Our month in pictures - April

We are heading towards brighter, longer days and feeling the energy rising in the studio. New fresh designs along with exciting plans developing this month.

Shot! The amazing talented team from Waterlily Weddings caught this blue beauty at Markree Castle. Can't wait to see all the final pictures from this amazing shoot.

April saw a short much needed break in Royal Lemington Spa. Hanging out with my best girl and checking out the new Hotel De Vin opening today in Shakespeare home, Strafford.

Lots of hand finishing and embellishment this month. Truly my favourite part of creating our dresses. Along with new designs for photoshoots with the most talented wedding suppliers of Ireland in great locations such as Slane Castle and Markree Castle. Watch this space for the pictures to come.

Finally a great photo by Moat Hill Photography who kindly took part in our Creatives at Work series on the blog this month.

Creatives At Work

Michelle O'Halloran

 Watching Michelle work her magic is something to marvel, she is a sculptor of hair but manages to transform hair into this effortless but elegant style. I always feel so lucky to have met some of the best people in the wedding industry. True creatives that have only passion for what they do - Michelle is one of these people, a pleasure to work with and to know. 

We are the Mastersons

Who is your bride?
The effortless, chic bride. She prefers the more natural, casual and even ‘messy’ styles on the red carpet.
I love hair that isn’t ‘trying to hard’. It’s got a natural, effortless feel. It’s pretty, soft to the eye and in good condition. Obviously, when it comes to wedding styling, I have to apply techniques that make this type of hair last all day and look fresh in photos from the morning to night.
 
When do you feel most inspired?
Trust is major factor when it comes to being creative. On photoshoots, I am given free reign to be creative, with only a few guidelines and restrictions.
Of course, working with a bridal client is a different process, the more open the client is to suggestions, the more options she will have.  I want my clients to be honest about what suggestions they like and don’t like. It is this collaboration that makes sure the bride leaves the trial happy and satisfied.
 

How do you feel meeting a new bride to be?
This question has a couple of answers for me
- Excited and curious! Usually by the time I meet a bride, we have been in touch over email for a number of months. It’s lovely to finally put a face to the name.
- Cautious! Most brides are excited about their hair trial.  However, some are nervous and a little overwhelmed. By the time we meet, there can be a lot of wedding details to juggle.  Getting married is EMOTIONAL. I need to tread lightly to help the bride enjoy the experience. I regularly find, that brides are much more relaxed on their wedding day, than at the trial.
 
What do you like to hear from a bride? 
It is so important that the bride has thought about the hairstyle she wants before meeting me i.e. only the individual bride can know whether she feels most confident with her hair up or down. I like brides to do their research and collect inspiration pictures. A picture speaks a thousand words. Everyone’s definition of ‘soft’ or ‘casual’ is different and I need reference pictures to understand yours.
 
Best questions – Do I have the right haircut for this style? How can I prepare my hair? Most people don’t realise that without the right layering and condition, curls can fall flat more quickly. Wisps and tendrils look better when shorter and texturized (cutting technique). Artificial colour often gives better shine/gloss, than natural hair colour. There is a reason the model in the magazine and the Hollywood star on the red carpet looks so amazing - preparation is key.

How did you find your calling?
Hairstyling started out as a hobby for me. After finishing university, I felt a little lost and unprepared for the working world. I took a leap of faith, changed paths and signed up for a private hairdressing course. I loved it immediately and took to it very naturally. I started out doing photoshoots and met make up artist Emma Farrell (EF Creative Studios). She just kept giving my number out to brides. It was a bit of an accident, that turned out to be the best thing that could have happened!
 

Tara Aherne Photography

Thank you so much Michelle for sharing your wisdom with us today. Your passion and love of your job shines through.

Check out more of Michelle's Work

http://www.michelleohalloran.com/

https://www.facebook.com/michelle.o.hairstylist

https://www.instagram.com/moh_hairdesign/

Creatives at work

I have shared many an early morning start with Stacey from Making Faces Gorey. Collaborating on creative shoots with a super talented make up artist is a must and Stacey ticks all the boxes. Beautiful person inside and out, fun to have with us and a magician with a make-up brush. I am so delighted to share this interview with you all, looking behind their business, how their creativity works and what inspires them day to day.

Who is your bride?

The Making Faces bride is the bride who stays true to herself and is confident in her natural beauty. Our style of work is very classic and polished and all our brides seem to gravitate towards that clean, pretty, radiant finish that we love to create. Make-up trends come and go but you can't beat that beautiful traditional bridal glow that has stood the test of time.

When do you feel most inspired/creative?

