Aberystwyth to Vegas via Tipperary!

Annemarie and Paul were married on 12th July 2012. But this love story began 14 years ago in Aberystwyth! I'm thrilled that both Annemarie and Paul are here to tell us more about their beautiful day. Let's begin with how they met.

 

We met... We lived in the same hall of residence (Ceredigion Hall) in University of Wales Aberystwyth. It was an old rickety building on the seafront but it was full of character, fun and love.

Paul's proposal... Well after 14 years together, you could say we rushed into it! I had planned a Romantic Christmas Day proposal, but we were snowed in so I had to delay it until New Years Eve and had to simplify it somewhat by pretending I was too ill to go out and celebrate NYE with our friends. I did it the old fashioned way on bended knee at the stroke of midnight in front of the Fireworks on TV! The good old Moet came in handy. After leaving me on one knee for about ten minutes thinking I was joking, Annie finally stopped laughing and said “Yes” Happy days!

We were married in St.Helena’s Church in The Nire Valley. The church is up in the mountains and is surrounded by amazing scenery, which gave us the opportunity to have spectacular scenic photos taken. The church is not an easy find and there is no phone reception there but luckily all our guests made it there in one piece!

We also had a 2nd wedding ceremony in Las Vegas, which was conducted by Elvis. Pól’s other best man Jamie and his partner Mel who couldn’t attend our first wedding, attended this one and made it all the more memorable!

Wedding photographer: The very talented Shane O’Neill- Aspect Photography. The minute we saw Shane’s work we knew that we had to have him as our photographer. He has an eye for the absolute unimaginable. Shane was a joy to work with and was also a superb wedding organiser!  Shane recommended the very artistic Rodolphe from Best Day Productions; we absolutely loved his quirky video style and his use of the old super 8."

For my wedding day Marie Hiickey created the most amazing hairstyle that I or anyone else had ever seen. How Marie managed to intertwine my beautiful hair piece through the plaits is mystifying and only serves to demonstrate how talented herself and Aisling are. Even nearly a year later people are still talking about how fantastic my hair and hair piece were. Aisling and Marie are exceptionally talented and their creations are works of art.

Our ceremony was emotional and enhanced by the wonderful music from the Scarlet String Quartet. The reception was amazing and great fun. The Opera Singing Waiters provided If you'd like to find out more about Annmarie's hairstyle and 'Cascade' headpiece, you can read the interview with Marie Hickey. As always, I'd love to discuss any jewellery or headpiece ideas you might have! great entertainment for everyone after the meal. They put on such a great act that one of my uncles to this day still thinks that the Raheen House waiters are extremely talented opera singers!

We chose our venue, Raheen House Clonmel, because it was near home and had a lovely country feel. This old country house has fabulous grounds, quirky rooms and the most accommodating managers and staff, We loved the country house theme and always wanted to have sunflowers as our wedding flowers.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen....The amazingly gorgeous Dervla Mulcahy (with baby Chloe in tow!), Mollie Hughes and Deirdre Coyne. Steve Hudson and Fintan Lawlor. We couldn’t have asked for better bridesmaids and grooms-men - they were amazingly brilliant, helpful and so much fun.

The contraversial Allstars provided the jazz band when people arrived at the venue and they were the main band that got everyone dancing the night away. Dave the lead singer even dedicated his own song Sunburst from his other band Picturehouse to us!It was an amazing day and night and one neither of us will ever forget.

And what better way to end this story than to have a look at Annmarie and Paul's vintage Super 8mm wedding video by Rodolphe from Best Day Productions. Featuring converse runners, kaleidoscope trees and much laughing and kisses. Shane and Rodolphe have each captured their own unique take of the day.

A huge thanks to Paul and Annmarie for telling us their memories from the day. Thanks for all the kind words too; I know I say this a lot but this makes my job so rewarding!

We can go dancing from best day productions on Vimeo.

If you'd like to find out more about Annmarie's hairstyle and 'Cascade' headpiece, you can read the interview with Marie Hickey. As always, I'd love to discuss any jewellery or headpiece ideas you might have!

Credits:
Wedding reception: Raheen House Clonmel, Co.Tipperary.
Make-up: Kate-Rose Crean
Hair: Bridal Hair by Marie Hickey
Bridal Accessories:  Jewellery and hair accessories by Aisling Nelson at Rangoli Photographer: Shane O’Neill from Aspect Photography
Cinematographer: Rodolphe from Best Day Productions

Bridal hair-stylist Marie Hickey

I have so much lined up to share with you from Annemarie' wedding. Magical photos by Shane O'Neil + a cool video by Best Day Productions. But before Annemarie tells us her memories from the day, I wanted to chat with Marie Hickey who created this hairstyle for her.

