Meet our gorgeous bride Orla, who celebrated her wedding in east Cork in the Garryvoe Hotel. Orla was torn between this dreamy sleeved dress and another 2 piece but on Orla’s second visit Bryn was the clear winner!
We asked Orla some questions about her wedding style, how she knew her dress was the one for her and if she has any advice for our future TW&G brides-to-be.
Orla, you looked absolutely gorgeous in your dress. Was it the style you had in mind for yourself?
I knew I wanted something chic and I knew I wanted sleeves. I thought I would pick lace but I loved the subtle sparkle of the Alexandra Grecco Bryn dress. I changed it slightly in that I didn’t keep the slit in the skirt.
When did you know it was the dress for you?
To be honest I loved all the dresses I tried on at the White and Gold! They were all so gorgeous. But ultimately it was between the Bryn gown and another two piece.
Who did you bring dress shopping with you? Did they help with the decision making?
I was 9 weeks pregnant when I first went dress shopping so I went on my own. When I picked my dress I brought a good friend to give the final nod. I let her in on my secret 😉
What would you say was your overall wedding style?
I love reds and greens. As my husband was wearing a red tartan and my bridesmaids were wearing green I wanted to unite the whole look. We also included thistles as a nod to the Scottish side!
Tell us about a special moment from the day?
We had a bagpiper and my brother-in-law played the drums while I was walking up the aisle. This set the whole mood of the day, it was something different, and it completely relaxed me.
How did you accessorise your dress? Tell us all the jewellery and shoe details!
I had a colour and style in mind for my look. I adore green so I got earrings customised with a pearl and malachite (green) stone. I loved them and will most certainly wear them again and again. My husband was wearing Royal Stewart tartan so I wanted to tie this into my aesthetic. My florist, Rachel at Ina McCarthy for flowers knew from the get-go what I was after and did a beautiful job combining colours and bringing the whole look together.
My shoes were a closed toe low heel. I am very much a shoe person and I naively thought if I ‘wasn’t looking’ I would find some fabulous shoes, but time ran out! I wore an Alexandra Grecco cathedral veil, which was so light and comfortable and stayed in place all day and I loved wearing it
Any underwear tips for our brides to be?
A friend recommended the Spanx thinstincts and they were fabulous! Easy to manage and completely invisible.
If you could give brides-to-be one piece of solid advice?
Don’t stress! Enjoy your day, it goes by so fast. If something isn’t done by the day before…forget about it! If things do go wrong then there will always be funny stories to recall In years to come.
Who did your hair, make up and photography?
My hair stylist was Lynsey O’Leary, she did a gorgeous job and it stayed up all day and all night, even through all the dancing! Make-up was by Nikki, the Make-up doll. Again, people said they had never seen such a transformation. I never needed to re-apply anything, it was perfect until the early hours of the morning. Alex Zaradov was our photographer, he was so patient and also did an amazing job!
If you had bridesmaids where did you choose their dresses from?
I chose bridesmaid dresses based solely on their colour. I then added butterfly sleeves to them. They got so many compliments. I gifted each of the girls cashmere tartan blanket scarves and got their names embroidered on them, both to wear on the day for photos if it was freezing (it wasn’t) and as a keepsake!
How did you find your experience at The White and Gold?
The White and Gold was amazing, and Sorcha is gorgeous. The dresses are so beautiful and the space is such a relaxed atmosphere. I was slightly anxious about being pregnant, but I had such a lovely experience there. I knew as soon as I got engaged that was where I was going to find my dress.
Thank you Orla for your kind words. It was such a pleasure meeting you when you ordered your dress but even more special when I got to meet baby James at dress collection! We love hearing how happy you were with your dress. You looked so gorgeous and I am so thrilled you chose to be part of our White & Gold gang. Wishing you both so much happiness together ♥
