Add a Special Touch to Your Wedding Hairstyle with Custom-Made Bridal Combs

Courtesy Photo Randall Garnick

Beads and baubles? Feathers or fringe? Whatever you want in your hair for your wedding day, Abby Shepard can pull it all together beautifully.

Known for her unique bridal illustrations, this talented Bostonian has recently launched Honeysuckle & Scotch, a line of custom-made combs, fascinators, and headpieces. As an artist, she’s inspired to bring a bride’s ideas to life through Swarovski crystals, vintage stones and fabrics, and metal trims.

Shepard began experimenting with Swarovski crystals and vintage settings of fabrics and feathers to create something special to embellish her own veil for her 2012 wedding. Today’s bride can now adorn themselves in that same timeless beauty with one of her customized creations.

“I’ve always been drawn to the way fashion tells a story about a person, the feeling it captures through a certain ‘look’,” she explains. “I love the details: the way one significant piece can be the perfect accent that pulls everything surrounding it together through color, shape, and texture. This is what I love about each one of these combs. I fall in love each time I’m working on one.”

Courtesy Photo Randall Garnick

To create an adornment that connects to the bride’s vision, Shepard collaborates with her customers on the everything about the design of the piece—from color palette to the additional must-have materials (such as lace, pearls, or leather). Other need-to-know items: whether the bride has thin or thick hair, the hairstyle she plans on wearing, and the apparel the comb should coordinate with, such as a veil, a jacket, or a pair of shoes.

Each fascinator is absolutely one-of-a-kind, and brides have the option of additionally coordinating a custom veil, birdcage, or blusher if needed.

Also one-of-a-kind is the price tag. How much each comb costs is largely dependent on the individual project, but they usually range from $300 to $1,000. Timelines for delivery range from two to four months, but she can hot-foot her work for an additional fee.

Whether dramatic or demure, glamorous or boho-chic, each comb dances with light, color, and a unique energy to create an ethereal effect. “They truly take on their own life during the creative process,” says Shepard. “They’re dreamy and add a special touch.”

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