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By Amy Croffey
Edel Ramberg Designs is an Irish label based in Galway, specialising in hats and headpieces.
Edel started to make bespoke bridal headpieces a few months after she was approached by a bride who was looking for an alternative to a veil.
“My headpieces are another option for people who don't feel that the traditional veil suits their dress or personality,” says Edel. “The bridal headpiece is something unique to them that they often help me to design and can wear again and again!”
Edel’s collections are all ready-to-wear headpieces but her bridal range needs to be pre-ordered. She has a range of samples and shapes in her studio and creates a bridal pieces using the client’s head, face and dress for inspiration.
Pillbox
“If a dress is quite vintage in style I work from there or if something is very fitted and 'Jackie-O' in cut we may try a pillbox base. It’s always down to the mood the dress creates,” she adds.
She would describe her designs as individual and sculptural, she is not into “fussy” pieces with loads of feathers and veiling.
“I would rather stay true to my style and keep things clean and chic. I like to embellish with quality materials, such as Swarovski and lace, rather than a mix of feathers and beads. It’s more about elegance and quality for me, rather than overkill," says Edel.
For wedding guests her collections are typically bought by women ranging in ages 30-60. Her bridal customers are typically in their twenties to early thirties and are looking for something special, unique and something that will compliment their face, shape and dress.
Overall look
“My clients are usually ladies who know their style and are keen to create something to finish off their overall look,” says Edel.
Edel’s advice to brides-to-be who are trying to find the ‘perfect’ style for their wedding day is to never bring too many people shopping for the veil or headpiece.
“I have seen brides in tears over varied opinions. You have to wear it on the day so you have to love it,” she says. “You should also be 100% sure about the piece, as it is something that will be in your wedding album for years. You need to be sure it doesn't hide too much of your face and that it highlights all your best features!”
Images by Richie Stokes
Edel believes it is always great to buy Irish but especially so with bridal fashion.
“It’s fantastic to get the support of Irish women as weddings are such a big tradition here. One bridal headpiece can often lead to several ladies getting in touch for their big day, which is great for any business as the knock-on effect can mean recommendations for local salons, make-up artists etc,” she says.
Edel admits the choice is not always there when trying to source certain products so people are often forced to look outside of Ireland for selections and price. However, she thinks now more than ever people can personally get in touch with designers to see what other options are available to them.
Materials for headpieces are mostly manufactured in the Czech Republic, France or other parts of Europe but rather than going to these suppliers directly for a small order, Edel tries to source from suppliers here.
“I always feel it’s better to support a small local supplier rather than buying from elsewhere paying VAT and in some cases exchange rates,” she adds.
Email Edel Ramberg at [email protected] or call 00 353 86 837 6084.
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Wedding Customs and Superstitions
By Amy Croffey
Since it's Friday the 13th today, tradition says it’s bad luck to get married, so we put together some more Irish wedding traditions for couples. Some of you may stick religiously to these superstitions, others won’t bat an eyelid at them, and many might follow them ‘just in case’, whatever you decide, here are the customs that we believe are either most noteworthy or bizarre:
Blue - Wearing something blue is considered to represent purity and fidelity.
Bonfires - In some parts of the west of Ireland, neighbours light bonfires outside their homes to wish the bride and groom good luck on their wedding day. Neighbours and friends will stand at the fire and wave to the couple as they pass to their reception.
Cat - If you feed a cat out of an old shoe, your wedding day will be a happy one.
Confetti - Throwing rice or confetti as the couple leaves the church is meant to bestow fertility on them.
Dress - It is unlucky to try on your whole outfit (dress, shoes, veil, the lot!) and look in a full length mirror before your wedding day, but if you leave off a shoe or a hairpin you can fend off the bad luck. Phew!
Earrings - The earrings you wear on your wedding day will bring you luck and happiness for evermore.
Groom - The groom should pay everything with an odd sum of money on his wedding day, or else bad luck ensues.
Rain - If it rains on the wedding day, the bride will cry all of her married life.
