The Sugahfix gals were settled down in our jammies with a smorgasbord of sugary treats to watch X Factor on Saturday night (yes we lead incredibly glam lives!) and we were stopped in our tracks when the gorgeous Cheryl Cole emerged in a stunning one shoulder dress and a gorgeous headpiece that looked alarmingly like a bridal headpiece by local lass Catherine B.

Actually the whole look was alarmingly like a look that Sugahfix Ed Katrina had styled for a make-up shoot for Make-up Artist Michelle Shaw (pictured left). 

Had the stylists of the X factor been browsing Michelle's website perhaps? We'll never know but if you'd like to steal Cheryl's style - then a headpiece from Catherine B has got to be top of your wish list and some make-up tips from Michelle will have you X factor fabulous in the flutter of Cheryl's lashes.

"Cheryl's make-up was absolutely stunning - her skin was flawless and her lips beautiful cherry red," says award winning make-up artist Michelle Shaw.  "For flawless skin I recommend Clinique super balance foundation with Clinique transparency loose powder over it as I used for Style Academy model Tatianna's make-up look (pictured left).

Cheryl's eyes had golden tones on the eyelids, Mac eye shadows Era and Copperplate are great for this, use Era from lash to brow and put Copperplate into socket line and underneath your eye. Fill in your inner eye with black eyeliner, put Dior Show in black mascara on both top and bottom lashes for extra definition add false eyelashes from the Girls Aloud eye lure range, Cheryl Cole look lashes of course!

For the beautiful cherry red lips, Lola lip sheer in Torch with a dab of cherry red lip gloss from Korres completes the look"

Make-up by Michelle Shaw. Photographer Jim Crone, model Tatianna @StyleAcademy, Hair by Dyanne Victoria @ weddinghairni.com , Head piece by Catherine B @catherineb-designs.com Styling by Katrina Doran @ Sugahfix.com, Dress by Jenny Packham from Blush.

By Katrina Doran

Oscar de la Renta representatives are bound for Ireland during their Trunk Show tour of some of the most fashionable cities in the world, including London, Barcelona and Madrid.

For three days from November 19th - 21st appointments will be offered by high-end bridal boutique Willow Moon, Linen Green, Moygashel for the Oscar de la Renta 2010 bridal collection.

His bridal designs have been worn by star of the moment, Katherine Heigl during her 2008 nuptials and Jenna Bush, daughter of President George Bush.

Oscar de le Renta dresses also had two stand out starring roles in every fashionistas fave Sex and the City. In the "The Ick Factor' episode in series 6 Aleksander Petrovsky gives Carrie a dress that she had been swooning over in Vogue - a gift from his ‘friend Oscar'! (pictured below left). And who can forget the stunning Oscar del la Renta gown worn by Carrie in the Vogue wedding shoot scene (pictured below right) in Sex and the City the movie!

Now, fashionista brides-to-be in Northern Ireland can come over all Carrie as Oscar de la Renta is exclusively available at Willow Moon.

The Oscar de la Renta team will be on hand to offer style advice and an expert fitting service not to mention a viewing of their best sellers, giving brides the chance to try the first Oscar de la Renta gowns to arrive in Ireland.

To book an exclusive trunk show appointment, please contact Willow Moon on +44(0)28 87729249.

By Katrina Doran

With our inclement weather you can never be sure your wedding day will be swelteringly sunny or cloudy and cold but coming into winter it would be wise - and not to mention fabulous - to have cosy and utterly gorgeous cape or shrug for an autumn/winter wedding.

The Marabou ‘Prague' cape by Sasso Bride (pictured left) is soft and sumptuous so it falls beautifully across the shoulders and sits elegantly over your gown.

Check out the stockist link at www.sassobride.com to find a bridal boutique near you.

The stress of planning a wedding can really take the wonder and excitement out of such a special event, especially when there is a strict budget to keep to.

That's why How to Books have published the essential, handbag size, checklist that will keep your head together and save you hundreds if not thousands of pounds.

Your Pocket Wedding Planner by Elizabeth Catherine Myers will help you prepare for a wedding that is both economical and fun.

Using her skills as a professional wedding planner, Myers holds the bride's hand through every stage of the preparation, from the stag and hen do to the DJ and Disco, telling her what questions to ask each supplier and giving cost cutting tips along the way.

Myers comments, "Very often the bride is put in charge of organising what is a really big event with no previous experience in event management. It can be a daunting task. The checklists in this book make it an invaluable companion for any bride-to-be and allow them to enjoy being the wedding planner of their own big day."

Your Pocket Wedding Planner is available at £5.99 in major bookshops and online retailers across the country.

