Weddings are even bigger news with the Royal announcement a few days ago and our resident blogging bride Chelsea, who is also getting married next year, brings us up to date with her preparations….

‘So going back to the film ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ – every little girl dreams of trying on her wedding dress. Some girls (and I do know some) go and try dresses on even before they get engaged just to see themselves in ivory – but not me. I was a bit apprehensive to be honest. The first thing I realised is you don’t shop for your Wedding Dress the way you shop for fashion. You also might see a dress in a magazine and love it but when you get it on it’s very different. I’m only small so what I absolutely didn’t want is to look like the lady on the top of the toilet roll. I must have tried about 100 on, and started to get a bit stressed in the end as I just didn’t feel like I’d found ‘The One’.

Now I’m the kind of girl who is always looking for perfection. So when I hadn’t found ‘The One’ – I started to think maybe I had and I’d just missed it as I was trying to beat the last one. But then I met Jeff Banks. I’m really lucky in my job, I get to meet great people and Jeff Banks was one of them. He designed all of the men’s outfits for my wedding and he just happened to mention a friend of his who designs dresses. If I’m honest I didn’t think much of it – until I went on her website www.ritvawestenius.com Her dresses are amazing and I loved them straight away. So elegant and timeless, but I knew I had to try them on first before I got excited, so I booked a trip to london and went to meet the designer. She was beautiful - it’s her and her daughter Chenca who run the business and their dresses are just beautiful. Anyway to cut a long story short I found ‘The One’. It was so exciting - I high fived my Mum and we never looked at another dress again. It’s a great feeling and I was glad it was over. I’ve got another 2 fittings to go and so the diet has begun. It’s just seven months away, so back to the gym from today and joining Weight watchers tonight. Arggghhhh!!’

The engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton was announced with a surge of media interest. The couple are said to be planning their wedding for the spring/summer of 2011 and it promises to be a very exciting day for them both after a long courtship and relationship played out in the spotlight of the worlds press.

William and Kate met whilst at university together and have built up their relationship over the last nine years. They appeared for photographers and press and seemed very at ease with each other in contrast to the somewhat stilted announcement when Charles and Diana became engaged. Kate was seen happily displaying the same stunning sapphire and diamond engagement ring that belonged to Diana, which was given to her by William after he proposed whilst the couple were on holiday in Kenya. It is William’s way of having his mother in their thoughts at this special time in their lives and Kate is said to be thrilled to have been given such a special ring.

We will be following the couple as they make the arrangements for their wedding and their new life together.

Starlight Paramedic Services is a Partnership Business set up by Shaun Foster and his partner Gemma to provide First Aid Training and Medical Event Cover.

Shaun started his medical career as a Combat Paramedic in the Armed Forces and served just under 9 years, He then Joined Hampshire Ambulance Service as a Paramedic in 2000 and in 2004 transferred to Wrexham North Wales where he is still a full time Paramedic/ Paramedic Practice Placement Educator. Gemma is a Trained First Aider and she works full time for the local Council dealing with Youth Justice Issues, she handles all the admin side of the Business and also provides first aid cover.

The UK Wedding Shows spoke to Shaun about the unique service that they offer at weddings and events.

“During the last few years as a Paramedic I had noticed how many weddings I was attending where people had become sick or injured. Weddings are very emotional occasions and can be very stressful too, sometimes this can overwhelm people and they fall ill, not to mention the accidents that occur once the alcohol is flowing. A lot of these weddings were off the beaten track if you like, miles away from the nearest Hospital which meant that the Ambulance was also miles away and in some case it took over 30 minutes to arrive.I also noticed that the age range at weddings varies dramatically from the very young to the frail and elderly and we were attending incidents involving all age groups.This gave me the idea to provide personal Medical Cover at weddings to ensure that the Bride and Groom and all their guests had immediate help should the need arise, as timely treatment can often mean the difference between life and death.”

It is an unusual concept, but anything that can make a wedding less stressful is something we at the UK Wedding Shows like to hear about, so we asked Shaun how it works.

“It works in two ways; we can either attend the wedding dressed in normal clothing ie suits or we can be high profile in full ambulance/Paramedic uniform. We monitor the whole days events and the Paramedic Equipment is sited at a convenient location and in easy reach. We normally give the wedding organiser and/or best man a radio for communication purposes. Should an incident occur then we are on hand to deal with it immediately. We can deal with any accident or emergency that should arise, from minor falls, cuts and bruises to broken bones, chest pain, asthma, diabetes, heart attacks, Strokes and Cardiac Arrest; basically we come fully equipped to deal with anything. A lot of incidents can be dealt with at the scene and so the patient can remain at the wedding; cases that need hospital treatment will be evacuated via the County Ambulance Service as we never leave site once we are there.”

For complete peace of mind at your event contact Starlight Paramedic Services.

