So here goes… the beginning of my weekly blog.. there will not be a particular theme really just my general thoughts on the day to day happenings in the Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan and my thoughts on what is happening beyond the doors of our beautiful hotel.

As I am new to the role of Sales and Marketing Manager I thought I would mention what has most surprised me since I started in the hotel.

Without a shadow of a doubt it has been the food: I have to admit I am often described as being a tad dramatic but honestly I cannot describe in words how delicious dinner is every single day in the hotel.

From 12 o’clock until 2.30pm the smell that trickles though the door to the office is amazing. Prior to starting in the Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan, lunch was always a brown bread sandwich with a tiny scrape of mayo, chicken and salad (how exciting I know) but how things have changed. I now find myself being drawn to the extensive carvery. During my first week I said to myself I will only have it once a week until our very friendly chef informed me that there is actually very little if any salt used in the food and that it is actually a healthy option. So now…. I have not cooked dinner in almost five weeks as nothing I cook even begins to compare.

To make matters worse a guest told me two weeks ago that she had never tasted a

steak like the steak she had in the Avenue restaurant which opens Saturday evenings and for Sunday Brunch, so of course I had to try it and now

I am faced with a situation that while I write this on what is actually my day off my mind is drawn to the delicious steak in the Avenue restaurant.

How many people can say their mind is drawn to work for the right reasons!!! 

Until next week..take care and stayed tuned!!!

Majella 

Sales and Marketing Manager Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan

Debs Date

The Perfect Debs Date

I know you have heard this all before… but please listen to me…
If you are not in a relationship with a guy for at least a couple of months, it is not generally a good idea to bring him to your debs.

In an ideal situation, you already know who you want to bring to your debs and its your boyfriend you have been dating for a while and you know he is going to ensure you have a great Debs Night.

For everyone else, you need to be careful when choosing your debs date.

You could really like a guy for ages now and thinking of asking him to accompany you to your debs, but if this is the plan, you should try and go on a few dates before you ask him to your debs.

Your date could ruin your evening, I should know….
I have been to two debs in my life…

The first was perfect, my boyfriend I had been dating for six months, he asked me to his Debs and we had a great night. My mum wouldn’t buy me a new dress so I had to borrow one, but I didn’t care. I still look back on the pictures now and always smile. He was a complete gentleman and it is a memory I will cherish forever…

The Second, was this really cute guy I dated a couple of times over the year, I thought he was goeurgous and was delighted when he invited me to his Debs, cause a lot of the other girls liked him too. I had a summer job, so I spent a small fortune on my dress with the aim to impress and got my hair, make-up and tan professionally done for the evening. On the night, he was an hour early picking me up as he was with his friend and we had to collect the other girl as well.. I wasn’t ready and had to rush into my dress and go… then to my great disappointment, both of us girls were ditched at the door… and had to spend the next ten hours together at a Debs where we didn’t know anyone else….total nightmare… I can definitely say I have no good memories of this evening…

By the time my own Debs came along, I choose not to attend. I think it was because I had asked the guy that ditched me at be my date, so I didn’t really have enough time to organise another date. Looking back now, I wish I had the sense to invite a friend and spend this momentous night with my friends. Instead I sat at home feeling sorry for myself. That guy was obviously soo not worth it !!

The lesson learnt …..is that your Debs is a night to celebrate with your Friends… if you are unsure of who to bring with you to this special night, make sure it is someone you know and trust. Someone that will look out for you, enjoy spending time with your friends and makes you laugh… you will never forget your Debs Night… even if you never get there…

Make sure you have the Perfect Venue for your Debs Night. For this, look no further than The Four Seasons Hotel & Leisure Club in Monaghan, just 1 hour 15 mins from Dublin and 1 Hour from Belfast. The Four Seasons Hotel & its New Niteclub MeXX have great Value Debs Packages with lots of options for your Evening Entertainment. For more information on their Debs Packages or to request a Brochure call 047 81888 or visit www.4seasonshotel.ie

Debs Make Up

Tips for Perfect Debs Make-Up

Less is more !!
First for FOUNDATION: Before applying makeup, make sure you wash and cleanse first. The night before, you might want to use a mask (one that you have used before) so that you feel extra refreshed and your skin feels supple before the big night. Getting ready the day of your prom night can be stressful, so try to prepare. After cleaning your face, apply an even coat of foundation - you want it to match the colour of your skin, and using a slightly tinted foundation can give those pale faces a more lively look. But try not to over apply - "The Less, the Better." One of my personal peeves is foundation lines (i.e., around the neckline) - so make sure that everything is blended. It helps if you use a well-lit room when you do your makeup. Use a concealer to blot out any unwanted blemishes.

