The Bride is Always Late: Irish Wedding Blog from WeddingDates.ie » Wedding Dresses

Add your personal touch to your wedding

guest — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:30:57 +0000

Here is a lovely post from our intern Cassie who joined us in the office last week!

Weddings are your own personal event between you, your partner and your close family and friends but why not make it that bit more personal? We have some tips for you!

1.Special wedding dress Details
Have that family member who you love to bits but who has passed away and you would love for them to be at your wedding? Try this. Get a piece of clothing belonging to that person, (preferably similar to the colour of your dress, maybe even a bit of their dress. Don’t use something that you can’t cut up!! Make sure the family are okay with it. You want everyone to be happy with this.) Cut a bit off it, just something small that you can stitch into your own dress. Despite the fact they’re not there to wish you luck you still have a part of them with you and on your wedding dress, something you will keep forever.

2.Story of the program.
Use your program / Mass Booklet to tell people about you and your soon to be spouse. On the first few pages tell the story of how you first met, the story full of love and romance. Carry on then with the stories of your first Valentines together, first Christmas, meeting the parents and other special moments together. If there’s a child or children involved tell stories about your relationship with them. When it comes to the wedding party then have little notes about how you know each other. If the officiant would read out a few of the different stories it would add a really personal touch to the whole ceremony. If not sure there’s always a chance at the reception. (Somewhere in between all the embarrassing ones!) This also gives the guests a deeper understanding of you as a couple and your relationship.

3.Picture Perfect Reception
Pictures can play a huge part in the reception. There’s plenty ideas to make it extra special and personal.
When the guests arrive you could have a photographer there to take pictures of them. Instead of sending out a thank you card you could send them the picture with a signed note from the couple on the back. Much more heartfelt than a thank you card I feel.
When you come in the door you could have a collage type collection of photographs of the wedding party. When they were younger, with the bride, with the groom, even with the couple. Don’t let them know your doing this and surprise them. They’ll probably be embarrassed at the start but they’ll realize then that your just showing them how much their participation in the event means to you.

By the guest book you could have a photo frame of the happy couple as children and through their relationship and if it’s possible maybe even a photo of the married couple! If you feel there’s too many photo’s why not have a photo wall? Maybe hang a bit of chicken wire up on a wall, (securely with no bits hanging out. You don’t want anybody getting hurt!) and get nice pegs and hang them up that way. Around them you could put pictures of the family members that are married on their wedding day. Have a Mr side and a Mr’s side where they meet in the middle. Very personal touch that makes every family member feel involved. If you don’t want those pictures up all night you could do a slideshow instead. Maybe even involve some videos if there are any. You could play it before the speeches.

4.Shine a Light
Want to honor someone close who you lost? Why not do it though sky lanterns? Now with their Eco-friendliness, they’re the perfect way to remember a loved one. (Make sure to tell the local fire brigade that your releasing them. Safety first! They can be on the lookout for them on the day.) They’re cheap and very touching.

These are just some of the many personal touches you can add to your wedding.

[Image by Stephen Brace. Sourced via Flickr Creative Commons Images]

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Project 51 – Irish Designers Wedding Showcase

Ciara Crossan — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:21:34 +0000

I’m always happy to support Irish designers so I’m thrilled to share with you the first ever wedding showcase event at Project 51! Located in an 19th Century Georgian building, Project 51 is a modern style store stocking the very best in high-end Irish design including fashion, jewellery, millinery, and accessories.

From now until February 28th 2012 Project 51 will showcase their stylish wedding collections from their coveted designers in a unique exhibition that will inspire brides and grooms alike.

The showcase is made up of designers from the Project 51 collaborative as well as unique wedding suppliers ranging from flowers to cakes and stationery to event planning and has something to suit every member of the wedding party and every type of wedding.

