Sunny wedding waves to Siobhan

It's a spectacularly sunny August 8th and one of 'my' brides, Siobhan, is getting married today! I wish herself and Eoin a brilliant day.

 

These pretty hairpins are dotted through Siobhan's hair as I type. After much chatting and sketching, I designed individual pins to go with her Denise Assas gown. The feature of the dress are hand-beaded cap sleeves. Did you know that I have a bit of a sleeve obsession?

Flicking through my V&A book 'Tiaras; A History of Splendour', reminded me of why I love to design jewels for the head. These ladies look like they regularly dress up for dinner. I've a friend who dresses like this on a daily basis! Caroline owns Dirty Fabulous with her sister Kathy. Every day is an 'Opera Day' for her. If you like bejewelled vintage dresses, handbags and headpieces, this is the store for you.

So, how will you wear your wedding accessories again? Here's my advice; make sure you take them out and wear them lots. Vintage style jewels are gorgeous with all sorts of outfits. I recently heard a lovely story from Elaine; she has now loaned her Rangoli comb to three of her close friends for their weddings. That makes me feel so happy! I suppose the other option is to throw a tiara dinner party and invite the girls around?

Image credits:
Taken from Tiaras - A history of splendour by Geoffrey C. Munn

Designing a silent bracelet

Yesterday there was a surprise in my in-box. When you lovely people get in touch to thank me and share photos, it means the world to me. Thanks Deirdre!

Deirdre made me laugh non-stop every time we met! She had absolutely no time for people telling her what she should or shouldn't do or wear for her wedding. She had some quirky must-haves (and have-nots). She wanted a 'silent' dress and was appalled by the thoughts of ones which make swishing sounds when she walked (more on this later!) and she wanted to wear a big statement bracelet, despite what everyone else thought.

I like how this girl thinks! Deirdre had a dream bracelet in her mind and had trawled the internet for it. She had spied January Jones wearing a wide pearl cuff and had even managed to source the designer's name. But her hunt for this elusive bracelet was in vain.

So, Deirdre got in touch to see if I could design something similar for her. I was on for the challenge. I started experimenting with techniques to create a solid pearl cuff. This style of piece is very different to my signature style but I loved the simplicity of the pure pearls.

The design of this piece took a long time to crack but I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Deirdre was involved at all stages, from initial sketches right through to her finished piece. At first I was going to add moving pearl drops to the crochet structure but Deirdre was fearful that the moving pearls would make a sound :-) More laughter...

The finished cuff was almost 6cm wide at it widest point. Every space was woven with hundreds of different sized pearls. The photo on the left shows the crochet framework that held it all together. The pearls gave an amazing bubbly, organic texture.

"I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for my beautiful cuff, I absolutely loved it on the day and got a million compliments about it!

What a gorgeous picture - Deirdre's dress was designed by Kathy De Stafford. You can't see the bottom of the dress here but it was a beautiful soft tulle.

Thanks for trusting me to make your bracelet Deirdre and for being so much fun to work with!

For more inspiration you can check out my latest commissions or give me a call to chat about your own ideas.

Image credit:
Photo of Deirdre: Icon Photography

Miriam and Daire's Casares wedding

I felt *ever so special* when Miriam told me that she'd flown over from Malaga to visit my showroom! This lucky lady lives in the Moorish influenced, white-washed, village of Casares with Daire. A big thanks to Clíodhna (who's wedding I featured previously) for recommending me to her friend :-) Here is Miriam with some memories from her wedding - this girl knows how to tell a story -

"Daire and I are living in Casares, a gorgeous village in Spain, so deciding where to get married was a no brainer! The reality of getting married started to set in a few days before the wedding, when people started to arrive. My sister Eithne was flying from Sydney, my sister Eimear from London, my brother Ciaran from Vancouver and of course a host of people from Ireland.

The morning of the big day the first thing we did was have a dip in the pool, it was so nice and relaxing! Ciaran then prepared a big fry up so we enjoyed  breakfast on the terrace before Kathryn arrived to start on the hair and make up. My dad ran down to the church to open it for the florist and also picked up our beautiful bouquets."

