So you have been looking through endless magazines, dress shops, friends of friends weddings on Facebook (admit it you’ve had a goo) to find ‘the dress’ or even something remotely close to it but have found nothing. I’ve been thinking about the idea of the wedding dress lately and discussing it with friends, and we all agreed that you want to wear a dress you love and not necessarily a wedding dress from a wedding shop. Now don’t get me wrong I’ve seen my fair share of STUNNING wedding dresses, really beautiful ones, and if that is what you have always wanted then GO FOR IT….this post is not for you….but if you’re looking for some alternative wedding dress ideas inspiration then stay here!

So with this in mind I wanted to do an alternative bridal shoot using off the rack dresses. I’ve always loved alternative wedding dress designers like Reem Arca, Emily Riggs and oh so swoon-worthy Elie Saab. Love the muted colour palettes they use and the really feminine cut of their dresses, but they are designer and whether its cost, availability or just the accessibility of getting one of these dresses to try or see in the flesh, it’s just not the easiest task and it’s not for everyone.

Enter the holy grail of online shops ASOS! I’m a huge fan of ASOS and have been for years now, especially their own brand ranges, so I knew I wanted to use some of their dresses for the shoot. As many of you savvy brides to be already know ASOS launched its own alternative wedding dress range around March/April of this year. But as beautiful as their bridal range is, it just wasn’t the look/feel I was going for with the shoot. I wanted to show that a dress, not necessarily designed or advertised as a wedding dress could work just as well as a traditional one. So in the end I went for three different dresses, all full length and super flattering. I got flowers from Strandfield, a stunning wild flower bouquet that complimented the dresses beautifully. All that was left to decide was the location!

Maybe it’s The Game of Thrones influence over me but I am really drawn to forest and mountain areas with their array of colours and foliage, so I knew Slieve Gullion would be the perfect location. We really are so lucky to have so many beautiful wild landscapes around Ireland. So we packed the car and off we went up Slieve Gullion in time for Golden Hour.

Dress shopping can be stressful at the best of times, but I just wanted to show what can be achieved with a little creativity, looking at different colour palettes and styles of dresses, so that maybe….just maybe, this has helped with your alternative wedding dress ideas for your big day.

Lou xx

Special thanks to:

My model for the day – Siofra Caherty.

Hair and Make-up – Suzanne Donnelly.

Flowers – Strandfield, Ballymascanlon, Co.Louth.

Dresses – ASOS.com

and Slieve Gullion for being Slieve Gullion!