Ring - If the bride has to assist the groom when he is putting the ring on her finger it means he will be ruled by her in the future. (Get him a smaller ring ladies!)
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe - The something old should be from a happily married woman, the borrowed should be an object of gold and the sixpence should be worn in the heel of the left shoe as a symbol of wealth.
Sun - It is believed that if the sun shines on the bride on her wedding day, it will bring good luck to the couple and their children will be beautiful.
Surnames - It is unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname began with the same letter as hers.
Veil - It's good luck to get a happily married woman to put your veil on, but bad luck to put it on yourself.
If you are anything like us, you’ll probably take many of these customs with a pinch of salt, so instead of using these customs, make your own for your wedding day.
We got most of these superstitions from the ladies on the WOL Forums, if you know of anymore wedding customs, superstitions or traditions from Ireland, or anywhere around the world, leave us a comment below!
Shoe image by Studio 33 all other images by Elizabeth Messina.
Other Content on WOL:
If you're looking for a wedding dress that's a bit different, a bit wow, a bit out there and very on-trend for 2012, consider a backless gown! Perfect for the bride who wants a show-stopper and who is not afraid of showing off some skin.
If it all seems a bit daunting, try a dress with sleeves or with a lace back for some extra cover. Whatever style you choose, you are sure to turn heads in the glamourous gown! Compiled by Amy Croffey
Claire Pettibone available from Myrtle Ivory
Jenny Packham available from Memories - The Bridal Boutique in Dublin and Cork
Jim Hjelm available from La boda bridal, Tracy Bridal, Marie McElheron Bridal Designer
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Happy Holidays to all our Wollies!
2011 was a great year for us, like everyone else we had our ups and downs, but they were mainly ups thanks to you!
Here’s hoping that 2012 will be filled with happiness, laughter, prosperity and most importantly and aptly, love for you all.
Best wishes,
The WeddingsOnline Team x
Image: Emily Johnson Anderson
By Rory McDonald of WeddingsOnline.ie
It’s hard to believe that another year has passed since our beloved Beverley O’Sullivan was tragically taken from us. The Beverley Butterfly Ball is an opportunity for those who love her to express their love, loss and gratitude for a life cut far too short. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate the amazing charity work that is organised by her mother Bernadine and father Owen. Special thanks also to her brother Wayne and her partner Steve (who almost lost his life in the same tragic accident) for their hard graft in helping out.
Special thanks too to Doug Murray (AKA Electric Eddie) who MCed for the night - simply the best!
The night itself was excellent with Ed O’Leary (aka The Swing Singer) and his dulcet tones entertaining all those attending during the drinks reception. As dinner was served all the fun stuff regarding spot prizes, awards for sterling work in climbing four peaks in four days and/or cycling an obscene amount of miles (Malin Head to Mizen Head) in four days (all in the name of fundraising for charities close to Bev’s heart) was very ably officiated by Owen, Beverley’s dad. We were also treated to a very touching slideshow of images of Beverley (with her family, friends and various loved ones) which I know brought a tear to many an eye. The slideshow also showed images of the hospital equipment that was purchased from last year’s fundraising to support the hospital in India where Beverley passed away.
The music for the evening started with The All Star Marching Band (who Beverley and Wayne, her brother used to play with) playing a numbers of songs, especially Beverley’s favourite: I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas. The feeling was spot on as The Love Band entertained everyone with their larger than life sound and front man Will Dowling who actually got down (from the stage) on one knee to propose to his girlfriend - thank God she said YES!! The baton was very ably taken up by 20th Century Gold with their distinctively funky sound who kept the dance floor hopping! Nikki Kavanagh and Joanna Charles both did outstanding vocal cameos too.
