Glossip: Find Out Every Detail From The Wedding Salon at The Merrion

A joyful and elegant bridal event was hosted by Tara Fay on behalf of THE GLOSS and The Merrion. See every detail …

The Wedding Salon at The Merrion is an annual highlight in THE GLOSS Magazine’s events calendar. Hosted on behalf of THE GLOSS and The Merrion by wedding planner Tara Fay, the event always delivers a tasteful mix of inspiration and information from a panel of experts, and a memorable afternoon. On Sunday March 23, 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 and absorb excellent 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, expert wedding and event planner Tara Fay welcomed guests to the very special event before introducing the first guest speaker, consultant dermatologist at the Blackrock Clinic, Dr Rosemary Coleman.

Dr Coleman takes a refreshing approach to a pre-wedding routine. Don’t undertake any new regimes, treatments or tweakments in the weeks before the wedding, she advises. Wear SPF and more SPF, she instilled, before recommending a few super-effective treatments for brides and mothers of the bride, which were assiduously noted. The most impressive product that has come onto her radar this year is The Skin Diary’s Night Repair Therapy, created by Professor Chris Griffiths OBE and Dr Tamara Griffiths, which she particularly recommends for mature skin. With 34 years’ clinical experience in Dermatology specialising in aesthetic and restorative dermatology, Rosemary 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.

Make-up artist Christine Lucignano and hair stylist David Cashman delivered an entertaining session on booking the “glam squad” for your wedding day, and how to start planning make-up and hair trials. “Don’t speed date make-up artists! Contact a make-up artist whose portfolio you like and have an initial call to see if you gel with them,” Christine explained. “Then have your trial – hair and make-up on the same day, where possible – two months before the wedding.” Be sure to take pictures after your trial to note what you like and don’t like, and be aware of how it lasts throughout the day. Top tip: If your photographer will be using flash photography, or providing your wedding photos in black and white, it’s worth taking some pictures on your phone with a ring light and using a black and white filter to ensure you are still happy with how your make-up looks. Beware the red lip! Christine says that in black and white photos red lipstick can just make your lips look grey.

Both Christine and David 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. But do not 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.”

Christine emphasised the importance of skin prep on the big day and urged brides to have a look in mind, but not to be swayed by trends: “Don’t go for a look that you wouldn’t normally wear.” And while she tends towards more neutral colour palettes (this season she says it’s all about the latte make-up look) if you must choose a smoky eye, be sure to use deeper shades of brown rather than blacks and greys which are much too harsh for most Irish complexions.

When it comes to choosing your hair style, David Cashman explained that it’s worth having some ideas in mind before your trial (and only once you have chosen your dress) but that he tends to “look to red carpet looks rather than typical bridal looks for inspiration.” David demonstrated a variety of looks on model Audrey, from soft brushed out curls to a half-up, half-down style with added volume at the crown to allow the veil to be positioned neatly. He explained that he often sees brides opting for one look for the ceremony and then changing it up for the reception, which would involve booking your glam team for additional hours so do consider if this is something you want to do so that you can factor it in in advance. One top tip from David was to always apply hairspray to your hairbrush, rather than directly onto the hair to avoid product build up in one place.

The final advice which Tara, Christine and David all agreed: “It’s not a green room! Don’t have too many people in the room while you are getting ready.” It should be a relaxed atmosphere for the bride to prepare for the day, with David saying he often takes the bride aside for touch ups and a few quiet moments before she puts on the dress so that she can decompress before leaving for the venue.

Some words of advice from Tara: “Have a wee before you get into the dress – and then have a nervous wee before you leave!” And bridesmaids: don’t forget the “go bag”. This needs to include all of the bride’s essentials for top-ups throughout the day, a lip colour, blotting powder (Christine recommends Fenty and Mac), hair slides and some safety pins.

Next on the programme, a session with 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 Sharon’s house model Rosalind Lipsett, and models Yomiko and Audrey.

