Bold moves | Take inspiration from our bridal shoot at The Exchange
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Stepping through the doors of The Exchange in Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square is walking into a world of glamour and unbridled luxury.
Occupying the upper floors of an A-listed blonde sandstone building, the city centre’s hottest new venue has been lovingly renovated and the owner’s attention to detail is everywhere you look.
From the art deco-esque light fixtures to the clean lines and gilt touches, this is a venue in which to say ‘I do’ in serious style, and it was a very fitting setting for our ultra-chic photoshoot.
‘Emerson’ dress by Rosa Clara (£2,250) with ‘C596a’ 98″ chapel-length single-tier glitter tulle Richard Designs veil (£375), both Kudos Bridal Edinburgh. Small diamond solitaire stud earrings in 9ct yellow gold (£1,292), v-shape 9ct yellow gold wedding band (£526) and Princess solitaire 0.25ct diamond ring in 9ct yellow gold (£1,514), all Sheila Fleet Jewellery. Headdress and bouquet (both POA), both Rook Botanics.
We pulled together a stunning array of show-stopping gowns and be warned, these aren’t for shrinking violets.
Every dress packs a sartorial punch, thanks to intricate appliqués, subtle shimmers and eye-catching overskirts.
We then teamed them with hand-picked jewellery pieces from Sheila Fleet Jewellery and James Porter & Son and head-turning blooms by Rook Botanics for these twelve different looks.
Which will be your favourite?
‘Daphne’ dress by Eliza Jane Howell (POA), Isobel Florence Bridal. Platinum tiara ring (£2,450), 2ct brilliant cut solitaire ring (£3,295) and 18ct Starburst drop earrings (£3,895), all James Porter & Son. Bouquet (POA), Rook Botanics.
Leigh of Makeup by Leigh Blaney was in charge of the glam on this shoot, working her magic on models Gillian and Helena.
“We’re going for glass skin,” she explained as she applied Weleda Skin Food Light to moisturise and then worked with ‘Wonderglow’ by Charlotte Tilbury and Hollywood Flawless Filter and Beautiful Skin foundation to achieve the desired effect.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Cream Bronzer was used to contour before Charlotte Tilbury’s beauty wand in ‘Peachgasm’ was applied to the cheeks, topped up with Beautiful Skin ‘Island glow’, Face Architect highlighter and Laura Mercier setting powder.
‘Alabama’ dress with matching overskirt by WONÀ Concept (POA), Sophia Grace Couture. Jewellery (as before), all Sheila Fleet Jewellery. Bouquet and floral headpiece (both POA), both Rook Botanics.
For our models’ eyes Leigh applied Charlotte Tilbury nude cream eyeliner in the waterline to make the whites look brighter, before using Makeup by Mario’s ‘Ethereal’ palette and ‘Pillow Talk’ by Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palettes.
Finally, Leigh applied Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk medium lipliner in the appropriately named ‘Wedding Belle.’
Maureen Crolla of The Bride to be… created the stunning hair looks for Gillian and Helena, prepping with WOW Raise the Root and using her clampless José Eber curling iron to create beautiful curls and movement.
‘Elvis’ dress by Rosa Clara (£2,540) with ‘HVO84’ hairpiece by Richard Designs (£90), both Kudos Bridal Edinburgh. Jewellery (as before), all James Porter & Son. Bouquet (POA), Rook Botanics.
Maureen also used extensions to add extra volume and expertly styled the fabulous floral headdresses created for the shoot by Sarah Rushbrooke of Rook Botanics.
“I’m so excited to work with them,” Maureen told us.
We also love the retro-look pinned up-dos Maureen styled for the two heavily beaded art deco-inspired Eliza Jane Howell dresses.
Just gorgeous!
And she let us in on her secret weapons to ensure the ultimate shine; Colour WOW extra mist-cal shine spray, Kérastase Elixir Ultime serum (a beautiful finishing product which can be used on wet or dry hair), and the tried and tested Elnett hairspray.
‘Olivia’ dress with ‘Olivia’ veil (both POA), Mirka Bridal Couture. Jewellery (as before), all Sheila Fleet Jewellery. Shoes, model’s own. Bouquet (POA), Rook Botanics
Go bold
Alongside fashioning the eye-catching floral headpieces, Sarah also provided a number of bouquets for the shoot, taking inspiration from our moodboard.
“Colour is usually the place I start and there was a nice mix with some darker pops,” she explained.
“We’ve gone big and creative for the headdress which works really well with the voluminous hair.”
Rossini’ dress by Suzanne Neville (POA), Rachel Scott Couture. Rings (as before) and 2ct martini stud earrings (£1,635), all James Porter & Son. Shoes, model’s own. Bouquet (POA), Rook Botanics.
The wilder bouquet contains a mix of Harper and Vuvuzela roses, spray roses, scabiosa, purple sweet pea, orange euphorbia, darker dahlias, trailing jasmine, tanacetum, craspedia, heliopsis, sanguisorba, clematis that has finished flowering, and fresh mint.”
For a slightly more structured bouquet she used garden roses, more dahlias and lemony eustoma.
Versatility is still a key feature across bridalwear with the simple addition or removal of one element creating a whole new look.
In the above look the ‘Sealan’ mermaid wedding dress with beading and lace detailing featuring a plunge neckline and low v-back was shot with and without the ‘Cassandra’ glitter tulle overskirt, (both by Luna Novias, both POA), Kudos Bridal Dunfermline.
Then in the above look it’s the removable sleeves that add the chance to switch up in the gorgeous ‘Blossom’ dress with matching ‘Blossom’ veil by Mirka Bridal Couture (POA).
And above the change comes from the removal of the detachable beaded straps in this gorgeous Maggie Sottero ‘Brogan’ beaded sweetheart ballgown with full glitter tulle skirt, available from Kudos Bridal Dunfermline (POA).
When it comes to all-out drama we’re obsessed with the ‘Giulia’ dress and matching veil by Naeem Khan (both POA), from Rachel Scott Couture; so much so that this is our front cover look for the new January issue of Your Scottish Wedding.
Dream team
Flowers and headdresses | Rook Botanics
Hair | The Bride to be…
Jewellery | James Porter & Son, Sheila Fleet Jewellery
Make-up | Makeup by Leigh Blaney
Models | Gillian Cheung and Helena Milne
Photography | Laura A. Tiliman Photography
Venue | The Exchange
Get in touch directly with all of our suppliers to discuss how they can create your dream wedding looks.
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