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

Rangoli bride Claire marries Brooks

One day, Claire came to visit my studio and showed me photos of a delicious hairstyle that Marie Hickey had created for her wedding! Just that week, I had been designing a new crochet headpiece and it was as if it had been made for Claire. As soon as we tried it on, we all (Claire, her Mum and me) knew that this was the headpiece for her!

I often talk about how my designs are influenced by hairstyles and I'm lucky to have met some amazing stylists that I recommend to my clients. Marie and I have worked together with a few clients recently which has been great fun. I hope we'll meet in person soon Marie!

Claire's hairstyle has all the elements I love; it's natural, asymmetric and elegantly simple. I think it complements her dress beautifully. Below you can see Marie weaving the three crochet strands into the side plait.

Hairstylist Marie Hickey working her magic

I'm so delighted that Claire is here to tell us about her amazing day; I've been dying to hear all about it. And even more excited when I heard that the Mastersons duo were photographing the day.

"Planning a wedding from abroad is never easy. I moved to Canada with my Canadian husband over three years ago, but we always knew that we both wanted to get married in Ireland, where we met and fell in love.  Brooks and I decided to get married at Mount Juliet, Kilkenny. The hotel and its surroundings were absolutely perfect. Also, half of our guests were coming from Canada and we knew that Mount Juliet would be able to accommodate all of us. Everyone was wowed by the venue and the level of professionalism of the staff."

"The first time I met with Aisling was a week before the wedding. In hindsight I left it a bit late. Luckily it all worked out and I think that is largely because of Aisling’s commitment to her work.

I knew I wanted to wear my hair down for the wedding. I wanted something pretty simple but I also wanted something that was individual to me. After meeting with my hairdresser Marie Hickey she suggested adding a hairwire. We found Rangoli and I was immediately taken with Aisling's work.

My mother and I arranged to meet with Aisling at her shop and we were both in awe of the beautiful range of jewellery she creates. Not only that, Aisling has a very calming and patient presence. She listened carefully to what I was looking for and helped me find something that would suit me." 

 Marie weaves my 'Cascade' headpiece into the side plait.

"There were many beautiful pieces available in her shop. However once she showed me an intricate piece she was working on and I knew it was perfect! It was subtle yet elegant. Aisling insisted on creating a new hairwire for me and she worked hard that week to make sure that it was flawlessly finished and arrived in time for my wedding day. I also bought a beautiful bracelet she created. Marie, my hairdresser, was blown away by Aisling’s work and Marie worked her magic to make sure that she did the hairpiece justice."

"The wedding day itself was one of the happiest days of my life. It went by so quickly! Before I knew it we were married.

Aisling I want to thank you for your hard work. You are very talented! All of my friends and family commented on the hairwire that you created for me. Thanks for helping to make our day so special!"

Claire, just looking at these photos makes me smile. Your headpiece must have been designed with your name on it before I met you. I'm so glad you enjoyed your experience. Thanks for all your kind words; I really appreciate them. Wishing you both a cozy first married Christmas x

Credits:
Hair styled by Marie Hickey - Bridal Hair by Marie
Photography by We are the Mastersons
Venue: Mount Juliet, Kilkenny