Wedding Belles at St Columb’s Cathedral

The occasion will feature an array of top wedding designers and all things bridal, including a superb selection as chosen by Ciara Duddy, the local woman behind Beautiful Day Bridal Cottage in Greysteel.

With over a decade immersed in the intricacies of weddings, Ciara is well aware of the aspirations of brides-to-be when it comes to selecting the perfect dress!

“One thing that our designers always comment is how Irish brides are a bit more forward thinking when it comes to choosing their wedding dresses, and how the newer trends take off over here much faster than they do with brides across the water,” Ciara revealed.

“Derry women have always been known to very fashion conscious and it’s no surprise to me that local girls want to see what’s fresh from the catwalk. I love it when women enthusiastically embrace new trends rather than to play it ‘safe.’”

St Columb’s Cathedral will provide the magnificent backdrop for next week’s Wedding Fashion Showcase, focusing on local wedding designers and their creations – including a special raised catwalk along the length of its 400 year-old aisle for the occasion!

Ciara is delighted to be asked to play a part in the city’s first ever Fashion Fest, which is organised by Derry City Council’s Business Opportunities team, with support from Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund.

“We are really looking forward to showcasing some of our designer dresses at the fashion show,” she said. “We’ll be putting on a mixture of different styles to show a snippet of what we have in store and what are the big looks for 2015 and 2016 brides.

“I attend regular fashion shows to keep up with what our designers are bringing out. I go to view and select from each designer’s collections, always making sure I don’t skip any mid-season’s collection and get a good mix of different types of dresses.

“We work about a year ahead of ourselves in this industry, so it’s very important to keep up to date with all the key trends and move with them, as well as keeping some more traditional styles as part of the collection. I like to know that if I bride comes to my shop looking for something traditional and romantic that I have something perfect for her, as well as the bride who wants that something a little bit funky and unusual,” Ciara added.

Beautiful Day Bridal Cottage is one of many established bridal retailers lined up for the 21st November event, alongside Tomorrows Bridal Wear, Bridal Showroom, Bridal Elegance, Black Tie Showroom, Couture Bridal Accessories, The Closet, Fosters MOB and Occasion Wear and Esquire Menswear.

Admission to this event is only £5 which includes the magical catwalk show, special goodie bag, a champagne reception, not to mention entertainment by the Duke Special Gramophone Club and Ursula McHugh in the Bunker room, Sandwich Co, afterwards.

Adding to the fairytale feel of this specialised event will be an exclusive 60-minute collage of wedding music performed by gifted organist Kevin Bowyer. Naturally, audience members are invited to dress up for this special occasion in their own wedding guest attire.

Throughout the four day celebration Fashion Fest 2014 will bring top designers to the city as well as featuring an industry focus day and a two-day vintage fair in the city’s Cathedral Quarter – Portobello Road-style! A rich programme of workshops, fashion demos and exhibitions will also have the fashion conscious flocking to Derry.

For more information on the various events and opportunities arising for Fashion Fest 2014, and to book tickets, see: www.derrycity.gov.uk/fashionfest