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

Holidays and anniversaries!

Today is my last day before my holidays! Tomorrow myself and my hubby Ben are flying to Lisbon and travelling around Portugal for a couple of weeks. We'll be celebrating our ten year anniversary and a much longer 'being together' date... romance is definitely in the air!

Before I go, I thought I'd share a commission that I'm currently working on. I am designing a crochet hair-wrap to be worn with a gold Johanna Johnson dress called Satine. The dress is embellished with intricate embroidery which inspired me to sketch these drawings. The main fabric is a pale gold satin, featuring hand-beaded Parisian lace accents and a plunging back. You can see how the fabric in the dress floats and moves in a beautiful way.

Aoife has chosen a soft, half-up hairstyle and wanted something like a decorative ribbon to wear across her hair. Some of my beaded hairwires would have been lovely with this dress but the crochet wrap really brings out the sumptuous embroidery detail.
 

Rangoli sketch of Satine dress by Johanna Johnson

If you don't know already, I am a big fan of gold and this dress allowed me to delve into my collection of topaz and citrine coloured beads. The crochet, beaded vine, was inspired by the lace embroidery on the dress. The beaded vine tapers to one side of the head and will be worn like a hair-band.

Sketch of Rangoli crochet headpiece detail inspired by Johanna Johnson 'Satine' dress

This commission will have to wait until I get back from Portugal to be finished! I'll miss you all but will be back to share some photos and stories in a couple of weeks. If you want to see what inspires me while I'm on holidays, you can follow me on Instagram.

 

The studio will re-open on Monday 10th September. For anyone with an up-coming wedding, I have plenty of pieces available to purchase from stock on my return.

'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!

Aisling wears 'Willow'.

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.