EYES: Once the foundation is applied, it's time for the eyes. You don't want your shadow to necessarily match the dress because this will washout those beautiful eyes. Instead, compliment the dress with contrasting colour eye shadow. If you are wearing a blue dress, try applying peach or pink tones and if you are wearing a dark dress, you can compliment it with wine or purple colours. Do some experimenting before the big night. Curl your lashes before applying eye shadow and use mascara that will lengthen and separate your lashes. To make your shadow last longer, first apply a small coat of lotion to your lids.

BLUSH: Apply a blush that fits your fashion style as well as your skin colour. Keep it natural looking.

LIPSTICK: Use a gloss instead of a lipstick, if possible, - This season it is all about the shine. Any colour will do - just make sure that your lip colour doesn't wash your face out.
Makeup Styles
Prom night you will want to stand out, and the style this season is just that...dramatic.
If you want to go GLAM try wearing fake eyelashes. When applying, cut them into sections and use glue to apply evenly to the base of you natural eyelashes.
Remember not to go overboard by applying a lot of shadow to your eye lids and by wearing a deep lipstick - the lashes will say enough. Coat your eyes with natural beige and then use a dark liner along your lashes.

A TRENDY run way model style is to use shadow as a liner and smudge it outward towards your crease. Do this all the way around your eyes (top and bottom). The best colours to use are gold, purple, and turquoise. Use a very thin dark liner at the tips of your eyes if you want to darken your eyes. Stay away from dark lips; go for subtle pink to beige.
Since prom is your night to be all done up and girlie, you might want to highlight your makeup with PINK tones. Use vanilla shadow on your brow bone and put a pink shimmer around your lash line. Don't use too much pink - you don't want to look like you have a case of pink eye. Blend the pink upward toward the vanilla. The key to makeup is learning how to blend. Now outline your eye with a pink pencil. Use a soft pink on the apple of your cheeks and use a pixie pink on your lips.
If you want to put the focus on your LIPS, apply a red lip-gloss. Keep your eyes a natural tone. Instead of using black eyeliner, substitute it for brown eyeliner. Popular now is to use gloss, but if you use a regular lipstick, make sure that you mix it with a clear gloss until you have a load of shine.
Tips to Remember:
• Even out your eyes and your lips by bringing attention to only one
• Find good mascara
• Get 8 hours of sleep 2 days before
• Eat healthy... your face will be happy!
• Blend foundation evenly
• Wear a shiny gloss
• Less is more!
Make sure you have the Perfect Venue for your Debs Night. For this, look no further than The Four Seasons Hotel & Leisure Club in Monaghan, just 1 hour 15 mins from Dublin and 1 Hour from Belfast. The Four Seasons Hotel & its New Niteclub MeXX have great Value Debs Packages with lots of options for your Evening Entertainment. For more information on their Debs Packages or to request a Brochure call 047 81888 or visit www.4seaosonshotel.ie

The Debs Dress !

Debs Dress Disasters: 5 Debs Dress Mistakes to Avoid
Debs Dress Disasters: 5 Debs Dress Mistakes to Avoid
 Dream Dress with a Nightmare Price tag
 Don’t dress like a twig if you aren’t one
 Don’t make a bad color choice.
 Less is More ? seriously
 If its not right ? its just not right!

