We’ve got some fantastic live music arranged for the Newcastle Wedding show.

We’re pleased to say that Jason Isaacs will be playing this weekend.

Jason is a singer and saxophone player based in Newcastle, he’s been a professional singer for 15 years and he plays music by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Junior through to Robbie Williams. So if you’re into Motown, blues and soul, you’re in for a treat!

If you just can’t wait, we’ve got a little sample of his music for you here:

You’ve only got until the 11th to get your advance booking discount and register for your free guest ticket.

If you’re in the Newcastle next weekend and want to see the very talented Frodo the owl, then book your tickets quick!

He’ll be there with Eagle International Enterprises Ltd.
And if you’re after a ceremony that everyone will remember, you can book him to gracefully fly your rings down the aisle.

Win free tickets if you blog about The UK Wedding shows or re-tweet this blog post!

The Newcastle Wedding Show is fast approaching, and we have a set of free tickets to give away.

Competition Rules

By Twitter: To be in with a chance of winning a set of free tickets, you must retweet using the button above, or link to the blog post and include @ukweddingshows in your message.

By Blog: To win with your blog, simply write a post about the shows linking to the site and add a comment below to let us know where it is.

You can choose your venue from Newcastle Racecourse, Harrogate, London ExCel, Manchester GMex, Newcastle Metro Arena or Liverpool.

Entries will be drawn on 11th September 2009 at 11am, so get your posts out quickly!

Full details of the shows: The UK Wedding Shows

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Just to update you, this competition is now closed.
Keep an eye out for future giveaways.

Our luck winner today was Twitter user Seobelle.

Competition

Win free tickets if you blog about The UK Wedding shows or re-tweet this blog post!*

Want to see the guy with the owl that carries the rings down the aisle? he’s in Newcastle in 9 days time!

Our Newcastle wedding show is on in just over a week, on the 12th and 13th of September.

We’ll have Wedding Fashion Shows at 12 noon, 2pm and 4pm.

On the runway will be wedding gowns, suits and bridesmaid dresses from Rosina Brown Bridal Gowns, Moss bros, Slaters, Kathryn Russell, Berketex

Other big names at this exhibition include Debenhams, John Lewis, House of Fraser and Smooch.

Eagle International Enterprises Ltd will be there to talk to you about the talented owl ring bearer.

Jason Isaacs will be performing at the show this year at the Racecourse and at Harrogate – he is a singer and plays sax, he’s based in Newcastle area and is very good!

We have Bike n Groom – which is Harley Davison for the groom.

Murad UK Ltd will be there, who do beauty creams, stretch marks treatments, anti wrinkle creams, anti cellulite treatments, and all the treats you’ll need to keep your skin at its peak ready for the big day.

The Church of England will be at all our shows this year, as always.

Brides can register their details online for complimentary tickets for the show. Ticket prices are £5 in advance or £6 on the day.

In our free goodie bags this year, we have Walkers Shortbread, Galaxy chocolate bars, Fabric Conditioner, Nivea products, Alpen bars, Weight Watchers snacks, Thomas Cook voucher, Go Ahead bars, Splenda samples and Magners Pear Cider!

Some photos from last year:

Get your ticket to get your online advance discount before they sell out!

*Competition Rules

By Twitter: To be in with a chance of winning a set of free tickets, you must retweet using the button above, or link to the blog post and include @ukweddingshows in your message.

By Blog: To win with your blog, simply write a post about the shows linking to the site and add a comment below to let us know where it is.

Amazed, the love ballad by American country band Lonestar, is the most popular song chosen by newly-weds for their first dance, a new poll has found.

Originally released in 1999, the song spent 22 weeks in the UK singles charts and topped the American ‘Billboard’ country singles charts for eight weeks.

I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1998, came second.

The track, which peaked at number 4 in the UK singles charts, was described by Simon Cowell in series seven of the talent show American Idol as “one of the great songs of all time”.