When headpiece designers and hairdressers work together, amazing things happen. Honestly; that's worth saying twice! It's a crazy form of collaboration because we work separately. I always ask to see photos of hair trials and the style really influences the designs I create. Other times, my design will be the starting point for the hairdresser. I like to think that we inspire each other.

I've called this new design 'Cascade' and I can't think of a better word to describe Marie's hairstyle; asymmetric side braids and interlocking looping locks!

This is the first in a series of interviews with my favourite hairdressers; let's meet Marie Hickey -

Marie, I love your gorgeous boho hairstlyes. And it's fun when the two of us work together with women to create a look that they love. Tell us a bit about how you got into hairstyling for weddings and what you love about it.

I absolutely love weddings! It is such an honour to be part of someone’s wedding day, a day that they will never forget (for better or worse!!) . I have always loved tying hair up and weddings were the perfect opportunity to do what I love best. A bride generally always goes more glamorous on their wedding day and it is great to be part of this makeover.

When Ann-Marie came to visit you, did she have a clear idea of how she's like to wear her hair? What sort of things did you talk to her about when you first met up for her hair trial?

When Anne-Marie came to see me for her hair trial we had a look at her dress and discussed the ideas that she liked. Once I saw her dress and got a feel for her look I knew she had to get in touch with you! I had styled another bride with a similar look and I knew Anne Marie would love the look and we personalised it to suit her. When I showed her a photo of your head piece she loved it straight away and we knew the look was perfect for her.

What I love about this hairstyle is that it looks so natural. I'm guessing it takes a lot of work to make it look so unstructured?!

When a bride goes for a natural look I think you always have to make it a little different so no other guest will have her look. While the look is natural it has to be creative and unique. I do spend the full morning with the bride so I have plenty of time to work on each style.

Another thing I love about your hairstyles is the asymmetry. I think it adds a little drama when the style is not perfectly centered! It probably means that every time you create a style like this, that it'll be slightly different?

I love that every style is different. Everybody has different hair types and textures and head shapes so it has to be a hairstyle that compliments the brides overall look. No two brides are the same so no two hairstyles should be the same.

Do you have one good tip for women choosing a hairstyle for their wedding day?

"Always bring a photo of your dress with you for your trial as this does dictate certain styles. Also be open to other options rather than veils as you can create such an individual look with head pieces as with Ann –Marie’s. Go with a look that you are comfortable with but do go that extra bit different to make the overall look amazing."

Thanks Marie - I hope we'll continue to collaborate from Dublin to Tipperary!

Check back to read Annemarie and Paul's wedding story, coming soon. If this hairstyle is 'talking to you', make sure you get in touch with Marie. You'll find all of her details on her website; Bridal hair by Marie. Marie was also the 2013 Weddings Online Hairstylist of the Year.

Photo credit:
Detail of photo by Shane O'Neil from Aspect Photogrpahy

'Cascade' crochet headpiece

Monday is officially my day off but I sometimes check my in-box for any urgent messages. And yesterday morning there was a gem in wait for me! It's hard to explain how much I love seeing photos from client's weddings. I get to hear lots of gorgeous details about a wedding but I'm not involved on the day like photographers or hairstylists. So, it's great to see how everything comes together afterwards!

Thanks to Marie Hickey who styled Claire's hair recently. She was kind enough to send on these photos she took on the morning. I hope with Claire's permission to share some of her official wedding photos and stories with you soon.

Hair style by Marie Hickey

This is a new Rangoli design which illustrates my love of decorating the head in a delicate and natural way. As I said to Marie, this accessory involves a creative collaboration between myself and the hairstylist.  This piece can be worn in a number of different ways but I think it looks beautiful in this asymmetric side plait. The crochet strands are woven through the hair and cascade down the back of the head. The design features tiny Swarovski crystals and hundreds of seed beads.

 Rangoli crochet strand headpiece with Swarovski crystal

Of all my hair accesory designs, the beaded hairwires and crochet wraps are my favourite. I think of hair-styling as a form of sculpture and I love seeing how my designs are integrated into the style.

I want you girls to know that the hairstyle pictures you show me, inspire me to create new designs :-) So if you have a hairstyle in mind and are unsure how to accessorise it, I'm here to help you!

Check out some of Marie's real bride photos on her website, Bridal Hair by Marie. You might also like to read about some of my recent commissions or see some of my hairwire designs. And get in touch if you'd like to arrange to visit my Dublin studio!