From an elegant lace ballgown to a floral embroidered lace gown with a tulle cape, and a timeless drop-waist gown with mesh top and an ethereal blusher veil, 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.” Nine months is plenty of time to order a bespoke gown with Sharon Hoey, with the possibility to order six months in advance for ready-to-wear styles which will come in standard sizes but be fitted to your shape in final fittings.

On sizing, don’t assume you will lose weight (Sharon gets brides to sign their measurements) but if you do, it’s not a problem, Sharon’s focus is on making every bride look and feel her best. Sharon’s samples generally go up to a size 12, but they all contain long openings so that those above a size 12 can still try them on and get an idea of how they look before placing an order for a custom made dress. Sharon advised brides-to-be against bringing more than one style advisor with them on the day to fittings. “Choosing a dress should not be done by committee. It can be helpful to have someone that you trust with you for advice, but consider carefully who that is, and definitely do not bring more than two people.” It can be helpful to bring a pair of shoes or heels that you are comfortable in (both Tara and Sharon agreed that they love the trend for fun colourful heels peeking out from a gown!) and she advises full nude underwear rather than a thong. The final thing to note before an appointment at Sharon Hoey: do not under any circumstances wear fake tan!

Attendees were then treated to a salon showing of Sharon’s new Spring Summer 2025 AndTate fashion collection, which includes brilliant looks for wedding guests and mothers of the bride or groom who favour a classic, elegant and flattering look in a block colour.

A beautiful dress in silver satin with a custom wool lined shawl opened the presentation and a full-length geranium gown with black flower detail turned heads, but it was the two-piece sets that stole the show. A black blouse paired with a pink puffball skirt; a perfectly fitted chartreuse green top and skirt; a sky blue blouse with an organza skirt, christened “THE GLOSS” look, with a pillbox hat by Catherine Cooke. Earrings were by Melissa Curry and clutch bags by August Night. This is occasionwear that is beautifully adaptable, a bride’s simple dress for Day Two, a wonderful ensemble for a dinner or the races. You can make an appointment to view the AndTate collection (sizes 6-16) at Sharon Hoey, 6 Merrion Street Lower, Dublin 2, where Sharon’s team will tweak each piece to fit perfectly. The collection is also stocked at Arnotts, Kalu in Naas, and MacBees in Killarney, among others (each store offers an exclusive edit).

Click into the gallery below to see all of the Sharon Hoey Bridal and And Tate fashion from the event.

As the main course was served, Executive Chef Ed Cooney spoke to guests about choosing a wedding menu, planning menu tastings, and what to expect. Working with the venue’s culinary team to trial menus before the wedding day should be a lovely experience, and one that is collaborative. Your chosen venue ought to make room for personal touches – a creative chef will be open to this bespoke approach, and a helpful venue will advise on catering for dietary requirements, those at The Merrion would certainly do so.

Instead of dessert, The Merrion organised a cake tasting for guests, with Pastry Chef Paul Kelly providing valuable tips on choosing the type of wedding cake. Note: Paul’s favourite is chocolate biscuit cake but he acknowledged that buttercream still rules. He says that dried or fresh flowers are much more practical and just as pretty as the decorated version, and won’t break the bank. He acknowledged that many couples don’t get a chance to serve their cake on the wedding night, but said that it’s a great idea to slice it up and bring it along to your Day Two celebrations.

There was a spectacular cake display by Creative Cakes, with examples ranging from a vintage-style four-tier ivory buttercream confection decorated with cherries to a five-tier showstopper with decorative flowers.

Over coffee, guests addressed their questions to Tara on all matter of wedding topics from music, photographers, rehearsals and Day Two events to stationery and wedding favours, before guests departed with a goodie bag including an Epitome Travel luggage tag, Lindt Chocolates, Kinvara Face Oil, Biologique Recherche facemasks from The Merrion Spa, Ren Skincare radiance cream, Fananciers from The Merrion, and armed with insider know how and inspiration.

Click into the gallery to see the guests who attended.