rangoli jewellery for my Facebook competiton! Some were intriguing, others made me laugh and all of them made my head swell...in a good way :-) Check out the final collection of words -

Breathtaking, Lustrous, Shiny, Dazzling, Unparalleled, (as I haven't seen anything like your designs anywhere else), Fairy-princessy, More - ish (Meaning I would love to have lots of Rangoli Jewellery), Exquisite, Iridescent, Rangolious, Classy, Schitterend, (one word for Sparkling / glittering / radiant / dazzling / brilliant / fantastic!), Intricate, Distinctive, 'OhhlaaaLaa', Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Perfect, Spangolious, Ponyo, (Japanese word meaning breathtaking), Einstakt (Icelandic for "unique"!), Stunning, Bling, Zmysłowe, meaning sensuous, Drithle, (an old Irish word for "sparkle"), and Yorokobii, (a Japanese word meaning joy).

There were a few strong contenders in there but the winner of the competition is Celia Clancy who submitted the word "Unparalleled" because she hasn't seen anything like Rangoli designs anywhere else. Well, here's to originality!

Congratulations Celia - I'm looking forward to meeting you in the new year and designing something really special for you!

Rangoli Bridesmaid commission

2010-12-15T10:42:00.006Z

Here's a recent commission that I loved working on. The wedding is not until the spring so it's nice to have images of floaty chiffon dresses to keep my mind off the chillyness!

The brief for this commission was for something soft and romantic. The client loved my hairwire styles and also wanted something with a side feature. I came up with the idea of incorporating a fine velvet ribbon to create a 'Jane Austin' inspired headpiece. I then sourced a selection of Swarovski crystals in lilac and opal pinks.

This piece ties at the back of the head. It also doubles up as a necklace or bracelet - probably one of my most versatile pieces! The beautiful dress is by J Crew - check out their website for the full collection.

I hope you enjoyed reading about this commission - check my archives for more Rangoli commissions and Rangoli wedding features or visit my website to view my collections.

Christian Lacroix designs for Rosa Clara

2010-12-14T18:31:00.008Z

Well here is a dress that I love for 2011 and I'm not normally drawn to full princess skirts! It combines some of the key style trends for the coming season...lots of tulle layering, flower forms and a cute bow. Quite a glass slipper dress for 2011!

I love the idea of two designers working together and Christian Lacroix brings some of his haute couture magic to this gown. The neckline is another beautiful detail and one that rarely features in bridal gowns. Below is a gown from the 2011 Rosa Clara collection. I love the pleated layered tulle combined with soft lace.

Next up, I'll be sharing a gorgeous bridesmaid commission with you - a delicate beaded hairband in a soft mauve and grey palette!

'Three things' 2

2010-12-13T13:29:00.002Z

The Worldwide Rangoli Competition!

2010-12-09T15:35:00.005Z

Hi to all my readers around the globe! I looked at the profiles of my Rangoli Facebook followers and discovered an amazing cross-section of locations including Ireland, The United Kingdom, Turkey, India, Australia, countries in North and South America, Poland, Italy, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Ukraine, Lithuania, The Netherlands and Malaysia. Wow thanks for your company - let me know if you have a location to add to my list!

It's a really nice feeling to think that I'm connecting with such a diverse audience :-)

So to celebrate the global love, I'm launching a competition which is open to anyone worldwide.

The prize is for bespoke Rangoli Jewellery or Hair Accessories to the value of €300. The prize also includes postage to your destination.

This competition is SO SIMPLE to enter -

Firstly, sign up for my Rangoli Jewellery Facebook page
Then leave a comment below or on the event page on Facebook describing Rangoli Jewellery in ONE WORD. Use whatever language you like!

The competition closes on Thursday 23rd December and I will announce the winner before Christmas.

Good luck to you all - can't wait to read your entry words!
Aisling

'Three things' 1

2010-12-06T11:24:00.009Z

Graduated colour palette

2010-12-02T12:10:00.008Z

It's a very beautiful white world out there so it's a perfect canvas for some bold colours. I love the magical transparent colours in this Johnny Miller photograph. It's the graduation of colours that makes it so interesting though - from sea-green to blue.

You could have lots of flower fun by creating colour graduated displays or perhaps bridesmaids with different palettes of colour.

A magical idea for a magical white world!

Photo credits
Orange flowers via Design Sponge
Pink flowers via A Vintage Rose Garden
Colour wheel by Andy Gilmore via ffffound.com

Bridal hairstyle galleries

2010-11-29T16:17:00.005Z

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

2010-11-29T10:57:00.006Z

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

2010-11-23T22:34:00.010Z

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

2010-11-22T15:00:00.004Z

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

2010-11-19T01:00:00.002Z

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

2010-11-17T11:06:00.006Z

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!

2010-11-11T23:59:00.006Z

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

2010-11-09T12:16:00.006Z

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

2010-11-06T12:24:00.003Z

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

2010-11-03T11:02:00.007Z

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

2010-11-01T12:10:00.007Z

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.

Small car, small bouquet, Big Love!

2010-10-28T10:58:00.001+01:00

The image above really captured my imagination! There's so much love packed into that tiny space :-) and how about that dainty bouquet blowing in the wind? Sometimes size is everything - the smaller the better.

Here's a photo of my Dad with his first car, a Fiat 600, trying to look nonchalant. I'm not sure whether my Mum and him would have fitted in there on their wedding day though :-)

The top photo is by Alante Photography