A Riot of Contemporary Wedding Colour at Castle Leslie

I’ve had posting this shoot on my To Do list for FAR too long. It had its big day in the sun on the lovely Bridal Musings, early last year… and then received the honour of being named one of their top 10 Inspirational Shoots, of the year, which was such a thrill in that depressing week between Christmas and New Year… and now that I’m looking through it again, I can really appreciate how beautiful it is. I hope it lifts your heart, as it’s been lifting mine, and throws you into a brave, creative, wedding planning mindset.

Contemporary wedding at Castle Leslie Vivienne Westwood

The concept I began with was to bring a vibrant, contemporary palette to a quintessential Irish Castle. This one, Castle Leslie, is one of Ireland’s Great romantic venues, but modern couples can often be frightened by a strong, traditional setting, such as you see here. So, what I wanted to do was show that, with a little bravery and a few really good suppliers, you can put your style stamp on any space.

love and gatherings irish wedding planner

Working with a bold, masterful florist like The Rosehip & Berry is a non-negotiable, when steering towards an aesthetic like this one. Not every florist would have the inherent understanding of form to pull off a structure like this door pillar. Mixing died grasses and Gypsophila (baby’s breath), with natural Anthurium and the plushest roses, could have seemed like madness, but Hollie took the brief and moulded into something more beautiful than I could have hoped for. There isn’t a stem I’d move. And this is one of my favourite elements of the job; the alchemy that happens between my brief and a great supplier’s skill, to - just to be completely over the top about it - make my dreams come true. The dress, is of course, Vivienne Westwood - what better sartorial symbol could there be, for the dynamic dance between tradition and modernity? And the stationery is by my London crush, Romeo and Jules, who gets, like no stationer I’ve ever seen, the magic of mismatching, offbeat palettes and turning vintage motifs into something thoroughly contemporary.

Moving onto another Irish mistress of form… Helen Cody is the creator of this most ethereal masterpiece of a dress. Made of smoky, sheer tulle, with its ruffled seems, and separate sleeves it had both the romantics, and those of a grungier disposition on our crew, swooning. Pairing it with this riotous bouquet with its can that be real? red rose, works so well to imbue fun and lightness.

One can’t help but be mesmerised by our model Danielle’s lustrous mane, courtesy of Lisa Babikian, which framed her angelic face, accentuated by makeup artist Orlaith Shore - nabbing a beauty crew who get the value of understatement is an other of my top tips for doing a contemporary vibe in a traditional venue… what you want is to radiate youth and and natural vibrancy… anything too heavy or stiff will pull you into an old-fashioned aesthetic, rather than achieving the wonderful juxtaposition we want.

The tablescape is always the anchor for any wedding design concept, I do. It’s where all of the aesthetic elements come together in close quarters… where you know if it’s all really working. Here, we have the classic chinoiserie plates and that same palette reflected in the tablecloth, which also incorporates the fruity vibes used to accent florals, throughout. The design of the cake (by my one and only Cove Cake Design) meticulously mimics the scalloped edge of the napkin, and the flowers in the bouquet; the menu, too (by Romeo and Jules), features a scalloped border, while the elegant taper candles in those irreverent shades, firmly set the mood.

This dress, by Greek bridal label Costarellos, surprises its almost prudishly Victorian front, with a back fit for a hussy… and we love to see it. While the last one is by Hungarian brand Daalarnaa and if ever a dress inspired a twirl, it’s this one. Both are lessons in softening the formality of a traditional wedding venue.

And, with that, we reach our ultimate piece; the most awe-inspiring, deconstructed, so beautifully constructed, ceremony arch. Not much to say about this, but Wow. And with that Wow, I must offer an ode to Paula O’Hara, without whose inimitable photographic skill, this shoot could be something else, entirely. So often, I’ve worked on weddings and shoots which I knew to be beautiful and been deflated when I received imagery that had sucked the life out of them, through dodgy filters or liberties taken with exposure. Paula does something that I don’t quite understand; she captures exactly what’s there… every pigment, every shadow… and yet puts something of herself into each image, making it so much better.