A Modern Winter Wedding

Tabitha MacCurrach-Paine

Jun 10, 2020

Isabelle and Guys modern winter wedding at

Dewsall Court

What a brilliant way to kick off the season of 2020 with no other than Isabelle and Guys epic winter wedding. I absolutely love the colder months and for those planning their winter nuptials or for some of my wonderful Brides who have had to postpone and are now looking at a new winter wedding date, I hope this will get you feeling excited and give you some ideas for tweaking any of your plans to evolve with a new season.

Isabelle and Guys day took place at Dewsall Court. A much loved and beautifully restored former family home nestled in Herefordshire farmland, views of the Black mountains and sitting in the most stunning grounds. Just a stone’s throw away at the bottom of the garden is a little ancient church and this is where they said their Vows. An incredibly special Venue that I am thrilled to get to return to in all seasons.

I was so excited to be working with Isabelle as one of our first conversations we had before meeting was about the bespoke hair piece, she was having commissioned. I knew the designers work and immediately got a sense of Isabelle’s energy, personality, and vision for her look. She also booked Nicola Harrison to do her Makeup who I frequently collaborate with so immediately felt excited and knew the morning would run smoothly with a sense of teamwork and confidence in equal measures. It is not a Golden Rule that hair and makeup should know and have worked with each other before but certainly brings a sense of organisation, teamwork and understanding for each other’s craft and way of working. Regardless, I always reach out to the Makeup Artist booked and sync our timings ahead of the wedding so on the day we feel we have already met and have a plan. A seamless, fun, relaxed but organised morning is what I strive to deliver.

“Tabby and Nicki are the best! From the first calls I knew they were lovely people, friendly and experienced. They gave me lots of ideas of how to narrow down my look, as well as listening carefully to my feedback and suggesting ideas. I really enjoyed both trials, and then on the day they were wonderful to have with me getting ready. Aside from myself, Tabby and Nicki did amazing jobs on my 3 bridesmaids and the mums, everyone looked perfect!”

Utterly gorgeous Isabelle had the most infectious energy that left us all beaming. She wore the most stunning Custom Jesus Peiro Gown with detachable sleeves, feathers to keep warm and chose rich jewel tones for her Bridesmaids and stunning florals by Award winning and Herefordshire based Issy & Bella. Starting with hot toddy’s and Welsh tea cakes, the February sun shone, the air was crisp, and it truly was a perfect winter wedding. A Relaxed, Fun, Modern wedding captured by talented Claudia Rose Carter and filmed by G and T films and what a treat it has been to see their day unfold and be able to share it with you now.

I wanted to share how Isabelle found Nicola and I and her approach to her Hair and Makeup for her day

Q&A's

How did you find and choose your Suppliers and in particular for your Hair and Makeup.

Via Instagram! After we found the venue I wanted to look at as many weddings as possible that had been done there to see what had been done with the space. Whenever someone had amazing hair and makeup I clicked to see who had done it, and Tabby and Nicki came up again and again, so I knew they had the right kind of style and had worked together a lot which was really nice too. I also wanted people who had worked in the venue before and relatively local, to avoid paying for travel and accommodation where possible, but also to be able to recommend where to get ready in the venue, know where the best light is coming from, and for the photographer especially, be able to quickly find some fun and unusual places for pictures. On a logistical level, it also takes out the unknowns of who the venue managers were, where to park, and all that you don't want to be thinking about on your wedding day!

What 'look' for Hair and Makeup did you go for?

I wanted my hair down in curls, but much smoother and more defined than they usually are! For makeup, I tend to close my eyes in pictures, so I wanted to focus on making sure they didn't get lost! Then after that, amazing matte skin, and just bringing out the best in my features.

Having gorgeous natural curls how did you decide on how to wear your hair?

