Moody Small Wedding Inspiration at The Grayson
For an Irish winter wedding, when night descends in the afternoon, I love to approach the design in a way that embraces the richness of the dark. There’s very little benefit to doing a pastel and white theme, when you’re reliant on artificial light… all you’re doing is emphasising the lack of sunlight, rather than imbuing it, which is a common misconception by people who try to force a summer theme into a winter’s day.
Instead, embracing the magic of shadow and the flicker of a candle’s flame, will create a very specific vibe, which encourages guests to cosy up (ahem, within their household pods, only, of course), enjoy a sumptuous meal, tell stories and sing songs. It’s an old Irish style of wedding, in the very best way.
The private dining rooms at Dublin’s The Grayson - or indeed other Pressup Group venues, like The Dean, The Devlin or The Mayson - are great for this purpose. Interior design, throughout the group, follows a signature that’s dark and rich, with accents of warm wood and rattan, so it doesn’t feel like a hotel chain. The Grayson, in particular, has that member’s club feel and works super well as a base for some really special event styling.
For this shoot, I took my palette inspiration from the colours in the space… bringing the luxury of the textures and motifs onto the table in a way that feels very contemporary and much more akin to how a couple might style their home, than the preconceptions they may have had about how a wedding should look. And this is something I hear a lot from design-focused couples… how surprised they are that I made their wedding feel like them in a way that they didn’t think was possible.
Working with my buddy Paper Rock Flower on these earthily edgy florals and my go-to stationer Keady Row on chic bespoke paper goods, only served to seal the deal.