"I am somebody who is so clueless when it comes to hair, makeup etc that I am very grateful I had such good advisors. The hunt for my dress involved a lot of people and trips from Madrid to Malaga to Seville. For hair I had no idea where to start. Luckily my sister in law Clíodhna advised me to meet Aisling before deciding on what to do.

I knew I was going to have a veil and that I didn't want a tiara but that was as far as I'd got. I was actually quite nervous going to meet Aisling as I always feel a little bit helpless but she soon put me at my ease. Once I tried out the hair wires I think I knew straight away that that was what I wanted, but as with dress (which I'd tried on the first day of looking) I felt I had to go through some long drawn out process before making a decision. My hairstylist loved it too and managed to work it in very well (in my opinion!). I also took, for me, the big step of having my ears pierced and could show off the Rangoli pearl earrings on the day too."

"There were a lot of people coming and going. A bottle of champagne was opened. Anna Gazda, the photographer, arrived. She just got on with it, I hadn’t even met her before, but I knew I didn’t really have to tell her what to do. I had some downtime in the hammock while my sisters had their hair and make-up done.

Time flew.  Final make-up, dress on, veil on, then we walked out on the balcony to take a few photos. I think I saw my reflection in the balcony window and thought ‘Oh my God, this is really happening'. Then everybody was leaving and it was just my dad, my sisters and the photographer."

"I’d had this idea from the beginning that I wanted to walk down to the church with my sisters, but it wasn’t really practical. Then literally  a month before the wedding a new path was opened.  It was already 3pm but from the top of the hill I could see that there were still people arriving so we took our time going down.

Then we were off down the aisle. Now that was a blur!
Everything was lovely (I know I’m biased). I’d spent such a lot of time trying to plan the music and it was the part that probably gave me the most stress, but was worth it. We were lucky to have so many talented friends and relatives. My friend Eadaoin was playing piano. Cliodhna was singing some of the songs through the mass and my new sister in law Niamh sang the songs through the signing of the register. The string quartet had been organised by our Spanish teacher and her daughter was playing with them.

We'd organised some drinks in the centre of the village. We were pulled left, right and centre for photos. Then it was time for us to go off and get some more official ones. I had to have some at a beach so we stopped off and I got to dip my feet in the water too!  By the time we got to Benahavis, where we were having the reception, it was getting a little bit darker, but we got some fantastic pictures in the park."

"When we arrived the cocktail was in full swing accompanied by some Spanish classical guitar. Then in for the meal, which was as good as I’d remembered from the tasting....and a lot! I was as clueless about decoration but in the end I came up with a few ideas. seaside (shells and stones), cycling (figurines and tour de france markers, bicycle bookends and the cake topper) and books (yup, actual books, preferably older ones and quotes from the authors our tables were named after), our favours were just poems and arty postcards. Oh and lindt spruengli. Our favourites! So a mishmash, from a stylistic point of view it probably looked a mess, but I loved it.

When the band started everybody was up dancing. They played some Irish songs too, which I wasn’t expecting, so that was an added bonus. We had them DJ afterwards as well, though for the last hour or so my sisters were pretty much dictating the music! The DJ had to finish at 4pm, after that my Dad started a bit of a singsong, I’m not sure how long that lasted, we left shortly before 5pm. A long, exhausting but amazing day!"

Miriam, that was a rollicking story - I loved reading every detail of it. That early morning swim sounds amazing and I went Googling 'Lindt Spruengli' - are these what you mean?! Thanks so much to yourself and Daire for letting me share your photos and story. I'll let you know when I'll be over to visit...wink.

Miriam wore my Rangoli Diamond hairwire and matching drop earrings in her newly pierced ears!

Credits:
Photography by Anna Gazda from Limelight Photography.
Hair styled by Kathryn Parr

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

Rangoli bride Ciara

Ciara, I'll always remember the afternoon you visited my studio with your Mum and sister. I think we laughed for an hour and a half. It was clear that you were not going to stress over your wedding planning. And your sister was so helpful with her advice "You can't look fat in a headpiece"! You really had to be there to fully appreciate Niamh's nugget of wisdom :-)

Do you know what one of the best parts of my job is? It's opening an email or envelope and getting to see how everything turned out on the day. Your kind words are the best reward ever. Here's Ciara to tell us about her wedding to Kevin. Doesn't she look gorgeous?