Cameo memories

The gorgeous Pippa almost outshone Kate on her wedding day and I know lots of you loved her simple, elegant look.

Lisa has chosen Pippa's half-up hairstyle for her wedding and wants to decorate the back of her hair. She visited the studio with her fiancée Simon. This has happened a few times recently and it's great to see the guys offering their heartfelt advice. The hairpin will be a wedding gift from Simon too.

Simon showed me a twenty year old cameo brooch which had belonged to his Mother. Lisa wants to wear it on her wedding day. What a lovely way to remember someone who is close to your heart. She had thought about putting it on a chain, but I suggested incorporating it into her hairpin. I think it makes a lovely centre piece to the design.

I'm seeing lots of unique ways of remembering relatives. I particularly love when couples display photos of their parents' and grand-parents' weddings at their own celebration. If you haven't read the story of Siobhan's Grandmother's jewellery you should read the post; it's one of my favourites!

What family memories are you incorporating into your wedding? I'd love to hear about them in the comment link below or over on my Facebook page.

Photo credit
Images of Pippa Middleton via Getty Images

Rangoli bride, Ruth.

An email in my in-box that made my day! Ruth - thanks for getting in touch to share some photos of your wedding. Your kind words mean a lot.

Ruth was looking for a headpiece with an antique, pearly feel. No sparkly rhinestones here! I combined some pale gold and silver beading with cream Swarovski pearls. The design was based on a vine form with beaded leaves. I love how soft the piece looks against the delicate lace. You look gorgeous Ruth.

You can see more photos of Rangoli brides on my Facebook page and website.
 
Ruth's photos were taken by Michael Crean.

Bridal hairstyle inspiration

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!

Pretty plaits & braids

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.

Rangoli Brides Album

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.

Sandra Crosbie - Freelance hairstylist

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

Bridal hairstyle galleries

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

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

As always, I welcome your feedback and suggestions ~

Fun with colour

Colour plays a integral part in any wedding. Lots of thought goes into choosing a palette of colours that reflects your personal style. There are so many ways to bring colour into your day, from flowers and shoes to food and decorations.



I chose the two images above of Sandra's wedding. Sandra's bouquet was really unusual, combining fruits, ivy and roses. I often use a colour palette generator when I want to have fun with colour.

All you have to do is choose an image that has a range of colours that you love. Then you simply submit the picture to the generator and it will do the rest. Might be handy for the initial stages of planning!

Sandra wears a Rangoli beaded hairwire, pearl studs and a double strand pearl bracelet.

See my hairwire and bracelet catalogue on my Rangoli website.

Photos by Peter Nash Photography

Cliodhna and Robert's Wedding

I know you're going to lurrrve this romantic Galway wedding. It's full of pretty details and happy emotions! Congratulations Cliodhna and Robert.

Cliodhna loves flowers, especially roses, which were a strong theme for her wedding. I just love the simplicity of these white hydrangeas which were tied with ribbons to the pew ends. And how about the flower arch at the church door which was decorated with wild roses? So pretty :-)

Here is Cliodhna and her sister Fainche. Cliodhna's dress is called 'Tea Rose' which is another reason why she fell in love with it! The dress is a blush pink colour with a lace overlay. Fainche's bridesmaid dress is from Dirty Fabulous and complements her sister's gown perfectly.

Above is a close-up of the beaded rose comb that I designed to go with the dress. Below you can see the matching double strand pearl bracelet with rhinestone detail as well as details of both girls combs.


And finally, here are the happy couple looking very happy indeed. You just can't beat that 'just married' smile :-)

Here's another pic of Cliodhna and her sister....

and finally...a quiet moment together! As always, I want to thank this couple for allowing me to share these pictures with you. I really enjoyed working with Cliodhna to design special accessories for her wedding. You can read more about the design process in my previous post.

Photography by Angelo Mercone.

Bespoke accessories for bride and bridesmaid

This is the story of a lovely commission I worked on recently. It's interesting and fun to design pieces to complement particular colours and dress styles. For Cliodhna, I had the opportunity to design a bespoke comb for both herself as well as her sister Fainche who was her bridesmaid.

Cliodhna's dress was a beautiful colour - so hard to describe...somewhere between antique blush pink but with a hint of grey blue. I love colours that can be described with lots of adjectives :-)

Anyway, this dress is beautiful as you can see and has an overlay of antique style lace. Cliodna described her personal style as well as her favourite style icon, Grace Kelly. We looked at pictures of her half-up hairstyle. We then tried on a variety of combs and soon found one that had the perfect shape but simply had too much sparkle on it. I came up with a design that incorporated a beaded vintage rose made from dusky pink seed beads. The overall appearance was soft and romantic with pearls as the key feature... Here is Cliodna to share some of her thoughts and inspirations with you!

