The enchantingly romantic summer wedding of Laura and Steve at the The Arts Mansion, Ashton Court, Bristol

I always have a feeling of excitement when I meet a bride who has strong and unique ideas for her bridal hair and makeup look. When I met Laura at my makeup studio for her trial for her summer wedding in Bristol, I knew we would hit it off, both in person and creatively. Laura is blessed with an abundant mane of naturally glossy brunette hair and her chosen style was both big and bold, yet soft and romantic. The hairstyle we chose was reminiscent of those beautiful big styles of the 1980’s, with soft tendrils around the face and gently falling curls around the nape of the neck. Despite Laura’s gorgeous voluminous hair, we still wanted more! So, I used a large bun ring to build both height and volume.

The key to this style was to keep it soft but big. I started by creating a ponytail high on Laura’s head, then added the large bun ring to maximise volume on the crown. I used the hair from the ponytail to dress and cover the bun ring. I left out quite a few tendrils on the top, which I then tonged into natural curls to add to the soft, romantic feel of this bridal hairstyle. 

Laura has a sweeping side fringe that I wanted to add some volume to by placing velcro rollers in, to give the front of the hair some additional height. This created a gentle softness which framed the face. Velcro rollers can be a fantastic way to get lots of volume into the hair, and I particularly love to use them for both brides, bridesmaids and mothers of the bride who require additional volume for their wedding hairstyle. 

The bridal makeup design for Laura was actually very simple. It was summery, fresh and natural. Laura has gorgeous flawless skin, so I used a very light ‘Armani Silk’ foundation, just to add a subtle dewy finish to her complexion. I used a ‘Benefit‘ waterproof mascara to ensure there was no smudging around the eyes. I defined her eyes using a mix of copper and blush tone eyeshadows for a bit of summery glimmer on the eyelids. 

I used a warm liquid bronzer on Laura’s golden tone skin, just to enhance her natural tan, and on her lips I used one of my favorite Mac lipsticks called ‘Costa Chic’, which is tragically discontinued now! This is the bane of every makeup artist’s life! 

Laura had booked The Artist’s Residence in Bristol for her bridal prep space. I’d actually never been there before and it was definitely on my list of places to go. The style of the rooms are both eclectic and bohemian, it was a gorgeous room to work in, with natural light pouring in from the huge Georgian windows. I sensed this was the perfect space for Laura to have her hair and makeup done before the wedding later that day, at Arts Mansion, Ashton Court in Bristol. 

The Bristol based photographer for Laura and Steve’s wedding was the very talented Matt Willis who created the beautiful images from this magical day.