"Aisling, I just wanted to thank you so much for your beautiful creations that made me feel like a princess the day of the wedding.  I feel like there may have been divine intervention that I Googled Rangoli two years ago. So many of my friends and family were blown away by the hair wire and the earrings and an ex-boyfriend of mine that was at the wedding remarked on the hair wire several times saying how beautiful it was, so even men appreciate your talent! Thanks again for making my day so special and for a fantastic time in your studio in January."

"I think we had the only sunny day in Kerry after weeks of torrential rain so we were so lucky that we could go to the beach after the windmill and then up to the Connor Pass on the way to Dingle.  The photographer Riona is a genius and loves to take different types of pictures, so she convinced me to climb a very high rock across a little stream and sit right in front of a waterfall.  Riona always insists on brides and bridesmaids wearing flip flops for photographs so it made the climbing a bit easier!!

It really was one of the best days of my life and its all the simple little things such as being able to have my my own little touches and our own personality put into the wedding.  I think maybe some couples alienate themselves from their own wedding by getting too stressed out, but Kevin and I really enjoyed all the planning and I can honestly say we made sure we had a sense of humour about the whole thing."

Thank you Ciara - I hope we'll meet again some day for another dose of giggles!

Ciara wore my Rangoli Brooch hairwire and matching pearl and rhinestone drop earrings. Her beautiful flowers were by Best of Buds and photos from Riona MacMonagle.

Photo credits: 
Photographer:Riona MacMonagle
Flowers by Best of Buds

Good Eyesight and Patience

Today I am working away in my studio. It's quiet here; no music playing! And I'm reminded of the two words that I often hear when people describe what I do. "You must have great patience and good eye sight!"

This got me thinking about what it is that I love about my work. It's definitely the balance between meeting and chatting with clients and then designing and making in my own peaceful space. I've always enjoyed getting to know the people I design for. That's where great ideas are born and secrets shared! My studio is the perfect place for me to create. I have a huge work table which I've had since the day I set up my business in 1998. I'm very sentimental about it!

 Bespoke Rangoli pearl cuff in progress

I'm working on this pearl cuff bracelet which is very intricate. My "good eyesight" has recently been aided by a pair of glasses but my patience trait is still going strong! A piece like this can take a few days to make and I just relax into it. Sometimes I listen to music but I'm just as happy to quietly sit and think of the person who will be wearing my jewellery.

Funny stories often pop into my head if I'm sitting quietly. For example, the person who I'm designing this for wanted a bracelet covered in pearls of different sizes. She was adamant that she didn't want it to jangle or make any noise. She even chose a dress where the fabric didn't make a swishing sound as she walked. I love that! Swish, swish, swish... So rather than having moving pearls on the bracelet, I am weaving them into my crochet structure. I knew there was a reason for me not playing music in the studio today!

If you're interested in seeing more of my studio, you should check out a fun photographic interview by Noel and Aga called "What's the craic with Rangoli Jewellery". They are from the amazing White Tea Photography - check out their cool work.

As always, I'd love to hear from you so leave me a comment or arrange a visit to my 'sometimes quiet' studio.

Beaded sash belt

I missed seeing Kate Middleton's dress for the London Olympic Gala Concert but one of my client's didn't! She loved it so much that she asked her dress designer to make her a variation to wear to her upcoming brother's wedding.

This Jenny Packham dress is just gorgeous and I sighed when I first saw it! I've always loved the delicacy and feminine quality of Jenny's designs. Illusion or transparent elements are really popular for 2012 and this sheer lace back is gorgeous. Cap sleeves and fine pleating give lots of contrast and the jewelled sash belt is the perfect finishing touch. And that's without even mentioning the colour!

I was thrilled to be asked to come up with a design for the belt brooch detail. Norma said she wanted to keep a dark pewter base with some rhinestone as well as the zircon Swarovski crystal. I followed the tapered oval shape and came up with a beaded design that will be sewn onto a ribbon sash.

Of course, this dress will not be a replica. Norma's designer wants to give it a few creative twists! The back of her dress will have a scalloped edge opening from the neckline to the waist. Wow!

