This beautifully produced moody and romantic bridal editorial took place at Regency house, Kilshane House in Ireland.
This glorious venue, surrounded by 320 acres of private parkland, played the perfect backdrop for this creative project, which brought together the most exquisite bridal gowns by Katya Katya London, Made With Love and Caroline Takvorian.
Our love and thanks to Fiona Morey of Eve & Ever After, a boutique wedding styling, design and coordination service based in the West of Ireland, for sharing these beautiful images. Enjoy!
The Tablescape
The spectacular conservatory at Kilshane House, built circa 1860 with its impressive glass structure and tall, lush greens was Stylist, Fiona Morey, of Eve & Ever After, main inspiration for this shoot.
With all that gorgeous natural light, the hidden aviary amongst the ferns, the beautiful old stone fountain in the centre, it felt like the perfect location for a moody, yet romantic editorial. We wanted to enhance the natural features of the conservatory with layers of delicate fabric draped from overhead and a thoughtful and rich curation of textured and natural elements mixed with monochrome touches.
A beautiful fusion of old and new brought together, lovingly, and cohesively, by Fiona with the assistance of the wonderful Jill Hughes from Planned by a Pro.
For the tablescape, the vision was modern and romantic, yet rich and dramatic in shades and details. A beautiful juxtaposition of contemporary decor with classic quotes and hand lettered elements.
The dining table was styled with flowing linens, ceramic plates and luxe glassware. French style patio chairs complemented the other black and white details and layers of delicate tulle hung over the tablescape. We had quite a busy morning figuring out how we were going to hang that gorgeous draping from those incredibly high trees and poles in the conservatory but we put out heads together and we were so happy with the finished result.
It definitely elevated our table and added a dramatic, yet romantic feel to the setting. We had limestone table numbers with white hand lettering and vellum menus with modern black script. A garland of fluffy florals in creamy whites with muted pink, nude, cream, brown and burgundy tones trailed across the centre of the table –a gorgeous mix of fresh and dried for added texture.
There were hand lettered taper candles with love quotes for that personal touch, mixed with pillars to create a warm and romantic ambience; all captured so creatively and uniquely by photographer Amy French of Rubistyle.
Bridal Fashion
We used a combination of modern, stylish and eye-catching designs by Made with Love Bridal, Katya Katya London and Caroline Takvorian from popular Galway-based boutique, Vintage Pearl Bridal, paired with unique and bold accessories.a
We chose an incredible ostrich feather headpiece and an oversized netted bow, created specifically for the shoot by bridal accessories designer, Caragh Quinn of Aura Bridalwear to really elevate the looks.
For the hair we opted for sleek ponytails, bridal buns and a wavy half up do by the incredible Marie Hickey of Bridal Hair by Marie, and a bronzed, dewy complexion with a subtle cat eye, fluffy brows and a pinky nude lip created by Sarah Dineen of Beauty Atelier.
We accessorised each look with gorgeous earrings from Maison Sabben and Irish made jewellery studio, One Dame Lane, both stocked by Michelle at Vintage Pearl Bridal.
French designer Caroline Takvorian’s dresses from her brand new 2023 collection were an exclusive for this shoot and were flown over especially for the day. The puffy sleeves and sensual neckline of the Isis gown were an altogether dreamy combination paired with a wavy half up do and Maison Sabben’s Univers earrings.
The romantic beaded design and delicate tiered sleeves of this designer’s Hades top combined with the Esmee skirt with a dramatic sheer slit brought all the chic and glamour we could have hoped for to this editorial. We styled it with a wavy textured ponytail, a Silk Crepe bridal bow from Aura Bridalwear and Baroque drop pearl earrings from One Dame Lane.
See real Caroline Takvorian brides
Amy French a.k.a Rubistyle, our photographer is known for ‘making weddings look like French movies’ and she certainly did that here.
The ruffled Arietta veil by Katya Katya London, also from Vintage Pearl Bridal, gave us some truly magical and cinematic moments and there was a collective gasp amongst the team watching Amy in her element capturing incredible motion images of our beautiful model Simona Va in Hendrix by Made with Love Bridal on the stairs at Kilshane, draped in this statement, swoonworthy piece.
The ostrich feather head piece by Aura Bridalwear was the perfect bold accessory for the full lace Sonata gown from Katya London with its gorgeous square neckline and figure hugging style. The hairstyle was inspired by a Cult Gaia photoshoot and it was key to this look as we really wanted it to evoke ultra-chic, minimalist vibes.
See real Katya Katya London brides
The sleek pony was wrapped in grosgrain black ribbon and accessorised with the incredibly stylish Maison Sabben Armour earrings. We, then, elevated the look to a more glamorous, statement one by adding the Ostrich feather headpiece.
We adored this oversized netted bow by Aura Bridalwear.
It perfectly complemented the Hendrix dress by Made with Love Bridal, a beautiful French crepe gown with a daring low back design and optional tulle bows for a fun, feminine addition to an otherwise timeless gown.
The netted bow is perfect for the adventurous bride who wants a lovely, stylish alternative to a veil and works perfectly with a relaxed low bridal bun.
Find out more about Made With Love Bridal
Florals
The flowers were inspired by the season, so, lots of gorgeous Autumnal tones – moody, yet feminine and romantic.
The incredible Tina McGrath from The Wild Bunch created a stunning, unstructured garland made up of cappuccino roses, sprayed gypsophila and eucalyptus and some creamy white and speckled blush and burgundy carnations.
The bouquet was a beautiful mix of fresh and dried flowers for added texture tied with a dark brown velvet ribbon. We also wanted something statement and eye-catching for outdoor shots, so Tina also created this gorgeous floral structure made up of fluffy fresh and dried florals in a similar style and palette to the table garland.
Cakes
Why have one when you can have three?! A trio of cakes created by the amazing Sigita Germanaviciute of Fern Cakery.
We loved the idea of having three small cakes in different styles and heights. Sigita’s signature style is these beautiful rough edges and we just adore those abstract details and narrow, minimalist tiers adorned with carnations and sprayed gyps.
Detail & Decor
We wanted to complement the overall tablescape design and aesthetic with more rich earthy tones, so Freckles & Fern created this gorgeous russet shade signage with a memorable Atticus love quote, ‘Don’t promise to live forever, promise to forever live while you’re alive.’
They also created these lovely, modern vellum menus for us with a modern black script to tie in with the other monochrome elements. Eleanor Curtin Calligraphy & Design created this hand lettered limestone ‘Bubbly Bar’ sign for the cocktail cart and table numbers for us as well as these gorgeous tapered candles with the quote ‘Ever Mine, Ever Thine, Ever Ours’ in calligraphy on them for the tablescape.
The bali-esque bar is a recent addition to Kilshane House so we couldn’t resist a few fun shots of our model Simona wearing Ryder from Made with Love Bridal. We styled the bar with a limestone ‘Bubbly Bar ‘sign by Eleanor Curtin Art and a beautiful, bold arrangement by Tina from The Wild Bunch made up of rust sprayed gyps and cappuccino roses.
The whole day was an absolute joy and I think we all experienced a sense of connectedness and creativity like never before. To see our vision come to life after months of planning was a rush of adrenaline and exhilaration that made us all want to just keep going to create more and more loveliness.
Credits & Thanks
Annabel View all Annabel’s articles
Annabel is the founder of Love My Dress. She has a passion for photography, walking, yoga, nature, and loves to support talented artists and creative businesses. In 2013, she became a published author. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters Eska and Leanora and menagerie of furry hounds. Annabel supports Philip in the running of the family flower farm at at Moonwind Flowers. She is also co-founder of What About Weddings.