I recently had the pleasure of working on a bridal shoot. Destination: Castle Grove House in Letterkenny. The sun was shining.
I had been invited by photographer Terri Burton of Noir Photique to be part of the bridal shoot. I was very happy to be asked as I have been a fan of Terri’s work for a while. She has photographed my work on one previous occasion and taken portfolio headshots for actor Molly Budd (heard of her? You will!)
I responded to the project brief of creating a bespoke pendant, pair of earrings, and engagement ring. I drew inspiration from the location, our beautiful model for the day, Sarah Kennedy, and the ideas of the other artists working on the shoot.
With my pieces made and not too much in the way of fingerprints left (it all came together in a very short space of time), I took the scenic drive up to Letterkenny. It was my first time there and, as with so many first time road trips in Ireland, I felt grateful to live in such a beautiful country. It helped too that the sun was blazing in the sky.
The schedule for the day was a full one with a lot to pack in. I arrived at Castle Grove at 10.30am and thanks to the help of Google maps, I only made one wrong turn. The house itself is a gorgeous well kept 17th century home with loads of character. The elegant garden leads down to the edge of Lough Swilly.
It was my first time meeting the team that would put this shoot together. To my relief, everyone was lovely. Terri had put together an all-star team of cake makers, a hair stylist, makeup artist, wedding planners, a florist and, of course, a goldsmith; not to mention the venue itself. A lot of planning had gone into the day which ran incredibly smoothly. I felt very grateful that I only had to make the jewellery and turn up. We were even fed by Chef Paul Brady. I’m talking artichoke and truffle soup, smoked salmon and cream cheese on brown bread, and loads of other tasty bites besides.
The day went so smoothly, I barely noticed it go by. We were finished up by 4pm and I was back on the road again. I love visiting new places and meeting new people, and the bridal shoot was one of those days I will remember forever. Which is fitting, what with the theme and all.
For wedding and engagement ring commissions and any other bespoke jewellery inquiries, please call or email for an appointment, I look forward to meeting you.
For any of your other wedding needs, I’m pleased to include the list of talented people that feature in this bridal shoot.
Photographer: Noir Photique, Teri Burton @noirphotique
Model: Sarah Kennedy @sarrahkennedy
Hair and Make up; Brenda Doherty @bdhairmakeup
Wedding Planning service: Team Bride @teambride.ie
Florist: Love Blooms , Shirely Doherty @loveblooms_ie
Hair piece: Rasa Kind @rasa_kind
Wedding cake specialist: Lough Erne Cakes @loughernecakes
Dress designer: Hayley Paige @misshayleypaige
Venue: Castle Grove Country House @castlegroovehouse
Goldsmith/jewellery: You’ve already found me @tiffanybudd