Celebrity wedding planners Ant & Dick (pictured left with Mylene Class) are encouraging brides and grooms to get the skeletons out of the closet before spending huge amounts of money on nuptials.

One half of the bridal duo, Anthony Miller (AKA Ant) said: "It seems that we should be asking the question, do we really know our partners?

"Many people get married in a whirlwind of romance, and get caught up in the ‘Wedding Day', but lose sight of what the marriage entails. We have seen a few couples break up quickly after getting married through nothing more than realising that they were incompatible."

Just this week 27-year-old Haylie Hocking from Bristol cancelled her church wedding after discovering her personal trainer fiancé was a porn star.

The bride-to-be spent thousands on her dream wedding to Jason Brake, 30, but called it off after a friend spotted her other half in a porn film.

Richard Jones (AKA Dick) said: "Relationships aren't just for Christmas or indeed the wedding day and not only do they include the rest of your future but they also include your past.

"It is silly to think that secrets from the past will remain in the past, there will always be someone who spills the beans either accidentally or on purpose. Be honest with your other half now before its too late."

Anthony added: "When spending on weddings is still strong, and couples are even borrowing to pay for them, then surely coming clean about your past if only to make sure it does not ruin the future, is the first priority.

"Most people have made mistakes and have done things in the past they now regret, so we all have the ability to forgive past mistakes especially if it's now all over.

"Let's just hope he was not trying to pay for a large wedding with his earnings from the porn industry."

Ant and Dick will be hosting this year's Wedding Extravaganza Show at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast from September 4-6. For more information log onto www.weddingextravaganza.co.uk , www.antanddick.com .

Blush bridal boutique has once again launched the competition to find the Face of Blush 2010.

Louise Barr from Fermanagh was ecstatic to win the 2009 title and has enjoyed her year so far as the Face of Blush, starring in a fabulous photo shoot (pictured left and featured on Sugahfix.com) appearing in numerous magazines in Blush's advertising campaign and interviews, telling her story of how she came to be the Face of Blush 2009. "It was the only time I would ever get to be a model for the day; it was so much fun and has really added to the whole experience of getting married and preparing for our big day. It's been fantastic!" stated Louise.

This time round, Blush has decided to add an extra element to the extravagant prize package for 2010, already consisting of the winner's pre-ordered bridal gown, a mother-of-the-bride outfit and a photo-shoot with a top fashion photographer including hair and make up; by introducing luxurious wedding cars as part of the winning package, ensuring the bride and groom are chauffeured in style on their wedding day.

Owner of the boutique, Aileen Wilson was so overwhelmed with the success of the first campaign to find a real bride; "We had a huge number of entries from across Ireland for Face of Blush 2009 - from as far away as Tipperary, and we found our real bride in Louise, who just encompassed everything that Blush was about. This year, we are extending our search even further across the board, and are encouraging every bride to be to enter - the prize package is just fantastic, so we are hoping for an even greater response this year."

Aileen explains why Blush is looking for a 'real' bride; "You don't have to be model material to get through to the final stages, we look for glowing brides who just beam with happiness and have the right spirit for our campaign, which is what the Blush ethos is all about."

  To be in with the chance of becoming the Face of Blush, simply call in to Blush Boutique on the Lisburn Road or visit the website at www.blushboutique.co.uk . Entrants must be real brides, getting married within the next year. Closing date is 31st October 2009.

Click here t o view more images from Louises photoshoot as the Face of Blush 2009.

By Natalie Scalora.

Whilst strolling along a vibrant Lisburn Road last weekend, I noticed a new addition to the shops in the shape of Clydesdale and Morrow - a pristine space specializing in artisan cheeses sourced from all over Europe.

Frequented by smartly dressed BT9ers, the store's staff are approachable and friendly, offering tasty morsels and doling out advice to shoppers on their forays into fromage. What drew me into the store was a cheery sign sitting on the pavement advertising cheese wedding cakes. And to prove it, in the window sat a sumptuous looking wedding cake made entirely from cheese.

Five tiers high, each a different type of cheese; the cake was decorated with fresh fruit, on this particular day it was grapes, figs and ruby red strawberries. Topped with ribbon and fresh flowers, the cake looked decadent and mouth watering. Upon further enquiry I found that Clydesdale and Morrow offers a complete service from initial consultation, design and decoration right through to delivery.

This kind of service really struck a chord recently with a friend of mine planning her own nuptials. Having found the guest list so overwhelming, the happy couple decided to have a cheese wedding cake, served on the arrival of additional guests to the wedding party after dinner and pudding had been served.