"I really wanted a dress that had a vintage look with antique lace. This dress was the very first one I tried on with Aoife in Ophelia Bridal in Drogheda. I instantly loved both the lace and the colour of the dress, which Aoife described as ‘Tea Rose’. The fact that the dress was Tea Rose, that I’m a huge fan of roses of any type and that Aoife said not one other bride had bought the dress in this colour – I was sold immediately! I liked the idea of wearing a dress that was a little bit different in colour, plus Aoife also made me a beautiful bolero in matching lace.

What to wear in my hair was the next challenge, as I knew I definitely didn’t want to wear a veil. Then a friend recommended Rangoli as Aisling had made pieces for both her and her bridesmaids.

The first meeting with Aisling was great. Visiting her studio is like going into a sweet shop – I so enjoyed trying on different types of combs and hair pieces. Once we decided on a particular comb, my biggest issue was with ‘bling’ - I didn’t want a comb with any sparkle at all! I just wanted something that was vintage, simple and feminine that would complement my dress. Aisling was brilliant, she studied the lace on my dress and came up with lots of different ideas on what I could have on the comb. I really enjoyed being part of this process and having some input into the design. I think the finished comb is beautiful and complements the dress perfectly. It was also very comfortable to wear – which really is an important factor for any bride!


Aisling also made a bespoke pearl bracelet and earrings for me. They are beautiful and worked really well with the comb and dress, but I love the fact that they are personal to me and that I can wear them again and again.

Aisling also made a stunning yet subtle little comb for my sister’s hair that matches her vintage 1950’s prom dress (from Dirty Fabulous) perfectly.

I would (and have already) recommended Rangoli to any bride or bridesmaids. It was a truly lovely experience in the lead up to the wedding with no fuss or hassle at all and beautiful, special finished products. Thanks Aisling".

Cliodna's sister Fainche was her only bridesmaid which made choosing her dress much more fun. And what better place to shop for a vintage dress in Dublin than 'Dirty Fabulous'. Caroline and Kathy, (who are also friends of mine), and have the most dreamy array of original 1930's to 1950's dresses and separates.

I designed this comb for Fainche, picking out olive crystal, sparkling rhinestone and creamy pearls to complement the fabric of the dress. I love the round vintage shape!

Look out for my second post on Cliodhna's wedding where I will share some of her gorgeous wedding photos with you.

Half-up hairstyles, long hair and up-do's

Hair really is a woman's crowning glory and there are gorgeous styles to choose from for your wedding day! I have been creating an album of styles that I love and ones that I would love to create accessories for.

I love how these styles are elegant and soft. Whether half or fully up, they create that 'wow' look!

Have a look at the slide-show for inspiration and let me know which ones you like best. Read my other articles about hairstyles.




Created with flickr slideshow.
Photo credits - images were found on weddingmagazine.co.uk and weddinghairstylegallery.com

Soft bridal upstyles

Are you looking for ideas for your bridal hairstyle? As a hair accessories designer, I am really influenced by the type of hairstyle that my clients choose for their special occasion. I love designing pieces to accentuate the form of the hair as well as adding the finishing touch to the look.

Every season there are new hairstyle trends but many styles are timeless classics. There is a move towards softer and less structured hairstyles. I love these more natural styles which are soft and feminine.

I gather inspiration images of hairstyles that I share with anyone who is looking for hair ideas. The images below are from my 'Yummy Hairstyles' board on Pinterest.

 My hairstyle inspiration board on Pinterest

When clients visit my showroom, I start by looking at pictures of their dress as well as hairstyles ideas. If someone has not already had a hair trial, I can advise on styles that I feel would suit them. Many of my hair accessories are very versatile and can be worn in a number of different ways in the hair, allowing the hairstylist to use them creatively.

You also find an archive of articles on this blog that relate to hairstyles and the type of hair accessories that will suit each one. I offer tips and advice and describe how I come up with bespoke designs.

And finally, I have hairstyle albums on my Rangoli Jewellery Facebook page. Here you'll see my Half-up hairstyles, Short hairstyles, as wells as Soft upstyles albums.

Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss headpiece ideas - I'd love to hear from you. And let me know your favourite bridal hairstyles! I hope I have inspired you.

Image credits:
Top two images found on www.theknot.com