The organisers of the Butterfly Ball would like to especially thank the following:
One4all Ireland | Westlife | FBD Hotel | Connolly & Moore | Dvine, Drogheda | BioFresh Skin Care | BubbleGum Hair | Cadburys | Toni & Guy Dundrum | Toni & Guy Sandyford | Simplicity Beauty Salon | More Than Make Up | Dance AMAD | Mark Murphy | Glencar House Hotel | Peter Mark Hair | Image Inc. | Ultimate Hair and Beauty | Compu B | Triona Curran | Iris Kellett | Siobh�n Beggs | Candlelight Weddings | Charles Camping | DAN Productions and Beverley Butterfly Foundation
To keep up to date with what’s happening for the next year in fundraising efforts please check Facebook
Also on WOL
Engagement shoot Photo by West Park Photo
A little tribute to the man who made technology beautiful for all. Photographer Brian Adams and videographer Rainer Flor shoot Rainer's wedding on a total of three iPhone4s.
And check out this wedding video shot on an iPhone Super 8 app (one of my fave apps btw!)
Stephen Fry on Steve Jobs:
"I have met five British Prime Ministers, two American Presidents, Nelson Mandela, Michael Jackson and the Queen. My hour with Steve Jobs certainly made me more nervous than any of those encounters. I know what you are thinking, but it's the truth. I do believe Jobs to be a truly great figure, one of the small group of innovators who have changed the world. He exists somewhere between showman, perfectionist overseer, visionary, enthusiast and opportunist, and his insistence upon design, detail, finish, quality, ease of use and reliability are a huge part of Apple's success."
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Hey ladies!
A bit of sad/happy news from us at WeddingsOnline/B Magazine (depending if you’re a glass half-full or half-empty type). The autumn edition of B Magazine is the last edition that WeddingsOnline will print (all together now -Awh!). At the moment, we really want to concentrate all our efforts into making WeddingsOnline a beautiful, content-heavy, �ber wedding trend setting site, and to do that we need the magnificent talents and oh-so-precious time of the B Magazine editorial team (yes, I am part of that modest team so maybe just a tad biased. Ha.*)
We would just like to take the chance to thank you guys for making our print journey such a fun and fabulous one. Your support is always so appreciated by all of us, and we felt blessed every day that B Magazine got to be involved in your lives four times a year. But now we want to be involved in it EVERY DAY (ahhhhh!). We are planning some great features for the site, so there’ll be even more real weddings, beauty features, celeb wedding news, reviews, galleries etc for you to browse, so stay tuned to WeddingsOnline.
WeddingsOnline/B Magazine team (*and Karen, Ed!)
Ps If you are currently subscribed to B Magazine, Charlene from our shop will be in touch with you this week.
B Magazine Autumn Edition!
Price: €4 (and at a crammyful 300 pages of goodness, we're probably the best value wedding magazine IN THE WORLD)
Emulating our super couture front cover (it's Jose Villa shooting Vera Wang dontcha know?!), this is our most stylish edition to date!
In this edition of B Magazine we feature this season’s most amazing bridal fashion, beauty, real weddings, advice and inspiration! We speak to Irish designer Louise Kennedy about her new bridal range, and take a look at wedding dress trends for 2012!
Here's some of the best bits:
• 7 Truly Unique Real Weddings (you'll spot one or two Wollies in there fo'sho!)
• Colour Palettes - pink; green, cerise and purple; mint green; yellow and orange!
• Honeymoon Destinations from around the world
• Trash the dress, the new photo shoot trend
• DIY Wedding Ideas
• Beautiful Blooms, a look at the most stylish bouquets
• Bridesmaid dress trends
• Make-up artists reveal their favourite beauty products
• And much, much more!
It's coming soon to shops and suppliers near you so keep your eyes peeled and we'll keep you up to date! (We're on Facebook as well as the forums every day http://www.facebook.com/weddingsonlineie )
Front cover Photography by Jose Villa. Dress by Vera Wang.
It's definately our biggest, if not our brightest, edition of all time! The summer edition of B is 300 pages of pure wedding goodness -fashion, beauty, real weddings, advice, inspiration, news, decor, dresses, shoes, headpieces, outdoor weddings, indoor weddings, blessings, ceremonies, weddings abroad, weddings at home. You name it, it's there.
B will be out in the shops from next week, priced at €4 (yep, that's €2 less than some other wedding mags... Cheeky!) and if you sign up to WeddingsOnline you can get it for free! FREE WE TELLS YA! Here's a little looksee at what's inside:
So keep your eyes peeled for next weeks update on where you can get it!
