Our Bridal Muse - Amy

Creating embellishments is my favorite part of making a brides dress. Developing a unique design for our brides every single time. Amy wanted a bodice detailed with 3D flowers pearls and crystals - Your wish was my command.

What is your best memory of your wedding day?

There are so many, its hard to pick one. I actually loved having our pics taken. It was a little time to ourselves after a very emotional and nerve racking morning. Our photographer was great, we had lots of giggles, the chance to talk about the day so far and spend a bit of time together, I finally felt totally relaxed.

What is your advice to a bride to be?

Just really try to chill and be in the moment. Easier said than done I know. Everyone says how quickly the day goes by but you just can’t comprehend how true that is, blink and its gone.

What was your biggest worry about getting your dress made?

I didn’t have a worry, Sarah made me feel totally at ease. I had gone and bought a dress previously and realized it was not ‘the one’. After a chat with Sarah I felt confident selling it and leaving my ideas for my dream dress with her

What part of the process of having your dress made was most fun for you?

 I loved the regular fittings and seeing it come together… really felt a part of the dress being made and it kept up the excitement.

The Dream Team

Our suppliers were all amazing. We got married at Coolbawn Quay in Tipperary and the staff there went so out of their way to ensure everything run smoothly and everyone was having a great time. They also did their very best to calm me down and take any extra tasks off my hands, cannot recommend them enough. The food was also out of this world and people are still talking about the lamb 3 months later.

Our photographer Derek - Memento photography had us giggling and feeling relaxed all day. He was also really quick so we didn’t miss much of the reception and had plenty of time with our loved ones. When we received the photographs it brought back the whole day, he caught so many natural moments and that is exactly what we were looking for.

Hair by Joanne, Nenagh. Joanne was so great on the morning of the wedding. Kept everyone calm and managed to please four very different bridesmaids.

Make up  Jane Greely

Videographer  Blat Garcia, Edithouse

Flowers Elizabeth Rose, Nenagh

Band Poplife really did make our day… we had to of them play the ceremony and reception drinks and then the full band on the night. Absolutely loved them and all of our guests commented how great they were.

I loved our fittings too Amy, designing for you was a dream.


A year in pictures

For me pictures speak volumes - I’m a visual girl so what better way to sum up my year.  

Wishing you all a wonderful 2019  

Creatives We Love - The Wild Bunch

It all started with a panicked search to find a florist for a photoshoot last January. Tina came to the rescue, unfazed by the random ideas I had, she set about creating and transforming - bringing the outdoors in. The Wild Bunch is her company and today we ask her all about her inspiration.

Who is your bride?

Our bride is someone with a strong sense of style and a fairly good idea of the feel they want for their wedding. They aren’t necessarily flower lovers or “inspired by nature” but they are increasingly influenced by trends, especially from Australia and the US, for organic, natural designs, and more dramatic focal points for their wedding; whether a ceremony backdrop, an elaborate entrance, or a large hanging installation over the reception tables. They are open to ideas and are less concerned about formulas or set ways of doing things. They want something different from the norm, designed for that venue, that season, their wedding.

And they are the loveliest! I’ve heard all the stories, but we’ve never had anything even close to a “bridezilla”! (am I allowed say that?!)

When do feel most creative?

The first spark or idea always comes from nature, from the landscape. The shapes, the colours, the “mood” of each season, each month. How dependant that is on the location, the weather. My first aim is always to capture that mood, because it’s that connection to the natural world that stirs something in all of us.

After that, from a lot of places. Any form of art really; paintings, photography, sculpture, interiors, metalwork, textiles. Anything that looks good. Kilkenny’s craft scene is brilliant, and I could spend hours just looking at other people’s work. I like to get a feel for a piece, and then try to figure what makes it feel that way; is it the colour, the lines, the form, the weight or texture? I try to imagine the process; how the piece started in the designer’s head, the dreaming, then the practicalities, the trials and tweaking (in so far as my knowledge of that craft allows!) I find the whole process fascinating. Then I have to quench my sudden desire to become a silversmith, or a furniture maker, or a photographer!