For my hair I wanted it down, as I never wear my hair up, and went through a load of pinterest designs and started narrowing down what I thought could work for my hair. I use tongs anyway to get a smoother finish on my curls for events, and so worked with Tabby to determine how best it would work and it was perfect! I've worn headbands to a few events and like how they work with my hair, and after seeing Lori's designs on another bride I talked to her about designing one and I loved it so much! I was torn about wearing a veil, as my hair wasn't up I wasn't sure how it would work, so I went for the lightest type so it didn't puff up around my face, you couldn't really see from the front, but at the back it fell nicely and it's just such a fun accessory to have!

Do you have any advice for Brides deciding whether a Hair and Makeup Artist is for them?

I looked at as many pictures as possible of their work and looked for styles and looks on people with my similar hair/ eye colour and skin tone. Once I knew they had lots of experience, I got in touch and we clicked really quickly - rapport is so important as you want someone kind and fun as you need to be honest with each other, this look needs to be right! Which is why I loved working with Tabby and Nicki, both so open and really listened to what I was after, took on feedback and asked specific questions to work out why I liked a certain look/ picture etc.

I would love to share how you and Guy felt about a February wedding and how it influenced your Styling?

We had been to a couple of winter weddings and really love the vibe of a crisp sunny winter’s day. You get longer nights and get to have fun with textures like velvet, tweed, fur and feathers, and sumptuous accents like tons of candles, sparkles galore and deep colours. Dewsall Court which we chose has such amazing inside spaces, and we knew it being winter and being inside most of the time we didn’t have to worry about not being able to go outside if the weather was bad - that is really important! Make sure you have bad weather contingencies in the winter. Expect it will be terrible weather, and then anything up from that is a plus! On a less romantic but equally important note - winter dates are a bit cheaper than the summer, some suppliers do off season discounts, and all of my first choices for suppliers were available whereas in the summer people are much more in demand.

From Behind the Chair

I absolutely loved working with Isabelle and when she arrived at her trial with a mass of glossy corkscrew curls and plans for a bespoke Crown by Irish Designer Lori Muldoon I felt excited. Isabelle did not want to lose the bounce, volume, or movement that her natural curls had but wanted something a little more formed, a nod to waves as opposed to ringlets. Her hair was already in a great condition with minimal frizz for curly hair.

I set the hair as if I was going to create hollywood waves but with a very small tong on a low heat being careful not to completely flatten the hair cuticles not wanting to lose the texture to her hair all together. I harnessed her natural volume and just manipulated the curls creating more of a candyfloss, airy finish, teased out for width. I worked texturizing powder into her roots and a little light Moroccan oil to the mid lengths and ends and some wax spray for hold and definition to finish.

Creating Isabelle's look was refreshing as I am often controlling fly aways and styling to calm hair down and smooth and control hair lines but this time I was able to celebrate Isabelle’s hair and let it be wild. The bouncy movement with a middle parting gave a modern edgy feel without anything looking forced. The soft, teased out finish teamed with her bespoke crown and structured lines of her custom gown were the perfect synergy- Tabby

From The Palette

It was important to Isabelle that we kept skin matte, giving eyes the focus with a glowing lid and a pop of colour on the lips. To do this I prepped her skin accordingly with a lightweight oil free moisturiser, adding glow into the skin with a luminous primer. The key to avoiding a heavy matte makeup look is to not overload the skin. Keeping layers thin I followed with Estee Lauder Double Wear soft Matte foundation. Lightly setting key areas such as forehead, chin and nose with a dusting of loose powder.

Creating a pretty open eyed look, I layered a shimmering champagne tone all over the lid with a soft brown shadow to define the outer corner of her eyes. I applied a waterproof gel liner to the roots of the lashes and followed with individual lashes. Adding longer individuals to the outer edge of the eye. This creates an illusion and adds lift to the eyes. Keeping the glowing theme going adding a wash of luminous blush to the cheeks and a highlighting powder by Becca to the high points of the face. Doing this adds dimension back into the skin to bring her whole look to life.

I created a bespoke colour for her lips by mixing two lipsticks together. Charlotte Tilbury Red Carpet Red with a pinch of Mac velvet teddy over the top giving a slight ombre effect to complete Isabelles Chic, modern Bridal look- Nicola