1. Money!
Don’t buy a dress that honestly doesnt look great on you just because the price tag is nice – it’s only false economy. If you don’t have the money for something straight off the Hollywood red carpet, then get creative. Borrow or rent a dress, attack the sales, you could get the perfect dress for a fraction of the original cost. Price does not equal style – the price tag should not dictate your decision but it’s definitely a factor. A €600+ dress is not necessarily more stunning than one for €200, but a great option to make a designer dress affordable is to rent it!
Remember, you can get a dream dress without a nightmare price tag.
2. Don’t dress like a twig if you aren’t one.
If you’ve actually got a figure, don’t go for the straight look, it just wont work – trust me. Go for something to work with your body not hide it or change it! Be yourself! Everyone has their own body shape regardless of your dress size, the key to a great debs dress is to understand your body shape and how to dress it to make the most of all your assets.

3. Don’t make a bad color choice.
Pick the right color. Have you ever looked over, and saw the sickly looking girl in the yellow dress? Well, that goes to show you, PICK THE RIGHT COLOR FOR YOUR SKIN, ok? Your skin doesn’t change color, the dress does. Don’t be a fashion victim – just because canary yellow looks fantastic on Kate Hudson does not mean it will look as good on you.
4. Less is More … seriously
You can show off your legs, you can show off your upper body, you can show off your back, but it’s best to keep it classy and just pick one!
Don’t over accessorize! Choose accessories with care – they can add to create a stunning overall look or can make a dress look tacky. Proceed with caution on this one ladies!
There’s definitely a type of bra to go with any debs dress – get the underwear right and it will really pay off!! Get advice from an experienced debs dress sales assistant to guide you in this area – they’ll be more familiar with the unusual underwear requirements for these specialized dresses.
5. If its not right – its just not right!
Don’t get talked into a dress you don’t truly love. You might need to try on a load of dresses but it will be worth it. The average girl tries on at least 20 debs dresses before finding the one, so be patient. And don’t forget to bring a friend, your mum, best friend or sister to give you an honest opinion.
But don’t be too picky in the beginning; how a dress looks on the hanger is not a good indication of how it will look on, you may be pleasantly surprised but remember if its not right – its just not right, move on to the next dress!
Once you have the Perfect Dress, you need to make sure you have the Perfect Venue for your Debs Night. For this, look no further than The Four Seasons Hotel & Leisure Club in Monaghan, just 1 hour 15 mins from Dublin and 1 Hour from Belfast. The Four Seasons Hotel & its New Niteclub MeXX have great Value Debs Packages with lots of options for your Evening Entertainment. For more information on their Debs Packages or to request a Brochure call 047 81888 or visit www.4seasonshotel.ie

The Perfect Wedding !

When it comes to planning the perfect wedding no two people will have the same idea as to what is most important!

Date

Location

Wedding Package

• Date
Some couples may want a particular date and plan the entire wedding around this; others may be more interested in a location and take any date which is available.
The Date and time of year in which your wedding is, will have an effect on other aspects of your day such as a winter wedding may have a Mulled wine reception to warm your guests from the winter chill, whereas a summer wedding may have a refreshing sparkling wine reception. Some couple may find a winter themed wedding more idealistic with the reception taking place in the dark winter evening in a location which is romantic, with dim lighting and flicker of tea lights on each tables and a fairy light backdrop enhancing top table, Others would prefer the a bright summers day where there guests can enjoy the afternoon in a Hotels Gardens, Summer is a fantastic way to make the most of your wedding, after all, most people enjoy the breezy summer days!









• Location
When considering a location for your wedding the main thing you must take into account is there are two parts of your wedding to organise – The wedding ceremony and wedding reception. The traditional chapel wedding is still a favorite choice for many couples, many having their local chapel in mind. When choosing your location you should look for a venue which is s easily assessable for all your guests and which also have accommodation facilities for your guests to stay over.
If however you are planning a Civil Ceremony you have the option of choosing a venue that will host both your the ceremony and the reception!

