Real Bride Inspiration - Rose Gold With Clare
My muse today is really special to me as she’s my amazing friend, Clare.
When Clare told me that she and Laurence were getting married, I was over the moon for them! Their story is one of fate: they met when they were younger but went their separate ways, just to be reunited a few years ago and start living their happily ever after.
So, as you can imagine, it meant the world to me when Clare asked if I’d make her headpiece for the wedding.
I’ll admit there was a teeny, tiny bit of anxiety there too in case I didn’t nail exactly what she wanted (hello, imposter syndrome!).
Clare wasn’t sure what sort of headpiece she wanted to start with and was happy to leave things in my capable hands, but as her plans started to come together, we worked together to help her get a clearer idea of what would work best and what she’d love to wear in her hair.
As a hairdresser, Clare had ideas for how she was going to wear her hair and had thought through the practical things, like having something that worked with her veil and that would compliment her up do. She sent me an image on Pinterest as inspiration, which gave me an idea of the style she was looking for - pretty, floral, white clay and pearl elements - and after discussing metal options, she chose rose gold wire, one of my favourites to work with.
On a side note, I use 14kt rose gold filled wire when I make rose gold hair accessories as the plated wire is too pink and the plating tends to flake off. While it costs a little more, it’s worth it as it creates a really luxurious piece that is perfect for showing off detailed wirework.
Clare was keen to add a little bit of colour into her accessory too. Her bridesmaids were wearing sage green, so we both agreed this would work well against the white and rose gold details.
I’d ordered a few clay flowers to give Clare an idea of how we could use them in her accessory, based on her inspiration piece, but when we sat down to look at them, something about the way she looked at them made me rethink the inspiration piece. Laid out in front of us, I felt they looked too clunky and I felt something more delicate may be more fitting for her.
My hunch was right! One afternoon, when she’d popped round for a coffee, we went out to my studio and she saw a headband with delicate pearly floral details that she liked. The design was forming in my head as she picked it up to take a closer look.
The design that caught Clare’s eye
Clare’s hair trial helped shape the design further. Opting to wear her long, thick, glossy hair in a bun, we decided to create something that would fit around the top of her bun to frame it. I suggested a vine rather than a comb, with a hair pin added to the back in the centre to secure it in place, meaning she could comfortably wear her veil without feeling she had too much pulling on her hair.
At the centre of the vine sat a large flower made of pearls, surrounded by delicate pearl and crystal branches and smaller pearl flowers. I kept the colours subtle, with sprigs of pale green Preciosa crystals and darker centres to the smaller flowers to help them stand out.
The central flower from the tiara that caught Clare’s eye
Clare’s finished vine, with its curved shape to sit around her up do.
I couldn’t stop there though!
As Clare’s daughter is one of my son’s closest friends, I wanted to do something special for her too. I created a vine similar to Clare’s so that they coordinated with each other, and then made single pins for Clare’s two other bridesmaids, using details from their vines.
Clare’s daughter, wearing a design adapted from her own headpiece
The bridesmaid pins designed for Clare’s bridesmaids
It’s not often that I get to see my headpieces walking down the aisle, and I was completely blown away by how well Clare’s headpiece framed her up do and stood out in her hair. It tied into the rest of her look beautifully and it was such an honour to be able to contribute something towards her big day.
I may have also shed a few tears as my friend walked up the aisle to marry her soul mate!
Clare and Laurence, I’m so glad you two have found your happy ever after. It was a pleasure to work with you! 🧡