With running the risk of sounding cliche, my brides inspire me. Their natural organic look, along with their personal style, their own ideas and the style of their wedding always inspires me. Every bride I have ever met has shared her own individual visions, not only of their bridal make-up, but their whole wedding and I love hearing about them! I learn so much from every bride I meet and that in itself inspires me.
Imagery and design also inspires me. I have always been so attracted to the creativity, colours and artistry involved in creating imagery and I could honestly spend hours scrolling pretty images on Pinterest, blogs and in magazines.

How do you feel meeting a new bride to be?
Honestly, I feel both excited and nervous. Excited as I get to chat about weddings and design a beautiful bridal make-up for a new bride to be, but also a little "butterfly-ish" as I really want to accomplish her perfect vision and make sure she is 100% happy. After working with brides for 12 years, I'll admit I still get a little nervous before meeting a new bride but I feel that this is a good thing as I know it's because I want to do everything I can to make them happy and feel amazing on their special day

What do you like to hear from a bride?

 "Whatever you think will suit me" is the best attitude a bride can have when visiting me for their trial. As I mentioned previously, I love meeting a new bride and exploring their visions, however what they see in an image might not transfer the same into real life or with their look, so I encourage them to trust my judgment, my product knowledge and my experience of colour theory and then we can create magic!

How did you get your calling? 

Funnily enough, I was going to be a primary school teacher and I never thought I'd end up in the beauty/wedding industry! I realised very quickly that teaching wasn't going to fulfil my creative side and I made the decision to do a make-up artistry course to "fill in my time" before I figured out what I was going to do with my life. I started out working at a make-up counter in Brown Thomas and then very quickly realised it was the one to one client/bridal path I enjoyed and set up my little makeup studio in Gorey in 2006. 11 years later, with my wonderful sister Apryl and the super talented Aisling by my side, I have never looked back and still enjoy every minute of what I do!

I love you guys in Making Faces Gorey. Thank you so much for sharing this insight into your business and way of thinking. I still get those little butterfly's when meeting new brides too.

Check out more of their work at www.making-faces.ie. Any make-up related questions you would like to ask the experts? Pop a comment below.

Making Faces Makeup Studio
Esmonde Street
Gorey
Co Wexford

makingfacesgorey@gmail.com
www.making-faces.ie
www.facebook.com/MakingFacesGorey
053-94-84448

Creatives at work

It was back in 2016 at my first Glitter studio appearance that I meet the lovely Jen. Full of energy and creativity, I could not help but be captivated by Cupcakes and Counting. So this week we chat to Jen about how CupCakes and Counting came to be, about inspiration and the ideal bride. 

Who is your bride?

My bride is anyone who loves stunning floral display. I have a deep affection for flowers and beautiful botanicals these are the main inspiration for my wedding cakes. I love decorating our wedding cakes with handmade, delicate sugar sculptures. I like to recreate nature’s blooms and turn them into edible art. 

When do you feel most creative?

It’s when the brides (and grooms, sometimes) tell me about their love story. How they met, their favourite story about each other,  a memorable holiday together. All these contribute to how I design their wedding cake. This is when the boost of inspiration and creativity just flows freely and allows me to create wedding cakes that uniquely and specifically suit my couple.

How do you feel meeting a new bride to be?

I am always full of butterflies before I meet a new bride-to-be but I am very, very excited at the same time. I cannot help but imagine that I might be the one making their wedding cake. You see, it’s not just business for me. Given the opportunity to make their wedding cake, it is wonderful to think that you become part of their fairytale, of their romance, of their happy ever after.

What do you like to hear from a bride? 

Each bride is unique and may come up with questions that are relevant to her and not so for others.  What’s important for me is that they are able to tell me what they actually want i.e. how her wedding cake should look like. A bride well equipped with a set of questions during cake tasting/consultation is always a pleasure to work with.

How did you find your calling? 
Back in 2013, a very powerful typhoon had hit my husband’s hometown in the Philippines. The damage was so severe that the city was left with no power, no food, no clean water, and no proper shelter.  Our family survived the onslaught, however, the number of casualties raised to alarming heights. My husband and I decided to hold a bake sale to raise funds for our neighbours who got severely affected by the calamity. We sold cupcakes and we were able to send a considerable amount of monetary assistance to our neighbours who have been displaced and needing support. Our fundraising had finished but the orders didn’t. People were still asking for our cupcakes long after our bake sale ended. This is how Cupcakes and Counting was born.

Thank you do much to Jen and Jay for sharing their beginnings and photography's with us today. I can say that not only do their cakes look incredible they are delicious.

Check out www.cupcakesandcounting.com and their Instagram Account rocks

Share with us today your wedding cake questions