Project 51’s own fashion forward designers exhibiting include Caiomhe Keane (QUE-VA), Jennifer Rothwell and Clare O’Connor. The creations of these innovative fashion designers conjure up images of romance and lace, modern style with vintage flair and sparkling couture gowns. The collectives jewellery designers exhibiting engagement rings, wedding jewellery and commitment rings include Eoin McDonnell, Yvonne Ryan, Ruby Jewels and Eily O’ Connell.

Martha Lynn who is also a member of Project 51 will exhibit her stunning hats; perfect for those ever sought after statement pieces.

Collectively this stylish exhibition will inpire brides and grooms while giving them a chance to talk directly to the designers in a relaxed friendly atmosphere.

Price points:

Weddings dresses from €875
Mens suits from €550
Hats from €265
Jewellery from €45

Project 51’s Wedding Showcase runs from now until Feb 28th. Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 7pm.

Call 01- 679 5551 to book an appointment or email info@project51.ie Project 51, South William St. Dublin 1. http://www.project51.ie/

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10 Wedding Planning Apps To Make Your Day Awesome

ClaireB — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:31:40 +0000

It is engagement season! The rock lands on your finger and then, where to then?

We have done the research for you. Download these 10 applications today and start planning your big day. If you keep track of all your information from day one, the entire process can run smoothly!

1. The General Organiser Tool

iWedding Deluxe is an overall planner that will keep all your information in one central place. It is advisable to use this as your primary planning tool.

2. The Budget Tool

No good wedding can happen without a budget being set from day 1. Wedding Budget allows you to track every financial aspect of the wedding.

3. The Gift Registry Tool

You know what you want and need to set your home up. Wedding Scan allows you to scan any item’s barcode or take an image of it and then add a description so that your guests can easily get that perfect gift for you.

4. The Inspiration Tool

At the start of the process you will have hundreds of ideas running through your mind. It will take a while before things settle into place and you have a fixed idea of what you want and how everything comes together. Wedding Row gives you a central place to gather all your ideas so that you can visualise how everything is coming together.

5. The Celebrity Inspiration Tool

Mindy Weiss has planned some of the largest celebrity weddings out there. The feathers in her cap hold really spectacular names. The Mindy Weiss app will inspire and delight you with ideas as you plan your own big day.

6. The Dress Tool

iBridalGown has been designed by a bridal gown salon owner so you can be sure that it will lead you through every step of the process seamlessly (no pun intended).

7. The Music Planning Tool

Music can be tricky to plan for the big day because everyone has such varied taste. Get your friends and family involved: use The Fun Wedding app to keep track of all your songs and all the music from the ones you love who will be sharing your big day.

8. The Flower Tool

Wedding Flowers Moodboard allows you to match different styles and colours to create the perfect bouquets.

9. The Venue Tool

Wedding Dates have the best venue search tool. It is interactive and you will be able to see availability immediately. The venue is one of the most important factors in the day. It sets the tone, it creates the mood. It will form the foundation of all the memories you make that day! Choose well is what our team reckons.

10. The Google Tool

Who would know but Google is even part of the wedding movement! For those who prefer working on a computer or laptop for all your planning activities, check out Google’s tips on using their tools for wedding plans.

Do you use any other tools? Tell us about them in the comments.

{Image courtesy of William Marlow, sourced via Creative Commons within Flickr.}

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Trash The Dress: Some Inspiration For How To

ClaireB — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:00:36 +0000

Courtney over at Chronicles of Courtney shares a few images to get you started. And then, the tumblr blog: ‘Trash The Dress’ dedicated just to dress trashing shares a few more.

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Coming up – Bridal Gowns from Coast

Outi — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:23:41 +0000

The occasionwear specialist Coast launches their first capsule collection of bridal gowns, and the dresses are fabulous! Coast is dedicated creating and providing designed quality garments for the special times in our lives, and now is the time for weddings! If you are looking for an affordable and different gown for your Big Day, you should take a look for this collection where seasons trends are translated into timeless styles..

