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!

Bespoke Rangoli Hairwire

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.

Long, (and medium), distance design!

"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

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.

A very special cup of tea!

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

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 ~

Short-haired brides

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sneaky peak...short hair for weddings!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1930's Hollywood Glamour Headpiece

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

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

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

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

Amanda's wedding

Thanks Amanda for getting in touch to tell me what a wonderful day yourself and your new hubby had! Doesn't she look so elegant? I love those soft finger-waves.

Amanda wanted a neat side piece to decorate her hair and to pick up on the beading detail in her gown. The comb I designed featured a mixture of gold and silver beading with pearl and rhinestone accents. I also designed her delicate drop earrings. Here's a few words from the bride herself -

"Finally a couple of pics for you from our fabulous day. I got some amazing compliments on the lovely pieces you made for me. They looked amazing and really made my day that extra bit special. I truly did feel like a princess. Thanks again for the great work (in the short time!) :-)"

The comb below is a silver version of Amanda's headpiece and this design can be customised in a number of ways. Read more about my recent commissions or see my Rangoli Brides Album on my website or Facebook page.


Photograph by Barry Keogh

Sonya and Graham's wedding

There's so much to love about Sonya and Graham's wedding. Where do I start....

Well how about Sonya's beautiful lace dress which is called Karin and was designed by Margaret from The Bridal Outlet in Baldoyle? It's just gorgeous and even though I don't know Sonya well, I would say it suits her perfectly! Sonya mentioned how impressed she was with the service and range of gowns that she saw in this dress shop.

The first thing I loved when I met Sonya was her hairstyle! And I especially loved the fact that she didn't feel the need to grow it longer for her wedding day. It's so chic and elegant. Even though we tried on lots of different hair accessories, I had immediately thought that this scalloped pearl comb would be perfect to complement both her hairstyle and dress. It is a dainty piece that still has lots of impact in Sonya's dark hair. It is inspired by lace patterns.

Above, we see Sonya with her flower girl. What a pretty bouquet - the shades remind me of Sweet Pea. Flowers were a strong element of this wedding. The beautiful floral arch makes a perfect backdrop for this photo. See Cliodhna's simpler and equally stunning floral arch in my recent feature on her wedding.


Here are a few words from Sonya -

''I just wanted to say a big thank you to Aisling in Rangoli Jewellery. I had previously heard of her work through a number of friends and colleagues who had got married over the recent years. I purchased my head piece and bracelet 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 me to try them on. I showed her a swatch of my fabric from the dress and she made me exactly what I wanted. I will definitely be recommending Rangoli to as many people as possible as Aisling made the process very easy and affordable. I hope to buy some more products from her in the future.''

Above is the crochet and beaded bracelet that I designed for Sonya with pearl drops. The textile nature of the bracelet worked really well with the lace fabric of her gown.

It's great to see a couple really having fun with their photographer. Bye bye to those static serious poses :-) I love the black and white image below with Sonya's romantic cathedral length veil and new hubbie leading the way!

Below is one of my favourite shots as it is so relaxed. Lovely moments turned into ever-lasting memories!

And finally, a touch of movie-star glamour as the newly weds are greeted by their guests. They look like they're enjoying the moment!

A big huge thanks as always to Sonya and Graham for sharing your images. Thanks for your kind words Sonya. I'm sure my readers will join me in wishing you a very happy life together!

Photographs by Bernard Carolan at Mark Griffin Photo.