The result was a merry meeting of friends and family over delicious platters of cheese with plenty of wine, matched perfectly to each type of cheese that lasted well into the early hours of the morning. In fact, it is probably one of the most memorable weddings I've ever attended.

According to store manager Antoinette Morrow, this kind of trend is becoming more and more popular: ‘For people who are really into food and want to do something a little bit different its very appealing because you can cater for your guests during the meal and then later on for any evening guests added to the wedding party. It's been popular and there is such a range of cheeses to choose from that people will find something that takes their fancy.'

She goes on to highlight a shift in the wedding market away from traditional fruit cakes, to more modern tastes: ‘Up until a few years ago, I don't think anyone would have even thought of a cheese wedding cake, but it is becoming more popular. A lot of people would come in and say that a sweet, rich fruitcake is a bit old fashioned and they're looking for something a little bit more modern.' So as this trend continues to grow, modern brides everywhere will be able to have their cake, and eat it too!

Clydesdale & Morrow, 581 Lisburn Road, Belfast. Tel:028 90 662790
  Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Face of Blush has been unveiled! Lucky bride-to-be Louise Barr, from Fermanagh fought off her bridal competition to be crowned the Face of Blush 2009. Louise, who marries fiancé Lewis McMaster in September, is the deserved winner of up to £5000 worth of wedding wonders including her bridal gown, and a fabulous photo shoot.

Owner Aileen Wilson, who founded Blush in 2005, said: "I am delighted for Louise! Her face is perfect for our advertising campaign in 2009. She is an absolutely gorgeous girl, but on top of that she has a wonderful personality and just beams happiness, which is exactly what we are looking for in a Blush bride."

"Louise has chosen a unique dress in the Complice by Stalo Theodorou so will look stunning on her photo shoot. For the campaign she will also be wearing designs by Jenny Packham, David Fielden and Romona Keveza."

The Blush panel were overwhelmed with the response from the competition with hundreds of entries flooding in from Tipperary to Belfast. So much so, that owner Aileen has decided to bring the competition back this spring, and will set out to find the Face of Blush 2010. "Finding Louise for the Face of Blush 2009 has been fantastic, and we only hope to find someone as great for next year. We'll launch our competition in April 2009 and hopefully we'll get an even bigger response."

Meanwhile, Louise will continue to live out the rest of 2009 as the Face of Blush, and her advertising campaign will be appearing across the city soon.

Brides-to-be who are interested in becoming the Face of Blush 2010 should contact the boutique for further details on Tel - 02890661101.

Blush boutique, 166 Lisburn Road, Belfast. Tel 028 90661101
blushboutique.co.uk 

We all love to swoon over gorgeous photographs of stunning models looking winsome and glamorous, particularly for bridal photoshoots which tend to up the fabulous factor, but there's a lot more that goes on behind the scenes to create these beautiful photographs with a team including session hairstylist Zara Cox and make-up artist Christine Lucignano and 20 of the most exclusive designer dresses available in Ireland from labels like Badgley Mischka, Marchesa, Karl Lagerfeld and Carolina Herrera.

High-end, luxury bridal boutique Willow Moon which recently opened in the Linen Green, Dungannon, allows us a sneak peek behind-the-scenes footage of their fabulous photo shoot for the Sunday Independent's magazine Sunday Life (published 4th January 2009).

Photography by Christian Immann. Shot on location at Russborough House, County Wicklow.

Photocation: Top - The team on set at Russborough House. Left - the final image captured by photographer Christian Immann.

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Boutique wedding fayre company ‘Love Bridal Fayres' launched this week with details of their first fayre on Sunday 8 March, at one of Donegal's most loved wedding venues, the Ballyliffin Hotel.

The first event will feature a wide range of fabulous exhibits from top wedding professionals offering the latest ideas in wedding planning. The Ballyliffin Hotel's Wedding Co-ordinator will also be on hand to meet any couple wishing to discuss their wedding requirements or to check available dates.

The show places a strong emphasis on showcasing the best of what is on offer for couples both locally and throughout Ireland. Guests will also be treated to two bridal fashion shows which will highlight the latest trends in bridal, formalwear and floral design.

The Love Bridal Fayres' team will stage a special pampering evening on Thursday 19 March, at Gort Na Drum House where brides-to-be will be lavished with luxury bridal treats.

Love Bridal Fayre on Sunday 8 March, at Ballyliffin Hotel runs between 2pm and 6pm, with occasion and bridalwear catwalk shows at 3pm and 5pm. For more information please contact Alison on +353 868 642 712 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Photo caption: Libby silk satin bridal shoes by Rainbow Club