I was also asked to design a hair accessory. This is the finished design; a dainty jewelled comb to tuck into her soft chignon hairstyle. I think this lady is going to look stunning at her brother's wedding and I can't wait to see some photos.

I always like to share some of my bespoke commissions on my blog so that you can see what's involved in having a piece made. Your imagination is the only limitation. Please get in touch if you would like to visit me and discuss your ideas!

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!

A poolside wedding report!

Esme was the winner of one of my Rangoli competitions a couple of years ago. Recently she got in touch to share some official photos of her wedding. When I asked her if she'd like to write a few words about her day, she obliged by writing them in Ibiza while sunbathing, (celebrating her second anniversary!)

Esme chose soft materials and pearls over sparkle for her warm Vera Wang dress and I loved that! Soft Grecian styling was her inspiration. Her pale gold crochet hair-wrap which was dotted with small pearls and crystals. For me, her look perfectly illustrates 'less is more' elegance.

Esme and Keith

"My experience with Aisling was such a personal intimate experience. Her studio is bright and airy with showcases of designs and jewellery all glistening under the lights. It's like being a child in a sweet shop. Aisling listened to the ideas I had and what I thought suited me. I loved the fact that she made small swatches of ideas for me to visualise before making the final headpiece.

The headpiece complemented my veil and dress perfectly and completed my look. A headpiece really can finish and polish your look as a bride and I only realised this as I tried my one on for the first time."

Esme's bridesmaids wore Anoushka G “Lucinda” maxi dresses in coral colour

"The villa we hired for the wedding looked spectacular on the day; its white walls and vast surroundings with a backdrop of the cliff side looking out to the jewel blue Mediterranean sea, was the perfect setting for an Ibizian wedding. A relaxed vibe was present for the entire day in both the church, where our wedding march song was "All you need is Love", complete with musicians in the pews, the idea taken straight from Love Actually.

I can't recommend getting married abroad and using a wedding planner enough. All the stresses are taken away from you, leaving you and your husband to enjoy your special day."

Esme and Keith leave the church after their wedding

"Thank you so much once again Aisling, my head piece really complemented my dress - I think you are just brilliant at what you do."

Roses in coral and ivory

Thanks to you too, Esme (and Keith), for allowing me to share these beautiful photos and memories. I know that you particularly wanted to recommend your wedding planner and photographer - I've listed their details below. Happy second anniversary to you both!

Supplier details:
Wedding planner in Ibiza - Vicky from Eat Ibiza
Photographer -  Gypsy Westwood

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

Designing a backdrop necklace

It's Friday and I'm sipping a nice coffee while sketching some designs. I'm coming up with ideas for Claire who has asked me to design a hanging backdrop necklace for her wedding. Her satin dress has a beautiful low cut back and I think her jewellery idea will really set off the dress.

If I was to describe my designs, I would say that fluidity is really important to me. I love delicate, unstructured shapes and elements that look like they've been taken from nature! My Rangoli beaded hairwires are some of my favourite designs as they are so versatile and can be woven into many hairstyles. I think similar elements would work well in this fine jewellery piece.

The image above is an inspiration picture sent to me by Claire. This backdrop necklace was designed by Debbie Graham. Below is an elegant example I found via {this is glamorous} while researching on-line.

 

I can't wait to work on this project. Claire doesn't want the necklace to be seen at the front of her dress so I'm coming up with ways of attaching the strands to the back of the dress. Lots to think about before I meet Claire at the end of the month!

Do you know of anyone who wore a necklace like this? Send me on some links or photos - I'd love to see them!

Drop me a line if you'd like to discuss an unusual piece of jewellery for your wedding. You can view some of my latest commissions here on the blog or on my website.

Indian Sapphire - new Rangoli headpieces

So what's happening in the Rangoli studio at the moment?! Apart from looking forward to my Easter hols, I'm designing a range of headpieces that are inspired by the moody shades of blue sapphire.

I'm always pinning pictures of delicate dresses on my wall and they inspire me to create accessories. The image below shows two very different dresses. Words that describe them in my mind are floatiness, fluid lines and delicacy. There is certainly drama in there too.