Our website is :www.starlightparamedicservices.co.uk

Email: [email protected]

Tel No: 01244 811930

Mob: 07905018982

So the big day is fast approaching, first things first, get the dress, then the shoes and what ever else is needed to make the outfit, at what point do we consider comfort ?.. honestly ?.. Probably last, if at all. The battle between comfort and style was won before it even got started, style wins every time, the higher the heels the better, so long as they make the outfit we’ll just grin and bear it throughout the night until the urge to kick them off and walk around barefoot is simply too much to resist.

Whether you’re a guest at the wedding or it’s your own big day the story is the same, for some reason the more stylish and beautiful the heels are the more they are going to bring you close to tears at some point of the night, and so like little knights in shining armour Happy Feet have arrived to rescue your poor soles.

These little pumps roll up and can be stored away in handbags ready to be popped on at a moment’s notice, no more dancing around in bare feet trying to avoid anything sharp, whilst this may offer temporary relief, stepping on to a nasty surprise will soon bring your night crashing down.

Slip on these little pumps, in Silver, Pink or Black you’re sure to find a suitable match for your outfit. Breathing new life into your feet, the after party wedding shoes will give you the perfect end to the perfect day, the chic and sophisticated rollable shoes look set to be a popular addition to every girls handbag.

Almost as essential as the flowers, after party shoes have appeared on the wedding scene and can be found at parties up and down the country, increasingly popular for wedding favours, the roll up after party shoes will keep the ladies at your big day on the dance floor all night long.

Happy Feet Shoes Ltd can be contacted at [email protected] or on 0844 854 7780

In the year that the phrase ‘Groomzilla’ has become the latest buzz word in the wedding market, Moss Bros Hire is capitalising on this trend. Grooms are having more influence than ever; it’s not ‘her’ big day anymore it’s ‘their’ big day. Grooms are favouring the subtle look with statement pieces carefully added throughout.

This season, Moss Bros Hire has seen the subtle, muted coloured waistcoats become the most popular, the Alpha waistcoat with accessories has accounted for 31% of all waistcoats hired in 2010. Another strong trend and brand new for next year is the Forli ivory waistcoat, with it’s subtle, intricate floral design which is already available in stores. For a touch of individuality; vivid, rich coloured accessories are being used in this look, the ever popular hot pink and turquoise have shown significant rises on last year and the new luxurious Tollo purple is already available in stores.

For suiting, black remains the number one favourite, with our classic black tailcoat remaining a popular choice for grooms. For a less formal look, grey is catching up fast with more grooms wanting that bit of individuality, seeing a 42% uplift on last year for the third year running. Fitting in with the more subtle grooms is the continuing popularity of the Sandown lounge jacket which offers something less formal and understated.

Group Operations Director Paul Pancham says- ‘At Moss we recognize that for the bride and groom, this will be one of the most important days of their lives. Therefore it’s important to us to understand and meet their needs as individuals and to create a unique look for their big day.’

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

This is an old English wedding tradition and began in the Victorian era. Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. “Something old” symbolizes continuity with the bride’s family and the past. “Something new” means optimism and hope for the bride’s new life ahead. “Something borrowed” is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride.

The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family. Wearing something blue dates back to biblical times when the colour blue was considered to represent purity and fidelity. Over time this has evolved from wearing blue clothing to wearing a blue band around the bottom of the bride’s dress and to modern times where the bride wears a blue or blue-trimmed garter.
And finally, a sixpence in the bride’s shoe represents wealth and financial security. This is not just to bring the bride financial wealth but also a wealth of happiness and joy throughout her married life.

At World Coin Cufflinks, we make wedding cufflinks out of old coins which can be worn by the groom. Many of the coins are no longer in circulation and the cufflinks are also appealing to people who want to demonstrate a link to their past, their ancestors or just simply to their own unique sense of identity.
During the process of making the cufflinks, the coins used in the cufflinks are cleaned and hand polished to bring them back to their former glory, and presented in a cufflink presentation box.
The website has coins from over 20 countries, and it is listed in 6 languages, and the prices are listed in several currencies.
We even sell cufflinks using the English sixpence which are used in the old traditional wedding poem

For further information, please see www.worldcoincufflinks.com

Why buy Certified Diamonds?

The advantages of buying a diamond with a diamond certificate are:

You will know exactly what you are buying. Every important factor you need to know about the diamond is described in the certificate.

The seller knows exactly what he/she is selling to you so as to avoid any misunderstandings in the future.

If a diamond comes with a diamond certificate, you do not have to worry about the possibility that you might be purchasing a fracture-filled diamond. These are diamonds that have surface cracks that can be artificially filled to appear as much better diamonds than they actually are. These are in essence, very low quality diamonds that look great to naked eyes. GIA does not certificate these diamonds.

If a diamond comes with a certificate, you will not become a victim of buying a synthetic diamond. Yes, there are real man-made diamonds that hit the market in 1977. Currently, average jewelers have no way of telling if a diamond is natural or man-made (These are not diamond stimulants as CZs, but real diamonds that are man made).

Purchasing a GIA certified diamond will simply provide you with much more confidence and value.