There are various dresses to take for example to weddings abroad, maxi dresses for beach ceremony or simple dresses for a smaller celebration or civil ceremony. Delicate tulle style with a fairytale skirts are for romantic brides and a fluid asymmetric gowns with soft pleats for the contemporary brides.. What ever suits you the best.

If you would like to have a big train in the ceremony, you are likely to run into problems later with walking, mingling and especially with dancing! In this kind of situations you may want to have two dresses, which obviously takes a part from your wedding budget – Prices for Coast bridal gowns starts from less than €400, so they are pretty affordable for wedding dresses! The collection will be available in selected stores and online from end of March 2011, find more information about Coast from here!

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URGENT APPEAL – DRESSES NEEDED!

Ciara Crossan — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:41:07 +0000

I’m a great supporter of Buy My Dress, an initiative by the Down Syndrome Centre to raise much needed funds. The concept is, you can donate any dress you no longer wear and they will sell it online and the proceeds go to help children with Down Syndrome all over Ireland. When they dropped me a line this week, of course I was delighted to spread the word for them about their urgent appeal for more dresses!

You can also log on to www.buymydressonline.ie to browse their selection of bridesmaids and wedding dresses. I spotted these beauties and if you were watching the Golden Globes this week, you will have noticed that Emerald Green is a trend on the red carpet this year:

Buy My Dress online has been up and running successfully now for 5 months – how time flies when you are surrounded by fabulous frocks!! But we are now a victim of our own success and find ourselves running a tad low on stock! So, it’s time to take action!

Each week we love being able upload new dresses to our Friday Frocks section and we know you love seeing our latest gems. So, we would urge you to please throw open your closet THIS WEEKEND (it’s practically spring after all!) and choose one dress (or more!) that you know, while still fabulous, you will never wear again!

We accept all types of dresses from casual to glamorous, office wear to bridal, so if you have one to donate please, please send it on! We are also looking for children’s dresses, so pack up those little ones that no longer fit and put a smile on another child’s face, all the while helping raise funds for Down Syndrome Centre.

Many women are opting for previously worn wedding dresses now and this is a great way to not only save money but also be eco-friendly! Here are a couple of the wedding dresses which you can buy on Buy My Dress:

After your wedding, to donate your dress, simply mark your envelope FREEPOST and send it to: Buy My Dress, 62/63 Lower Mounttown Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. PLEASE ENSURE ALL DRESSES ARE CLEAN AND IN GOOD CONDITION!!! Check out www.buymydressonline.ie for these and other dresses to buy!

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Eco-Chic Wedding Dresses

Ciara Crossan — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:30:49 +0000

We are hearing about Eco-chic more and more on the wedding scene as many brides are looking to wear a wedding dress made from organic fabrics

New on the Eco Wedding Dress scene in Ireland is QUE-VA Sustainable & Bespoke Irish Bridal Designs, which is run by Caiomhe Keane, an independent Irish designer based in Dublin. Her creations incorporate her commitment to social and environmental responsibility in her designs providing beautifully designed and crafted womanswear for the mid to high end market, specializing in bridal, evening and formal wear.

Her whimsical & romantic timeless creations with chic cutting edge style are well suited to today’s upwardly mobile modern woman. Caiomhe’s bespoke couture inspired bridal designs are created using organic and hemp silks, reincarnated materials such as recycled cashmere, vintage trims and hand dyed silks withribbons, lace, crystals and hand painted embellishments.

Her forthcoming 2011 green bridal collection is made entirely of organic silks,recycled materials, hemp blends, organic cottons and linen, soy silks with ecofriendly trims and embellishments. Fabulous full gowns with a 1950′s flair full layered organic silk taffeta skirts withlace and hand embellished details, fitted contrasting flirtatious bustiers andcorsets, timeless classic 1940′s inspired figure hugging silhouettes, one shoulderpieces, Grecian goddess styles with metallic gold and silver motifs and tea dresslengths for more casual and less traditional bride. With complimentary floorlength lace and tull coats, baleros and shawls.

