Brides-to-be and their teams gathered for a fun and fashionable day out at the first Team Bride Wedding Workshop in Donegal on Sunday 26th February.

Donegal Woman’s own Bridal expert Carina Monteith led the way as leader of the team, guiding Donegal brides through expert tutorials on all aspects of the big day.

The Shellbridge Suite of the Clanree Hotel was transformed into a sparkling scene of flowers and beautiful wedding displays by Ultimate Touches and Lisa at I Do Wow Weddings. Music was provided by Grainne Gavigan Music. Bridal parties enjoyed a reception of colourful cocktails and the chance to visit pop up shops to meet businesspeople in the wedding and beauty industry. They then sat down together for an afternoon of advice from social media stars and industry experts.

Click through the social diary slideshow here:

Makeup Artist Tara O’Farrell provided a full tutorial on getting the perfect bridal look. Guests got the best tips for softly glowing skin, nude lips and eye looks (waterproof liner for happy tears!).

One of the best pieces of advice Tara gave the brides-to-be was that a makeup trial was an absolute necessity. Your makeup artist wants your opinion, she said, and brides-to-be don’t have to worry about not seeming polite if they are not happy with their look.

Skin Expert (or nerd, as she calls herself) Jennifer Rock from theskinnerd.ie gave a hilarious lowdown on all the skin concerns women might face as they prep their skin for their weddings. For flawless photos, Jennifer said the years and months before a wedding day offer key opportunities for women to tackle issues from the inside and outside.

The Team Bride guests came away brimming with knowledge of chemicals, treatments and essential nutrients available to get beautiful skin for one of the most important days of their lives.

Brides got invaluable and honest advice from other wedding industry experts to prepare them for dealing with various suppliers. Speakers were Photographer Pamela Bloe, Patricia Mullen from Visodental, CreativeHands.ie founder Catriona Holt and Lisa Boyle from I Do WOW Weddings.

A sparkling afternoon tea was followed by a fashion show which gave brides, mothers, and guests plenty of inspiration as they plan ahead. The dresses and outfits from McElhinneys Bridal Rooms were a wonderful variety of styles, shapes and colours for all tastes and all ages. 

Click through the fashion show slideshow here:

Spot prizes, games, goody bags and social media kept all guests entertained as they sipped prosecco and shared wedding planning advice with each other. Team Bride’s first workshop was an ideal day for brides and their teams to sit back, sip prosecco and enjoy themselves as they prepare for their special days ahead.

Looking back on the sell-out event, organiser Carina Monteith told Donegal Woman: “The event went far beyond what I had envisioned. I was delighted with how it all came together and thanks to my partners the room looked amazing! Everyone seemed to enjoy the day and got some tips and tricks that they can use in everyday life aswell as during Wedding Planning. I learned so much myself and have lots of ideas already for the next event! Watch this space!”

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