WeddingDates.ie

Tipp Brides – fancy winning Your Wedding?!  Well then, you had better visit the Dundrum House Hotel Wedding Fair on Sunday 3rd January 2010 from 12 – 6 PM.

Dundrum House Hotel near Cashel in Tipperary enjoys one of the most picturesque settings for your wedding day.  Situated in the beautiful  Golden Vale, this charming 18th Century Manor is set amidst the landscaped grounds and elegant interiors provide the perfect backdrop for wedding photographs.

Former Miss Ireland, Andrea Roche will be hosting the day – I have been to another wedding fair hosted by Andrea, and I have to say she did a fantastic job, really engaging with the guests.  There will be 2 Fashion Shows during the day displaying wedding gowns for the 2010 bride and will also include a display of contemporary fashion for the bridal party and guests.  Over 35 Wedding providers will also be exhibiting and will be offering discounts on their products and services for those attending.

But the big news of the day has to be that Dundrum House Hotel are giving couples a chance to win their wedding valued at over €8,000!! The prize includes: a wedding for up to 80 guests at Dundrum House Hotel consisting of a delicious 5-course meal, wedding cake, punch reception,  floral centrepieces for the tables and beautiful chair coverings.  Accommodation for the bridal couple and their parents on the night of the wedding is also included as is the First Anniversary dinner and overnight stay in the hotel for the couple.  And so that they can be in tip top shape for the big day, the winning couple will receive a 6-month membership in the awarded Leisure Club.  They’ll also receive a day out prior to the wedding for the bridal party including pampering in the Leisure Club for the ladies and a round of golf for the gentlemen accompanied by lunch in the popular eatery, The Clubhouse Venue.

Now that’s what I call a prize!!  Reason enough to get up off the couch after the New Years festivities and hit the road for Dundrum!

We all need a break, and this little blogger is no different!  I am taking a couple of weeks off over the holiday season but don’t worry, normal service will resume again…around the 5th or 6th of Janurary.

Congrats to any newly engaged couples out there, there is sure to be plenty in the blog archives to tied you over till I get back into the swing of things!

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Wishing all the readers of the blog and users of weddingdates.ie a truly Happy Christmas and joyous New Year.  At the end of every year, we get to sit back and think about the people in our lives who make it all worthwhile.  Here’s to a love-filled Christmas!! Ciara xx

Connacht Brides, going home for Christmas? Or maybe you just got engaged over the holidays?!  Well, the Breaffy House Hotel Wedding Fair is being held on SUNDAY 27th DECEMBER.

The House will be open from 3pm to 7pm, to show you what they ‘can do’ to make your wedding day a special and memorable occasion, opening with a Fashion Show at 4pm.  Why not take the opportunity to meet with our Resort Director, Wedding Experts & Executive Chef and sample our Prime Irish Beef and Atlantic Wild Salmon.

The Breaffy House Current Special Offer includes:

• €35 Wedding Meal
• 5 Free Bride’s Guest Rooms, plus complimentary Bridal Suite
• No Charge for Corkage
• Complimentary Spa Rasual Treatment for Bride & Groom

As duly noted in our “Wedding Trends for 2010” post recently, the favoured option in the states at the moment is for themed weddings.  Breaffy House Hotel has even factored that in!  For that extra touch why not Theme your wedding from as little as €1,000.00.  You can check availability for your perfect Wedding Hotel in Mayo here.

We love a good bit of cheesiness here in WeddingDates.ie HQ, and especially at Christmas, sher all the better!!  Our favourite wedding band, The Marvels sent us this fabulously cheesy Christmas video the other day and we just HAD to share it with you guys….lovin’ it! :)

If you want a wedding band that pulls out all the stops with a super charismatic front man then look now further than The Marvels! Click here for more info on The Marvels >>

Since we launched our newsletter, Love Letters last January, we have given away a prize every month and I have to say I’m jealous of the brilliant stuff we get to giveaway!!  This month is no different with a fantastic break awy in the 4 Star Brehon Hotel in Killarney, Co. Kerry.

As a proud Cork-woman I understand acutely the rivalry that goes on between the neighbouring counties, but I have to admit after holidaying in Kerry since I was a wee one that it holds a special place in my heart.  Anyone that hasn’t been to Killarney seriously needs to remedy that because its one of the most beautiful parts of the country and The Brehon is certainly a pretty swish base from which to explore it!

This months prize is: 1 Nights Luxurious Accommodation with Full Irish Breakfast for Two People in a Deluxe Room.  Includes complimentary access to the Vitality Suite of the Angsana Spa.

All you have to do to be in with a chance to win is to leave a comment below letting us know WHY you deserve a Spring break in Killarney.  The winner will be announed in next months newsletter, at the end of January!

Carlsberg don’t do pranks, but if they did….I think this one would HAVE to be up there!!