Shania Twain’s 1998 hit From This Moment On came third, and Bryan Adams’ (Everything I Do) I Do It For You) was the fourth most popular choice.

Released in 1991 and featured as part of the soundtrack for the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, the song spent a record-breaking 16 consecutive weeks at number one in the charts, also topping the charts in 10 other European countries.

Selling 1.53 million copies, it was the best-selling UK single since the 1984 ‘Band Aid’ record.

At number five on the poll conducted by PRS For Music, Take That’s Rule the World was the only track by a UK artist to enter the top five.

Written for the film Stardust in 2007, the song was the fifth highest-selling single of the year, despite only being released in October, and remained in the top 100 in the UK charts for almost 18 months.

It was also the most recent release to feature in the poll, which favoured ballads from the 1980s and 90s.

Van Morrison’s Have I Told You Lately That I Love You, from 1989, came sixth, and Westlife’s Flying Without Wings was number seven in the poll.

From Westlife’s self-titled debut album, the 1999 track was the Irish band’s third UK number one.

Another popular 90s ballad was Robbie Williams’ greatest commercial success, the double-platinum single Angels, which came in at number 8 at the poll.

The only artist to have two songs in the top 10, Shania Twain’s 1998 single Still The One is ninth in the survey.

Ellis Rich, chairman of PRS for Music, said: “The song at the first dance tends to make weddings more memorable and extra special. “

“It is a testament to the power and universality of music that it always accompanies the big events in our lives and gives them extra meaning.”

Top 10 most popular wedding first dance songs:

1. Lonestar – Amazed

2. Aerosmith – Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

3. Shania Twain – From This Moment On

4. Bryan Adams – (Everything I do) I Do It For You

5. Take That – Rule The World

6. Van Morrison – Have I told you Lately

7 Westlife – Flying without Wings

8. Robbie Williams – Angels

9. Shania Twain – You’re Still The One

10 Jack Johnson – Better Together

The Final Touch of Icing

Ice Sculptures have long been used as a dramatic and fantastic finishing touch for special events dating back to the Victorian times. Ice was harvested from the frozen seas around Scandinavia and shipped back to the UK to be stored in dark cellars to keep food chilled and fresh for the rich and famous. At some point creative chefs realised they could carve and shape the ice to use it for elaborate food displays at grand banquets, and this was when the traditional “Ice Swan” we all know so well was born.

Today Ice Sculptures are even more popular and sought after than ever before. We have learned and developed techniques that enable us to create some truly extraordinary pieces of art from crystal clear ice.

We can float flowers inside small blocks of ice to create beautiful centrepieces. We can freeze your table plans in large slabs of ice so your guests actually look inside the ice sculpture to see where they are sitting. We can create the now famous “Vodka Luges” in any shape or design so your guests can drink chilled shots through the ice sculpture. A personal favourite has to be the “Ice Bars”. Whole bars hand carved out of crystal clear ice to serve your guests in the most spectacular way.

Everything we create is hand carved so there really is no limit to what we can do. About 90% of the work we do is unique, based on our clients own personal ideas.

People often ask, does it disappoint us to see our hard work simply melt away to water- but the simple answer is no.

When an Ice Sculpture has been masterly carved and illuminated with some creative lighting, it looks more beautiful than diamonds. The price to pay for such beauty is that it must return to its natural state - but not before it has awed everyone who lays eyes on it.

A well-designed Ice Sculpture will easily last the duration of an event and then live on in the memories of those who enjoyed its dazzling spectacle.

My business partner and I did not set out to be Ice Sculptors. We left University and rushed to London with dreams of making monsters and spaceships for movies, but as life tends to do, it threw us a curve ball and we somehow ended up being taught the secrets of Ice Sculpture by one of todays Grand Masters in the field.

During the 3 years we have run our own business, we have designed and created Ice Sculptures for clients such as Jaguar, Reebok and Gucci. We created an Ice Sculpture for the MTV music awards and through our work we have even been out drinking with Quentin Tarrantino.