Workshops are an essential way of developing your own style and are my weakness; I’ve been known to blow the budget on workshops! There are so many amazing and inspiring florists in Ireland and in the UK and the opportunity to learn from them is invaluable.

Finally I get involved in any photoshoots I can. It’s a fantastic way to get creative, and there is a real energy when different artists get together, working together and feeding off each other’s ideas.

How do you feel meeting a new bride to be?

Honestly, it’s the best part! I love meeting couples, talking to people, hearing their plans and their stories… and absolutely cherish seeing them again on the day. I delude myself that I’m part of the family (I know how sad that sounds.) It’s just such a fantastic time, so full of emotion and excitement. I love flowers but could never work with them without the “people” part.

Once we’re chatting I find that lots of brides will make a point of telling me that they “don’t know much about flowers” but they don’t need to. They just need to have an idea of the style they want for the day and then we can translate that together, in context of the season and the venue. I tell my brides to send me any photos they‘ve come across and liked; regardless of the flowers or the season or the actual arrangement; just to get an idea of their aesthetic, the style and colours they are drawn to.

Many of our couples live abroad and we don’t get to meet before the day. It’s surprisingly easy to arrange everything by email, exchanging photos and ideas to and fro.

What do you like to hear from a bride? The best question they could ask you?

I love when a bride understands the importance of the season; that when the flowers are part of that bigger picture outside the window, it makes them so much more than when they are in an isolated little wedding “bubble”. That doesn’t mean lists of available or unavailable flowers, it comes back to capturing the “mood” of the season, through colours, textures, form.

But the best thing to hear from a bride is “I trust you”. All of our loveliest work comes about when we have some freedom to design the flowers the way we think best, and freedom on the day to “go with it” and add creative touches. It’s not about me just doing my own thing, it’s entirely based on the bride’s own style, her colours, the season, the venue, but in the best way possible.

How did you find your calling?

The idea came about 12 years ago when we’d just bought our house in Kilkenny. The garden was huge and being slight hippies we were determined to do something productive with it. We’d both been working in horticulture in various guises for some time and when I came across a piece in a gardening magazine about a similar grower-florist in England, it made perfect sense. That winter we ploughed up the whole garden and got planting.

In the first few years there were almost no other grower-florists in Ireland. There was none of the community or support that there is today for newcomers, and we really had to find our own way. On the other hand I suppose we were fairly unique at the time in what we offered; home grown natural, seasonal flowers, and we were surprised by how quickly things took off. We certainly had to learn on our feet in the early years but I think that has stood to us; we've learned to carve our own niche which is so important in an industry that changes all the time.

Want to see more of Tina’s work?

Check out her Instagram account wild_bunch_flowers

Facebook WildBunchWeddingFlowers

Website www.thewildbunch.ie

Timeless pieces, handcrafted with passion.

I have been very lucky to have inherited some beautiful jewellry from my great grand mother - a seamstress and my own much loved nana. Two simple rings, beautifully crafted pieces that I cherish dearly. I have come to see them as part of my history, something to pass to my daughter that will tell her a story, connecting her with these amazing women.

Captured by Paul from Moat Hill Photography 

Somewhere in those first hazy months of new mother hood a spark of an idea came. I dreamt of designing a collection of very special pieces. Garments that would become heirlooms. Irish designed and crafted, that would be worn again and again. Wearing them would bring back memories of a special day, a moment in time to be cherished.

This spark grew into my first accessories collection. I have designed accessories for my brides over the years but this gave me the opportunity to explore new ideas and create something to treasure. These statement pieces are designed to complete a brides wedding look whether to highlight their dress or add the finishing detail. But also to be worn again and again.

So it may have taken longer then expected - thank you baby Niamh for keeping me busy. But 2 years later I finally launched the first of my accessory collections. Each piece will be made to order through our online shop, hand crafted with passion and loved well past the wedding day.

Amazing picture of our Super Star Cape by Johanna King Photography