An anonymous best man who was sworn to be on his best behaviour before the wedding did as he was told, but has found a pretty ingenious way to prank the couple AFTER the nuptials!

Direct from the Twitter Account:

You’ll know when it starts, when it ends, the force, a rating on the frenzy index and a judge’s comment – all broadcast live to Twitter.  Absolutely Genius!!

Follow @newlywedsontjob on twitter to get the updates :)

I was thrilled to hear the news yesterday that one of our premier venues here on WeddingDates.ie, Markree Castle just topped a poll for Ireland’s Wedding Venue of the Year!  Well done to Patricia and all of the team in Markree who put a huge amount into each and every wedding they host there.

Thousands of brides, grooms and wedding guests voted in the competition sponsored by one of Ireland’s leading wedding websites, www.realweddings.ie .  Of six venues from all over the country nominated for the award, Markree Castle, Sligo was the run-away winner with 1/3 of the total vote.

And from the gang in Markree themselves….

The team at Markree Castle were honoured to be nominated in the first instance and, as one of the smallest venues in the running, are absolutely delighted to have done so well.  We would all like to thank everyone who voted for us-  this is the best Christmas present possible for all of the crew at Markree who have worked so hard over the years to earn and sustain Markree’s position as one of Ireland’s leading wedding venues.  Markree Castle is a truly unique location for your special day and our dedicated and professional staff, team of top class chefs and one-of-a-kind atmosphere are paid tribute to with this incredible result!

To celebrate our win, we are offering complimentary wine for all wedding guests to couples booking their wedding on selected dates in 2010.  Included is a half bottle of wine per guestfor your wedding meal- for a wedding of 100 people, this is 50 free bottles of wine!  For more information and conditions, and to check availability, please contact us on 071-9167800, check out our website www.markreecastle.ie or e-mail info@markreecastle.ie.

We recently added a lot of new wedding hotels to the site.  We are proud to announce that all 8 of the Carlton Group of hotels now feature in our venue search.

1. Galway Brides, consider the Carlton Shearwater Hotel & C Spa, one of Co Galway newest wedding hotels.
2. Have lots of guests flying in, or want a quick getaway for the honeymoon?  Then the  Carlton Dublin Airport Hotel is the perfect location for you.
3. Carlton Millrace Hotel & C Spa is located on the grounds of Halldare Estate, a gorgeous backdrop for Wedding photos in  Wexford.
4. The Carlton Redcastle Hotel & Spa - overlooking Lough Foyle in Co. Donegal, this is a fairytale wedding location.
5. Carlton Abbey has a stunning courtyard for photos for your Wedding in Kildare.
6. For one of  Westports finest wedding venues, consider the Carlton Atlantic Coast Hotel in Co. Mayo.
7. Across from the University of Limerick, the Carlton Castletroy Park Hotel has recently been taken over by the Carlton group and would be delighted to welcome you for your Wedding in Limerick.
8. Carlton Kinsale Hotel & C Spa – Enjoy breathtaking views over Cork harbour in Kinsale, Co Cork.

Your wedding day is probably the most dressed-up day of your life and everything should be coordinated from your headwear to your shoes.  Wedding Headwear can be the traditional veil or a tiara, headband or flowers.  The headwear that you wear should be something that will not get in your way and it should compliment your gown not take away from it.  Here are a few tips and ways that you can accentuate your head for your wedding.

• Traditional Veils- veils can be cathedral which can be 9 feet or longer, the chapel which is about 6 feet long, the fingertip which goes to the end of the fingers, elbow length which goes to the waist, and the blusher which goes just over the face. The veil should be detachable no matter what length you get. Also the veil should be tried on with the gown to make sure they go together nicely.

• Tiaras – A tiara is a head piece that you do not want to be too high and fall off; you want something that will be beautiful, holds still and not take away from your dress. Tiaras can have crystals, rhinestones, pearls and sparkles. Be careful with too many accessories you don’t want something falling off at the ceremony.

• Flowers and hair gems – Flowers can be beautiful, ask the florist if they can coordinate the flowers in your hair with the flowers in your wedding design this will make everything flow nicely. Also there are small gems that can be placed in the hair, simple is always more classy.

• Hair bands, wreaths and combs – A hair band might be nice if it has the right colors and the accessories are placed on it to match your gown. Wreaths can be nice but sometimes this look can be a little to hippy, make sure that it is done in a classy way to accentuate your gown. Combs can be nice if they have the right rhinestones or gems on it that coordinate with your dress. If you want to place one comb on the side that may be sufficient you don’t want to overwhelm the gown and have too many things sparkling.

Remember a wedding is about the bride and her gown and you do not want anything that will take away from your dress, accentuate but never overwhelm.  The style of any headwear will depend on the gown, and the wedding theme keep them coordinated at all times.