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Bride Kate melded her love of the tropics and Old Hollywood to create a hybrid theme that had all the glamour and style of a Wes Anderson movie set. Even the venue looked like it came straight from The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Although not set in Europe, Kate and Grant’s wedding took place in an equally exotic location. They were married at Hotel Galvez, a Texas (USA) hotel built in 1911 which overlooks the Gulf of Mexico. The hotel is grand and historic, with lots of palm trees, and this formed the basis of the wedding theme. With her ballgown, ROSEBURY crown and tropical bouquet, Kate’s glamorous bridal look was red-carpet ready!
The beachfront Hotel Galvez features lavish ballrooms and tropical gardens, and these features took centre stage when Kate was planning the wedding.
“The venue was so beautiful already that I really wanted to incorporate all those details and just turn it up a notch,” says Kate. “The theme ended up being Tropical Glam with a little bit of an Old Hollywood feel. I was reading a wedding blog the other day and they were talking about a ‘Tropulence’ theme – Tropical Opulence. And I was like “That’s it!” I had no idea; I was just doing what I liked.”
To Kate’s surprise, her wedding dress was completely different to the dress she’d imagined wearing, which is why she suggests not rejecting dresses until you try them on first.
“If you would have asked me what kind of dress I was going to wear when I first got engaged, I would have told you all fitted, no poofyness, and no strapless because I didn’t want to be bothered with pulling up my dress all night! But after trying on some fit and flare type dresses – while I loved the way they looked – I felt like I couldn’t really move, walk, or sit down. I love to dance and one of the things I was most looking forward to about our wedding was our amazing band so I ended up going a different direction with my dress.”
Kate choose a strapless Reem Acra gown with an embellished lace bodice which sat snugly on her hips. The dress had a tulle skirt, which she detached for the reception, to reveal a flowy organza skirt.
“The tulle skirt had these layers of horsehair netting to give it this beautiful structure. One of the layers was pure glitter which really sold me because I’m extra like that.”
Kate was attracted to the gold tones and crystal details of the ROSEBURY crown, which beautifully matched the beading on her dress. She styled the crown closer to the back of her head, allowing strands of hair to frame her face.
“I chose Old Hollywood curls for my hairstyle. Inspiration was a photo of Blake Lively on the red carpet, who is GOALS!,” says Kate.
Kate’s budgeting tip: If you need a place to cut back on budget, pick the shoes – no one will see them!
In line with Kate’s love of dancing and music, there were a couple of special musical surprises throughout the day.
“For our recessional music I had the string quartet play the Star Wars theme song. It was a surprise for my husband, as we are both huge Star Wars fans, he was stoked!,” says Kate. “My dad is a musician and he and my uncle performed the Beatles song ‘Twist and Shout’ to kick off the dancing during the reception. This was another surprise – I thought he might play a sappy song, but this was so much better! I’m a huge Beatles fan and my dad pulled it off perfectly and really got the party going!”
Kate has three top pieces of advice for couples planning their wedding day…
Whether you’ve fallen in love with the look of long flowy trusses, Hollywood waves, side swept or a sweetly braided bohemian hairdo, there’s a wedding hairstyle for every bride.
Having long hair certainly has its advantages and the options increase exponentially with a few extra inches of hair. You can be a little more creative and adventurous with your hair but remember, your wedding day isn’t the day for experimentation. Opt for something that you just know suits you. You will feel so much more comfortable and you will feel more relaxed on the day.
When it comes to choosing the right hairstyle for you, there’s a few factors to think about. Your wedding theme, location, venue, face shape, whether you’ll be wearing a veil, your dress and the neckline on your gown. And most importantly, what feels the most comfortable for you.
We’ve pulled together our favourite wedding hairstyles for long hair. Wispy Hollywood waves, loose curls, half up hairstyles and the chic ponytail. Anything goes on your wedding day and remember, there are no rules.
Loose Hollywood waves are a timeless choice that exudes effortless beauty and romance. This hairstyle is perfect for brides who want a soft, feminine look that works well with various dress styles and wedding themes. We love how loose waves frame the face beautifully and enhance the cheekbones and jawline.
A half up hairstyle is a popular choice for brides because it keeps the hair off your face (particularly handy if your wedding will be outside and potentially windy – think beach or seaside). It’s also a great way to secure your veil because it will have a firm bed to rest in. A half up hairstyle has the benefits of up hair and the romantic and glamorous feel of loose curls.
We adore soft loose curls. Messy curls, neat curls, wispy curls. Whatever your preferred look, this look is endlessly romantic and chic. If you have shorter or thin hair, chat to your hairstylist about extensions to lengthen and/or thicken your hairstyle.
We adore soft loose curls. Messy curls, neat curls, wispy curls. Whatever your preferred look, this look is endlessly romantic and chic. If you have shorter or thin hair, chat to your hairstylist about extensions to lengthen and/or thicken your hairstyle.
Loose curls can be styled with halos and wedding crowns for a look that exudes regality. You can also still wear a veil with an all out hairstyle but do ensure your hairstylist knows you want to wear a veil as they’ll have to use a few extra bobby pins to secure the veil into place.
When it comes to choosing accessories for long wedding hairstyles, the world is your oyster. Traditional veils, wedding crowns, flower halos, delicate headbands, hair pins – there’s a lot of options out there for you.
The best accessories will depend on the style of your dress, your personality, your face shape and whether you’d like to wear a veil. Some hairstyles suit a veil or headpiece that is attached to the front of your head, but others look better with a veil that is attached further towards the back.
If you’re planning to wear your hair half up/half down, you will have the perfect foundation to secure a wedding headpiece secured into the back or side. However, if loose flowy curls are more your style, you will just need some bobby pins and a little teasing and your hair piece should stay in place all day long.
We’re here to help. We work with brides worldwide to help them coordinate and choose the perfect wedding accessories from our collections.
Feel free to send us photos of your wedding dress, bridal hairstyle and details of styles from our collection you love and we can go from there.
Situated in the romantic coastal, mountain town of Santorini in Italy, our bride Jessica and Brett’s wedding day was one of refined elegance and effortlessness.
We adore Jessica’s choice of a Karen Willis Holmes Anya sequin dress – a modern and chic dress that she styled beautifully with her perfectly tousled hair. It’s no surprise that in Jessica’s day to day life she is a talented makeup artist!
Image | Lauren Campbell Photography
We just loved creating Jessica’s bespoke wedding comb in tones of soft silver and ivory. Our team designed the piece to sit vertically, just behind her ear using a combination of antique silver and silver mesh leaves to create a depth and contrast against Jessica’s dark brown hair. To create texture and detail, handcrafted ivory clay flowers were positioned to gently extend upwards. We chose freshwater pearls and faceted crystal elements to create shape and add a subtle shimmer to complement Jessica’s sequin dress.
Thank you so much for creating a beautiful bespoke masterpiece for me to wear on my wedding day! It was absolutely gorgeous and went perfectly with my styling. Since I wore a simple dress, it added the perfect amount of “something” to make me feel like a bride. I’ve had so many compliments on it from those who have seen photos too.
Jessica – you’re more than welcome and a huge congratulations from us! We wish you and your husband every happiness.
Image | Lauren Campbell Photography
If you love this piece or are interested in collaborating with our team to design your ultimate wedding accessories, drop us an email! We’d love to hear from you.
Bespoke and ready-to-wear bridal accessories and veils. Designed and handcrafted in Canberra, Australia. Our online store is open 24/7 with worldwide delivery available including express options. The Fyshwick showroom is by appointment only. Virtual appointments are available for interstate and international brides.