Caiomhe works from her studio ATELIER on the top floor at 29 Wicklow street, Dublin 2 and will be launching her designer retail showrooms on the 2nd floor soon. In the meantime, she is available by appointment on 087 903 4796.

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Waterside Wedding Venue showcases Gorgeous Gowns

Ciara Crossan — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:22:31 +0000

As we are ranking #1 on google for “unusual wedding hotels” and “civil ceremony wedding venues” we know that alot of people who use WeddingDates.ie are looking for something that big “different” for their own wedding. We are seeing alot of enquiries come through for unusual, boutique type venues and of course for people who don’t want the traditional big Irish wedding, the demand for civil ceremony venues are on the rise.

One of our unusual, boutique venues is Aqua Restaurant which is situated on the end of Howth Pier. With panoramic views sweeping over Ireland’s Eye and Portmarnock Strand, Aqua Restaurant is a very popular venue for weddings as it offers unique photo opportunities.

Last month, Aqua hosted wedding dress designer Kathy de Stafford’s upcoming show and they send us some of the evidence so you can drool over the gorgeous gowns they had on display!

As Aqua Restaurant is so well known for its great food, they hosted a “Bridal Brunch” on Saturday October 9th. Delicious canapés were served with champagne while guests enjoyed some light entertainment from Pat Collins of the Café Orchestra.

Karen Coster from Xposé was compere for the day and brought along her TV3 camera crew. Rosanna Davison led the models who wore stunning gowns from Pronovias, Pepe Bottella and Rosa Clara to name but a few! Kathy’s collection was absolutely stunning and no doubt gave our brides plenty of inspiration!

Whatever your wedding style, Aqua Restaurant offers tailor made packages to suit every taste, as well as guaranteeing fantastic photo opportunities. Check availability for your big day and make enquiries for this Waterside Dublin Wedding Venue here >>

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Bridal Fashion Event: Hotel Meyrick, Galway

Ciara Crossan — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:26:13 +0000

One of my favourite Galway wedding hotels, Hotel Meyrick will be hosting a bridal fashion event on 8th October with Myrtle Ivory Bridal Couture. Stephanie Allin, who designed Amy Hubermann’s dress, will be previewing her 2011 collection (her only Irish show) and Ines de Santos will also showcase a stunning selection of dresses along with beautiful accessories from Myrtle Ivory Couture and makeup/hair demonstrations.

It will be an evening event, held is the Connemara Suite with antique chandeliers adding that aura of magic and romance. Tickets are €10 and include a wine and canapés reception, fashion show and demonstrations. All proceeds will go to COPE – Women’s Refuge Centre Galway. Tickets are only €10 – email fashion@hotelmeyrick.ie to snag some today!

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Buy your Wedding Dress Online & Help Charity!

Ciara Crossan — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:18:21 +0000

Following on from the phenomenal success of the Buy My Dress events in Dublin, Cork and Galway, I was delighted to get an email this week from Down Syndrome Centre letting me know that they had no gone online and were open for business all year round!

BMD Online allows you to browse and buy evening wear and bridal dresses, at reasonable prices, from the comfort of your own home…..all while helping a really worthy charity!

With dresses ranging from brand new to vintage you are guaranteed to grab yourself an amazing bargain! New dresses are added every week and they only sell dresses that are in excellent condition (i.e barely worn) with many boutiques and designers donating stock on a regular basis – labels include Ted Baker, Karen Millen, Monsoon, John Rocca, Hoss, Penny Black, as well as high street favourites. Bridal dresses cost between €20 – €150!

Already have your wedding dress? Then you can still support the site by donating a dress…they do daywear, evening wear, and kids…so plenty of opportunities! And make sure to tell all your girlfriends, aunts, cousins, your mum to donate too. To donate, simply mark your envelope FREEPOST and send it to; Buy My Dress, 62/63 Mouttown House, Lower Mounttown Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, or drop it into our offices at the same address.

What are you waiting for?! Check out the website now!! http://www.buymydressonline.ie/

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