Oh what a night. New Look launched its flagship store in Jervis Street today, replacing Arnotts and DEAR LORD is it a store. Last night they had a little press party, one which saw my purse a lot lighter, and my shoe-drobe a lot fuller. First thing I did when I strolled in was gawp at Ms Kimberly Walsh, who looked stunning and curvy in a fab studded LBD, second thing I did was ran, as n�s na goaithe, for the boots section. The 50% off tag meant I needed a basket and the champagne cocktails meant I needed a strapping PA to carry it. I got myself some Burberry prosum type knee highs, red bowtie mary janes that will probably kill me, suade shoeboots, a leopard print fur coat, wide leg black pants, a beige knitted short sleeved jumper and a snuggy headband. It came to 100 quid. THREE PAIRS OF HEELS AND A COAT! Get there soon, you'll thank me when you're gorge.
All photos by WeddingsOnline, please ask before using any of these images.
Here it is ladies. The thing taking up the limited brain space of Karen and I for the last 3 months! This is the winter issue of B! We are so excited about the cover, shot by the amazing Darren Purcell of Visionary Photography at our photo shoot at the Slieve Russell Hotel.
The issue will be out in shops late next week.
As you probably already know, WOL celebrated it's 10th birthday on Monday night at the Crowne Plaza in Santry and the WeddingsOnline.ie Awards were part of the big bash. It was a fabulous evening to bring all the elite in the wedding industry together under one roof, with everyone dressed to really impress! Here are some highlights.
Table 18 were the big winners of the evening. Everyone at their table won in their category. Including White Orchid who won Best Overall Wedding Supplier! Others in this picture; Love Letters, Frog Prince Wedding Days and French Touch Florist.
WOL staff trying to pose for a photo...unsuccessfully!
Peter Rowen and his new fiance
Some of the ladies from WeddingsOnline.ie.
The stunning cake by Sweet Jepsons.
Ok...I know all brides think their wedding day was the best wedding ever, so I am going to graciously give credit to brides the world over and say that I think my wedding was the best wedding ever, FOR ME (but just know I am secretly thinking that my wedding was better than yours...kidding...kind of). It truly was a perfect day, mostly because of the amazing wedding suppliers that we had, including the nicest photographer in America, Angie Azzinaro of Joyful Photography (www.weddingsbyjoyfulphotography.com), the most budget conscious and talented florist ever, Esther from Special Touch (www.specialtouchfloristandgifts.com/) and one of the most beautiful hotels in Washington (www.thedavenporthotel.com/) Just thought I would share a couple photos from the day, in case anyone cared!
One of my bridesmaids is an amazing photographer and videographer, she took these shots with her iPhone! They are some of my favourites of the whole day (her name is Brittany Buchanan and she IS available for travel to Ireland, check her out http://www.brittanyfay.com/)!
By Amy Croffey
Born in Co Roscommon, Martha Lynn is a young, passionate milliner based in Dublin. Her creations are a combination of traditional elements with a modern twist that she creates in her studio on 51 South William Street in Project 51.
Martha takes inspiration from everything and anything. “Each piece has been inspired by something different. It could be anything from materials to people,” she says.
Her designs are composed of simple clean lines. “I like to introduce a little element of excitement but I like to keep the design classic,” she adds.
Her most important advice for brides who are trying to find the perfect headpiece is to be comfortable and confident in what they are wearing and to consider the style of dress as well as the wedding theme.
On the issue of buying Irish, Martha believes that we all need to support each other. “In the current climate I think it’s really important to support and encourage Irish designers. With the right support we can continue to develop our designs and grow our business giving our customers a better quality and selection of products,” she says. “There is so much Irish talent. We really need to build on what we have.”
Martha tries to buy Irish materials as much as possible when creating her headpieces. At the moment, she is just selling her designs in Ireland but she also has customers in the UK, Australia and America.
For more information on Martha Lynn Millinery call 00 353 85 777 1641.
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