Every Glossy Detail From The Wedding Salon At The Merrion

An annual highlight in THE GLOSS events calendar …

Hosted on behalf of THE GLOSS and The Merrion by wedding and event planner Tara Fay, in association with Hyundai, the event always delivers a tasteful mix of inspiration and information from a panel of experts, and a memorable afternoon. Brides, bridesmaids and sisters, friends, aunts and mothers-of-the bride attended The Garden Room at The Merrion to hear the latest in wedding trends, with advice and insights from those at the forefront of all things bridal. From start to finish, the excited atmosphere did not dissipate.

As a pre-lunch cremant was served, Tara Fay welcomed guests to a special afternoon and shared some sage words of advice: “Figure out you want your wedding to look like, how you want to feel on your wedding day. If you were to close your eyes, who are the people that you want standing around you? That’s the best way to start planning your wedding.”

The first guest speaker was consultant dermatologist at Blackrock Clinic, Dr Rosemary Coleman. With 34 years’ clinical experience in dermatology, specialising in aesthetic and restorative dermatology, Dr Coleman is the authority on skincare and skin health. She and her team of experienced nurses specialise in restoring what age takes from us and maintaining a very natural appearance. The audience listened intently to what she had to say, some even took notes when she spoke about her favourite products and treatments.

Dr Coleman takes a refreshing approach to a pre-wedding routine. Her number one piece of advice? Everyone should be wearing SPF every day without fail, and reapplying more often than you think. For brides in the early planning stages, Dr Coleman says don’t leave it until a month before your wedding to think about your skin goals – particularly if you have specific skin concerns like rosacea or acne. “We want to work on skin health first and address any issues, then when that job’s done we look to see if there’s anything aesthetically that you can benefit from.” In terms of pre-wedding treatments, Clear + Brilliant is very popular among brides, but be sure to speak to your dermatologist about timings.

Next, Tara was joined by the brilliant Brown Sugar team: make-up artist Dearbhla Keenan and hairstylist Christian Shannon, who discussed everything brides need to know about choosing their glam squad. Dearbhla and Christian, who have a wealth of experience doing wedding make-up and hair, advised on the importance of timing your trial: hold off until three months before the big day.

The team emphasised making a well-timed plan for the wedding day, with bride and mother of the bride the priority. Tara advised that you should work backwards from the time you need to leave your getting ready venue to establish what time you should start hair and make-up. Don’t start any earlier than 8am, she says. “If you have a larger bridal party, consider hiring additional hair and make-up artists rather than starting too early.”

Dearbhla spoke about the dos and don’ts of fake tanning, and why she always prefers individual lashes instead of any strips or semi-permanent options for brides. While Christian demonstrated a sleek twisted bun complete with hair jewels on model Vanessa, he advised: “A lot of brides want their hair down, but think about your dress and silhouette – sometimes an up ‘do is the best thing you can do.”

Before guests enjoyed a lunch of cured organic Irish salmon with avocado purée, radish, pink grapefruit and coriander cress; cornfed Irish Chicken Supreme with pomme fondant, charred baby gem, crispy pancetta, sweetcorn purée and red pepper salsa, Tara welcomed The Merrion Executive Chef Ed Cooney. Ed spoke to guests about the process of choosing your wedding menu and why you should put your trust in the experts: “My job is to guide, help and suggest. Ask all of the questions that you want – you don’t organise a wedding every day of the week, we do! We’re the professionals, so please ask any question.”

Tara added: “There’s no such thing as a stupid question. Don’t ever feel that you can’t ask about something or ask for something because it’s only by asking that you’re going to understand how it works. You’re not supposed to know how a kitchen works when you’re serving a meal for 50 to 250 people. So always ask the stupid question, even if you’re embarrassed about it.”

After lunch, Tara was joined by fashion designer Sharon Hoey. One of Ireland’s best-known designers, Sharon’s Merrion Street bridal boutique is the exclusive stockist of beautiful wedding dresses from Suzanne Neville and Temperley London, as well as her own stunning creations. To the delight of attendees, Sharon introduced three beautiful gowns modelled by Sarah Morrissey, Vanessa O’Connell and Yomiko Chen.

From an elegant fitted satin dress with a breathtaking lace overlay by Suzanne Neville to a divine drop-waist ballgown and a crepe fitted dress with a detachable train by Sharon Hoey, these dresses were chosen to be the starting point for a discussion about choosing the right wedding dress. “We encourage everyone to be open-minded and try on a few styles to begin with. You may have an idea in your head, but it may not suit you. We will have an alternative that works with your shape.” Don’t overwhelm yourself by travelling up and down the country visiting bridal boutiques, says Sharon.

For Suzanne Neville gowns, nine to twelve months is the ideal timeframe to order. For a bespoke Sharon Hoey gown, Sharon works with every single bride herself, from sketches to design to fittings, meaning she only has capacity to take on two per month, so it’s best to get in touch nine months before your big day. Sharon’s word of advice to brides? “You need three pairs of shoes for your wedding day – you will not last a full day in one pair of shoes.”

Many in the audience admired the elegant champagne AndTate dress with detachable shawl Sharon wore, which she revealed she had designed for her own son’s wedding the previous week! Models Sarah, Vanessa and Yomiko then showcased beautiful mother of the bride and groom options from the AndTate range, available in Sharon’s boutique, as well as in Arnotts and Brown Thomas Cork. AndTate is known for its versatile separates, the red Delaney top with red Dahlia skirt was a firm favourite, as was the navy Eden top and Erin skirt, worn with a navy pillbox hat by Catherine Cooke and a satin clutch by August Night.

Next it was time to discuss the all-important wedding flowers. Tara was joined by Mark Grehan of The Garden to discuss trends, budgets and refining your style. Mark advised brides to have an initial consultation with your florist about six months out from the wedding to get a handle on expectations versus costs. “We’re overstimulated by all of the images we see online. You might want a huge floral arch, but it could cost €10,000, so that first conversation is really important to iron all the details out.” He also noted that the cost of flowers has risen 25 per cent since Covid, so budgets may not stretch as far now. Focus on what’s important to you, often that’s the dining tables as it’s where your guests will spend most of their time. Mark showcased four spectacular bridal bouquets and discussed current favourites – large calla lilies are very popular right now – and the importance of opting for seasonal blooms.

Instead of dessert, The Merrion organised a cake tasting for guests with Pastry Chef Paul Kelly providing valuable tips on choosing your wedding cake. Paul’s favourite is chocolate biscuit cake, but he acknowledged that buttercream still rules and multi-tiered cakes with classic piping are proving popular again this year.

Before the event concluded, one very lucky winner – who attended the lunch with her bridesmaids – won a prize of a stunning pair of elegant Akoya pearl and diamond earrings, worth €1,495 from Appleby Jewellers.

Over coffee, guests addressed their questions to Tara on all matter of wedding topics from music, photographers, rehearsals and where to prioritise budget, before everyone departed with a goodie bag including The Merrion Chocolates, a bridal beauty gift from Elie Saab Fragrances, muslin cloths from Dr Rosemary Coleman’s Skin Store and a beautiful peony bouquet by Flowers.ie.

Click into the gallery to see the guests who attended.