Happy Friday! This is Mishy and I’m really proud to present this particular post. This was my first shoot so I was incredibly nervous. I made the trek from Seattle, on a 10+ hour, multi-leg flight carrying a duffel bag of ceramic plates, antique candle holders, and stationary that I checked compulsively to still be intact and not bent. I landed on Monday at 7:30 in the morning, changed, grabbed some coffee with Michelle and we were headed straight to Smock to set up for the shoot. Fueled on caffeine and an excellent buttery and flaky croissant, I pushed through the morning, nervous handles trembling at setting the stationary just right on the tables. A couple of hours in when Shane arrived to take pictures, all was in full swing and the nervousness left, giving way to forging true friendships with some highly esteemed talent and generosity.

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The Brief

Modern Dublin wedding in the heart of the Georgian Quarter, merging minimalist aesthetic with focused vintage-inspired details. For the couple looking to make a statement of their confidence in their love, that has a sense of exuberance and timeless elegance.

The Details

We wanted to merge a modern sensibility of confidence and individuality with the timeless elegance of the Georgian period. Smock Alley Theater was a natural choice for the venue. Situated in the heart of the Georgian Quarter and walking distance from Temple Bar, the theater has been reincarnated from 16th century theater to catholic church and now back to performance theater. The exposed brick, stained glass windows, crown molding details are all authentic and bring in those elements of vintage and timelessness. We kept the tables purposefully stark: reflecting a modern aesthetic of minimalism and natural elements (the wooden table and benches) and went with big, bold colors in the flowers and napkins. We used sleek gold cutlery from Avoca, and a classic gold-rimmed glassware to invoke the vintage element. We also wanted to incorporate rose gold/copper tones throughout the shoot — flowers, stationary, plates, makeup — to stay on trend for 2017. The turquoise plates from Z Gallerie added the perfect pop of color with that refined touch of rose gold on the rim to invoke the vintage vibe. The Temperley of London dresses were chosen to mimic the peacock detail of the Georgian doors; the tops of the doors would be decorated with fan-like details, iron work, stained glass, adornments to embellish and distinguish each house from one another. Both dresses do the same, the “Perdita” with it’s exquisite back detail and the “Jean” with its effortless elegance are a natural choice for this modern, Dublin wedding. The flowers were stunning from Sylvia of Bella Botanica; the bouquets represent the neighborhood as a whole with the different textures and big, bold colors that just invoke joy and revelry of a night out in Dublin. The cake is an absolute work of art: Jen of Cupcakes & Counting (Dublin) actually studied the Georgian Quarter and crafted this incredible cake down to the recreation of the actual doors: the flowers are all hand-forged and meant to compliment the table and bridal bouquet; the middle layer depicts the plaster from the buildings, the painting over throughout the years and the different textures on the actual buildings themselves. We wanted to provide two kinds of stationary for this shoot: one hand-painted by Heather of Leveret Paperie to bounce off the colorfulness and the other, hand-written calligraphy by Katy of Dove House Handmade to draw out the Georgian element again. The menus and place cards really work beautifully against the modern turquoise plates and cutlery for the place setting. To round out the vintage elements we also used rose gold candle sticks from Parsons Pleasures on Etsy that date back to 1880, and the beautiful 1910 copper candle sticks from Dear Industry on Etsy whose slight turquoise patina matched the turquoise in the plates and runner perfectly.

   

 

  

 

     

   

 

 

     

 

The Inspiration

Everyone thinks of Ireland and thinks “green” and “castles” and “beer.” And that’s all fine (and true), but when visitors come for the first time they’re surprised to see how colorful the country is, especially in Dublin. I really wanted to share that part with everyone and show how bursts of color can be unique and beautiful and elegant for a wedding. I took particular inspiration from the Georgian Doors of Dublin: in the heart of the Georgian Quarter sits a neighborhood of Georgian-era architecture, all similar and exactly the same save for the front doors which are all different, all unique in the bright colors of the front doors. The story behind it is fun too: one version says it was a way for people to know which home to go into when they walked home drunk, another version says after Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria ordered everyone in the kingdom to paint their front doors black in mourning, but the Irish rebelled and instead painted them bright, colorful colors. Either way the doors represent to me quintessential Irish characteristics — confidence and humor, modern and vintage, casual and elegant — and it these I wanted to create for you in this shoot.

The Talent

venue: Smock Alley Theater, Dublin

photographer: Shane O’Neill, Aspect Photography

floral arts: Bella Botanica  

cake:  Cupcakes & Counting  

hand-painted floral stationary: Leveret Paperie 

calligraphy stationary, menus, place cards:  Dove House Handmade

Ireland Map: Poco Post

model (bride): Aisling Finnegan  •  model (groom): Conor Byrne

turquoise Plates, navy cloth napkins, turquoise table runner: Z Gallerie

cutlery & candles: Avoca

antique rose gold candle sticks: The Parsons Pleasures

brass candle holders: Dear Industry 

dresses: Little White Dress, Dublin  • “Jean” by Temperley London  •  “Perdita” by Temperley London

hair: Martina King, The Powder Room Girls

make-up: Fiona Harrison MUA, Lipstick & Blush

groom’s suit: Louis Copeland & Sons, Dublin  •  shirt & shoes: Suits You

gold-rimmed plates, table linen, glassware: Gotcha Covered

design & coordination: Waterlily Weddings

A Thank You

Truly heroes of the day, including Martina and Fiona stepping up last minute for hair and makeup who both brought out my vision completely to life, Sylvia who destroyed her leg at an obstacle course race a few days before and still hobbled into Smock with the most spectacular flowers I’ve ever seen and was a spirit of fun and exuberance and absolute quality, Shane who drove hours to get to the shoot in rush hour and who is a consummate professional, Michelle for her calmness and caffeine runs and guidance and mentorship, Sile for getting me the clementines I forgot to use (and the suit! and the cutlery! and the candles!) and her smiling face and warm hugs, Aisling (our bride) for her sweetness and perfection in both character and beauty, and Conor who was the biggest hero of the day, stepping in last minute to model as our groom to save the day!

I cannot thank you all enough. You were an absolute delight to work with and I cannot wait to do so again!

Please check out our gallery for more images.