Get the look – behind the scenes at our Dougarie Boathouse fashion photoshoot

It was an early morning start to catch the ferry to Arran for our bridal photoshoot at The Dougarie Boathouse.

This unique and beautiful wedding venue sits on the shore and was made for celebrations!

We had fun exploring inside, while outside we made sure to capture some poses by the water, on the veranda and in the walled garden.

Our models Mallory and Helena were straight into hair and make-up with Nicola Denham and Lisa Blishaa, the talented duo behind Honey & Violet, in charge of getting them camera-ready.

With so many stunning outfits, make-up artist Nicola wanted to create looks that were adaptable from the word go.

“On both the girls I went for a soft glam look on the eyes, with a medium to full coverage on the skin, as it’s easier to add to the eyes than to muck about with the skin too much,” she says.

She started with a soft glam eye, creating a matte look with bronzer for dimension and a soft blown out brown flick with a fluffy half lash.

“Along the way I added a darker liner, some shimmer, more dimension with darker shadows and face jewels at the very end, just to intensify the looks and shake it up a little bit,” she adds.

“For the base I used an intense moisturiser, primer, a full coverage foundation and concealers to contour, highlighter, blush, and bronzer.”

Key players in Nicola’s kit included Charlotte Tilbury ‘Airbrush Flawless’ foundation, Vieve ‘Modern’ bronzer and Made by Mitchell ‘Blursh’.

Nicola also changed up the lips throughout the day, using pinks, mauves, gloss, and deeper red lips for different looks with bridal fave Charlotte Tilbury ‘Pillow Talk’ used alongside Urban Decay ‘Hex’ and Mac’s ‘Amorous’.

Nicola’s colleague, hairstylist Lisa, also wanted to create looks that were adaptable from the off.

For Mallory, she began with glam vintage waves which she says are “still a very poplar style amongst brides.”

She created a pin curl set at the front with tight curls flowing in the same direction throughout the head, then dressed out, merging them into a gorgeous mooth sleek wave.

Mallory’s waves were then teased out for a more beachy look and more detailed curls were added in the opposite direction.

A boho braid around the crown added volume and texture and Lisa then progressed the look with a textured bun and a few fallen rustic pieces.

With Helena, Lisa started with a simple half French twist flowing into a mid-high bun, leaving fallen pieces to create a soft and romantic look.

She then teased and pulled out the bun into a boho style, adding more texture and disconnection with the fallen pieces.

For Helena’s final look she pulled more face-framing pieces back and added a headband, for a more classic look.

Along with the array of hairpieces and veils, Lisa could also play with the stunning flower crowns, made specially by Helen Hardman of The Greenshed Flower Studio.

“I loved the contrasting briefs – bold, rich reds and pinks to contrast against the softest whites and pinks,” she says.

Along with the flower crowns she styled matching bouquets.

“Both featured high summer seasonal flowers in different shapes to create structure, without losing the classic Greenshed Flower Studio wispy, wild look.

I always begin by creating a central structure in a spiral shape before branching out to create asymmetry and make the bouquet a bit more dynamic.

I always say it’s a really intuitive process and I do mean it – you have to feel the bouquet and let it grow.