I can be totally free when I design collections like this. My customer is imaginary and she has given me free reign to design fantastical creations for her!

I love antique sapphire shades combined with silver or rhinestone and often bring them into my bridal designs. I'll keep you posted on these pieces - I'm hoping to do a photo-shoot with them soon.

Enjoy the long weekend and I'll see you when I get back! If you'd like to see some of my recent bespoke commissions, you can look through my blog archives. And if you're thinking of including a hint of blue in your accessories, I'd love to hear your ideas!

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.

Fiona and Dan's Shelbourne Hotel wedding

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

Rangoli bride Aisling marries Ian

This year I designed accessories for two amazing sisters; Aisling and Kellie, who were both married within a couple of months of 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 for and work with and I'm so glad you both had brilliant days!

I designed a crochet headpiece and bracelet for Aisling to complement 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 much information, however I really couldnt begin anywhere else other than the beginning of our story......

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

 Aisling's sister Kellie is seen on the left 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 headed to the Amalfi Coast in search of the perfect wedding venue.

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

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

"As soon as we walked through the front doors of this charming place we were sold! It possessed all the old world charm but with a bright and new feel to it. There was an open fire roaring in the hall way and as we made our way through the house we did not know where to look first; there was so much character. This house set the foundation for the theme and style of the day that I had planned in my head for God knows how long! I pictured the day to be enchanting, romantic, poetic and with all that Tankardstown House had to offer again including the grounds this was most definitely the place."

"The next big thing was the dress...  I spent hours (maybe even days ("~) surfing the net using blogs such as Style me Pretty, Lane Dittoe, Wedding Chicks for inspiration. I googled words such as vintage, illuminating, delicate and then I stumbled upon Claire Pettibone. Her dresses were magical. Every dress was made for a fairytale. When I tried on 'Willow' in Myrtle Ivory, Dublin, I was blown away! I didnt want to take it off and so I knew it had to be the one. The style of the day that I had imagined was finally starting to take shape...a mix of vintage flair with a magical feel of a 'A midsummer nights dream'.

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

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

"When planning a wedding though,...it doesnt just stop at the wedding party and venue. As I previously stated I soon became addicted to wedding blogs. There was the invites that I handmade myself (that took me way too long,..more than I care to remember), I bought my paper from Daintree in Camden Street Dublin and the same 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 lil ones...cola cubes, fish 'n'chips, saucers, shrimps, banana's, raspberry ruffles (my dad's favourite). Ian loves my home baked raspberry and coconut frou frou cupcakes and I happened to find a place in town that most definitely uses the same ingredients, so I knew I had to have some there also. I always loved polaroid pictures so I left one by the guset book for people to leave a little pic with some well wishes. Ian has always loved cigars moreso on special occassions and so he got a humidor and over time time collected a number of quality cigars for those that would enjoy them on the big day.

I arranged an overhead projector to be set up in the drawing room of the house and after the dinner we all moved in to watch a slide show of photo's including all the guests with Ian and myself at some stage in our lives creating happy memories.This was just another little feature. Helena (a very special lady that I cared for, for 4 years) said an amazing poem 'Young Lord Lochinvar' by Sir Waltar Scott. This poem is very beautiful and romantic."

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

 

 Flowers by Sweet Pea Designs

"The flowers were decided upon after two hours with the florist at her kitchen table. Catherine Handley of 'Sweet Pea Designs' spent this time with me trying to grasp an idea of what I had pictured. I wanted the flowers to be delicate and to have a somewhat rustic feel. Catherine did all so tastefully. The chapel was amazing with candles everywhere. 

I also wanted heather featuring somewhere. This was something that reminded me of my childhood. I grew up at the foot of the Mourne Mountains and heather grew everywhere. Catherine went one step ahead and actually sourced the specific heather found in the mountains of Co Down. You can see it a little in the bouquets and the boys buttonholes. The flowergirls were like little fairies with their floral crowns. Catherine also used her glasswear that her father collects for her (ie old ketchup bottles, Chanel perfume bottles) to decorate the main dining room including the fireplace."

"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 and for taking the time to tell us about all the planning that went into 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