• Wedding Package
Choosing a location which has an inclusive wedding package has many benefits for the Bridal Couple –
Many Hotels offer all inclusive wedding packages which include your meal,
Red carpet & Sparkling wine reception, Tea coffee and biscuits for all your guests, the wedding dinner, evening buffet, Chair covers and fairy light backdrop along with a long list of other offers which cut back on costs!
Hotels will have a personal wedding planner for your reception who will take on all the details and your requirements and to ensuring the organising and planning of your day is stress free and enjoyable. They will help sort out all the details of your wedding as well as having unique ideas for your perfect day. They work out how you can keep to your budget while making the wedding package work for you.
Having a wedding planner means you don’t have to worry about things being done on your wedding day like are the napkins folded, is the champagne poured, is the band here? The Wedding planner and team will look after all of this for you; they take care of everything, removing all the stress from you!
Since you are spending a large sum of money with the hotel, you will be well looked after, they will give you the attention you need and make sure that you are happy and stress free so you can concentrate on enjoying your big day




After you have your date and location picked and booked, everything else will perfectly fall into place and you can enjoy the run up to your wedding and the other important details such as picking the “Perfect Dress”
If your are planning your wedding and want a relaxed stress free build up to your perfect wedding day contact Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan
For more information on our exclusive wedding deals visit our websites www.4seasonshotel.ie
Or call us on: 04781888

The Perfect Debs

Planning a Debs can be a daunting task for any Debs Committee. The most important role is choosing a date and a venue.
Mid-Week dates are usually more preferred so start your planning well in advance. If you are having a reception in the school beforehand work backwards from the time you are expected at the hotel to ensure you allow sufficient time for the school reception, photographs and travel time to the venue.

Venue

Ensure that the venue is sufficiently large making sure you take into account that you may have overflow at the afters e.g Night club. Set your budget in advance and establish which venue will give you best value for your money – many provide all inclusive packages which include entertainment, drinks reception, flowers, transport etc.

Consider the distance from your school – preferably the venue should only be 1 to 1 ½ hours drive from the school location so as to ensure that all guests will arrive on time. Will you be providing coach transport from the school to the hotel – you will need to establish the number requiring such transport as many now opt for Limo & Hummers!



Entertainment

The hotel may provide the Dj and/or Band as part of their package. If you are accepting this as part of the package may sure you take the opportunity to go and listen to the DJ/band and are satisfied that they play or are willing to play, the type of music your fellow students will like.

Whether it is a DJ or band sourced by your committee or provided by the hotel, it is important to establish the following:
o How long will the band play for.
o How long will the DJ play for
o Will they play the type of music you want.

o Do they have professional equipment to provide a professional performance and sound.
o If the Committee are booking the DJ/band directly, make sure to re-confirm the booking a couple of weeks before the Debs night.

Dress

For some girls, buying your Debs dress is the most fun part of the year and for some it is the biggest pain in the...behind! You have your perfect venue, hopefully the perfect date and the leaving cert exams are all done and dusted (again, hopefully!) All that is left is the elusive debs dress and as always everyone has their own taste!!

The style of dresses varies from year to year. Looking in magazines can give you an idea of what is popular. You can go to a dressmaker to have one custom made, but that can get very expensive.

One of the most important aspects of choosing a dress is will you comfortable in it. The same goes for choosing shoes and try to bring a pair of flats for the night.



For a Debs Ball that will be unforgettable check out The Four Season Hotel Monaghan and Mexx Nightclub for fantastic packages.

For more information visit our website www.4seasonshotel.ie or call us on 047 81888

The Perfect Wedding Speech

The Perfect Wedding Speech
Giving a wedding speech or wedding reception toast might be nerve-wracking, but it actually is a great honor. Your speech or toast is a chance to honor the bride and groom and honor the special occasion.
Not sure where to start? We ha a few tips to help you out.
Before you begin to write your speech, jot down some thoughts about the couple's relationship, how they met, how you know them, their personalities, or general thoughts about marriage (as long as they're good thoughts). Once you have some of these thoughts down on paper, it usually becomes easier to craft a heartfelt speech or wedding toast.
Keep in light hearted, this is a day of celebration and everyone wants to stay in a cheerful and happy mood. Its important to mention loved ones that have past or people that cant attend the Wedding due to illness etc, but make sure you start your speech and end it on a high note.
Finally, don’t speech for too long. I know you have a lot you want to say, but speeches are more effective if kept to five to six minutes in length. There is normally a few speeches and guests will lose concentration if speeches are longer than twenty minutes in total. As in Hollywood, to be popular and successful, you should leave them wanting more….