Wexford + Irish Wedding Venues · 5 min read
Getting Married at Dunbrody House? Hair and Makeup Notes From Your Artist
Dunbrody House is one of those Wexford venues that makes an artist's heart lift. Here is what I would think about for your hair, makeup and morning there.
By Evelyn Kennedy · 12 September 2026
As I shared in my honest first impressions of Irish venues, I am still early in my journey with the great Wexford country houses. Dunbrody House is exactly the kind of setting that made me fall for weddings here.
A Georgian country house on the Hook Peninsula, with gardens, soft light and a restaurant with rooms feel, it suits brides who want intimacy over grandeur. This is not a claim of a decade of weddings there. It is a working artist's notes on what matters for your morning in a venue like this.
The light is your friend
Country houses like Dunbrody tend to have beautiful tall windows, and that natural light is everything for makeup. When we plan your morning, I will always ask where the getting-ready room is and set up near the best window.
Skin-like makeup built in thin layers is made for this kind of light. It reads as fresh and luminous in soft Irish daylight rather than flat or heavy.
Timing around an intimate venue
Smaller country houses often mean everyone gets ready close together, which I love. One artist for hair and makeup keeps a morning like this beautifully contained: one setup, one timeline and no rotating door of suppliers.
We build the schedule backwards from your ceremony, leaving proper breathing room for dressing, veil placement and photographs before you walk down.
Sea air and soft structure
The Hook Peninsula is glorious and breezy. If you are planning photographs outdoors, I recommend hair with real structure underneath the softness: waves that are set properly, or an updo that keeps its shape when the wind has ideas of its own.
My techniques were developed working in 40-degree Australian heat, so an Irish sea breeze is a challenge I genuinely enjoy.
The practical bits
Dunbrody sits around half an hour from my Adamstown studio, which means no travel surprises on the morning. Previews happen in Adamstown three to four months out, so by the wedding day we are simply recreating a look you already love.
If you are marrying at Dunbrody or anywhere on the Hook, send me your date. I would love to hear about your plans.