The success we are enjoying is down to one simple fact - we absolutely love what we do. It’s not work- it is our passion.

In February this year we were selected to compete in a European Ice Sculpting Competition in Latvia where we won first place, naming us European Champions. This was a very good result, but not quite good enough for us as we now have our sights set on the world championships held every year in Alaska.

Mat Foster

Creative Director

07894056398

[email protected]

www.glacialart.com

Blog: The expert explains below the advantages of employing the services of a Toastmaster/Master of Ceremonies on your Wedding Day.

As a Professional Toastmaster and Master Of Ceremonies, I would like to take this opportunity to outline a little of the history of the profession, the duties we perform, and the advantages of having a Toastmaster at your wedding. I hope that after you read my blog, you will have more confidence in our role and will consider using our services.

There were two pioneers in the profession, Richard ‘Beau’ Nash and William Knight Smith who set the early standards of etiquette and protocol. The Toastmasters ‘Hunting Pink’ jacket was first worn by Knight Smith in the late 1800’s and took its name from the tailor, Mr Pink, who designed the jackets. Beau Nash started his Master of Ceremonies duties in 1705 and commented in his day that “the Master of Ceremonies should be even more splendidly dressed than the guests”.

These standards are still observed in the profession today.

When the Bride and Groom are in the planning stages, and have set the budget for their wedding they often forget to include the professional assistance of a Toastmaster/Master of Ceremonies. They may assume that this service is not within their budget and that is understandable. However, they may not know what services are provided or think that we perform the same role as the best man. I often I hear people say that they don’t need the service just to announce the speeches, or they may have attended a function where the Toastmaster has been lazy and added nothing to the event.

In my experience a Toastmaster can make the day extra special and run more smoothly, but it depends on the professional integrity of the person employed.

When the initial discussion takes place with the Bride and Groom it is important that questions are asked by both parties to ensure that all the requests can be accommodated. A schedule will need to be drawn up for the timings throughout the day and this should be flexible enough to cope with any last minute changes.

You may wish to draw up a list of requirements before choosing a Toastmaster and speaking as a professional, you may find the following points helpful.

· The Toastmaster should be passionate about their role

· They will be able to advise you on customs and wedding etiquette prior to, and during the wedding day

· They should arrive early at the venue to introduce themselves and assist with ushering, seating guests, buttonholes etc

· They should be able to assist any other professionals at the event

· They will be able to assist with the etiquette when drawing up a seating plan

· At the reception they should liaise with caterers to ensure that the food is served on time

Many people still believe that Toastmasters are better suited to larger events but it is my belief that they can be invaluable whatever the size of the guest list. I would expect the Toastmaster to organise the receiving line, announce and escort the Bride and Groom to the top table, announce and conduct the toasts and speeches and announce the first dance for the happy couple. These elements are usually present at most weddings and having a professional on hand can help things run more smoothly. It is possible to strike a balance and not have the rigid formality that some people associate with a Master of Ceremonies, and speaking personally I would want to ensure that the Toastmaster would work within the parameters set by the Bride and Groom, doing as much or as little as they require.

If you do decide to employ the services of a Toastmaster you should ensure that they are willing to work closely with you, down to the smallest detail. They should be affiliated to one of the Toastmasters Organisations and be able to advise you about all the formalities so that you can relax and enjoy your day. Ask them if they cater to all events including weddings as some may specialise in Ladies Nights or Gala Evenings. Do not always be drawn to the best price, look for levels of professionalism and experience by asking questions before considering a booking. You should feel confident that you have employed the right person for that special occasion and can look forward to a fabulous day.

I hope that you have found this a useful insight and if I can be of any further assistance to you, I would be delighted to be of service. You can also see many testimonials on my website, simply view them on the relevant page.

Jonathan Waterman

www.thecompletetoastmaster.co.uk