The UK Wedding Shows is delighted to introduce a new guest blogger. Chelsea Norris hosts the Breakfast Show on Manchester’s Number 1 Hit Music Station Key 103, she turns 30 in January and marries her boyfriend of 6 years Matt Spokes, who also presents 10-1 on the same radio station, in Italy in July 2011.

“So the ring is on and the wedding is fast approaching.

I got engaged to my boyfriend Matt on Boxing Day last year in New York City. He took me there for Christmas and popped the question on the 35^th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel overlooking Central Park. I had no clue – which isn’t like me. As the organiser of the relationship I couldn’t believe I’d missed it, how could I of?

Matt and I have been together five and a half years, after meeting at Key 103 on my first day hosting the Breakfast Show. We’ve had our ups and downs as all couples do but he’s my best pal and I can’t imagine being with anyone else.

Last Christmas he smuggled the ring over to New York and had to hide it in his sock under the bed for 2 days until the time was right – can you imagine if the cleaner had found it? We were half way through the main course when he did it – bless him he’d planned to do it at the end of the meal but couldn’t eat with the nerves so had to get it over with. I didn’t cry as I was absolutely dumbfounded – to Matt’s horror as he wanted me to sob my heart out…

Anyway that was 10 months ago – and where has the time gone. There’s nothing more exciting than buying your first wedding magazine, and my God I now own several thousand. Too afraid to throw any away and my scrapbooks are bulging with ideas and designs for things. I can see how some girls might get highly stressed at these plans but I’ve really enjoyed it. Ok, I have to admit I’m a control freak and find it very hard to let anyone else have a say – so I’m in my element.

Invites, seating plans, dresses (don’t get me started on the dress), venues, bridesmaids, music and honeymoon – oh the list goes on……Soon I’ll tell you all about the Wedding Dress……”

Taylor&Co can provide a world of choice in diamond engagement, wedding and eternity rings. Choosing your rings should be one of the most pleasurable tasks in planning your wedding and this experience can be brought into your own home where you will be assisted by experts in designing and choosing your perfect rings.

Taylor&Co can help you bring your ideas to life in a choice of precious metals including Gold, Platinum and Palladium. Taylor&Co are committed to customer service and satisfaction and want you to be looking at your Taylor-made rings for life.

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Whether it’s choosing your invitations, dressing your bridesmaids or managing your gift list, the Debenhams Wedding Service can help you design your wedding down to the finest detail.

Your dream wedding, designed by Debenhams.

Congratulations on your engagement! The run up to your wedding will undoubtedly be one of the most exciting times of life for you and your groom, but it can also be one of the most daunting. But don’t despair if the sheer volume of things to be arranged for your big day has left you feeling a little over-whelmed, at Debenhams, we can help you plan your perfect wedding, and the best bit is that we’ll do all of the hard work for you.

While you take care of the fun stuff - choosing special little touches like wedding favours, and debating over whether to go for a sleek and modern Wedding dress or a romantic fairytale gown – Debenhams will be in the background, making sure your gift list is running smoothly, and ensuring that your groom’s suit fits just right.

From providing a selection of personalised wedding stationery, to the cheeky traditional garter, and even a selection of bridal lingerie guaranteed to make the first night of marital bliss go with a bang, we’ve got all bases covered to ensure that planning your wedding will be a fun and unforgettable experience.

And because it’s always nice to get a bit of professional help, we’d like to invite you to pop down to your nearest store and visit our specialist Wedding consultants, or alternatively, visit debenhams.com.

We like to keep up with our friend at Staggered and thought this would be of interest to all of our couples out there so Let’s Hear It For The Dads.

Dads. They mend plugs with butter knives, keep half-empty tins of paint in the shed and always, always know where the batteries are kept. So when it came to advice about weddings, Staggered decided that we should go straight to our readers’ dads and see what pearls of wisdom they’d dispensed before their weddings. Turns out our readers’ dads enjoy quotes and cliches……

“He seems like a nice lad, he always has done, and I’m glad you’re marrying him. But remember, if needs be, I’ll bash his head in.” – Lucy

“Marriage is not always 50/50. Some days you will wake up and may have to give 90% and your spouse will give 10%. Other days you may wake up and give 25% and your husband will have to put in the 75%. I never thought of this before but it is so true.” – Roger

“Remember, she does want something for her birthday.” – Al

“At the height of planning my wedding to, and when my grooms frustration reached its peak, my father took me to one side and said “You know all the times when you’ve imagined scoring an FA Cup winning goal at Wembley or taking 5 wickets at Lords or playing the closing set at Glastonbury, or whatever you imagine when your brain goes in to its screensaver mode… Well for every time you’ve imagined something like that which will never happen, she’s imagined this wedding day and that will – so be patient and cut her some slack – it’ll be worth it in the end”. He’s a genius, my father!” - Jim

“Don’t cock it up.” – Alan

“The two cornerstones of a wonderful marriage are chocolate and compromise.” – Marie, Staggered Reader

“Live long and prosper.” – Alex (“Yes, he did quote Spock.”)

“You never suited a bachelor life.” – Andy

“Can we hurry this along if possible, the dog’s getting restless back in the car.” – Colin

Let us know if your own dad had something to share prior to your big day. Was it as meaningful as Colin’s Dad’s? If you’re a father of the bride be sure to have a look at the UK’s leading men’s wedding website Staggered as we’ve got plenty of resources just for you.

When a couple decide to get married it is usual for a period of engagement to precede the wedding. This can be anything from two weeks to two years and beyond, and some couples get engaged and then seem to come to a halt, perhaps daunted by the prospect of marriage, but wanting their relationship to be seen as more than just “going out together”.

There is no age restriction to getting engaged, but couples cannot marry without parents consent until they are 18 in England or 16 in Scotland, which is part of the attraction of Gretna Green for young couples. An engagement is seen as a promise to marry by the older generation, but younger people may not have the same view and may have a couple of broken engagements behind them when they get married. The right time to get engaged is a personal thing for couples and we still hear about whirlwind romances, and romantic proposals even in this cynical age.

The majority of newly engaged women will choose to wear a ring as a sign of their commitment and with the increase in civil partnerships there is now a trend for jewellers to also offer “men-gagement” rings for grooms. When it is the woman who has proposed she has the option of presenting a ring in the traditional manner, although the styles are usually band rings set with one or more diamonds, rather than a solitaire! These rings are often doubled up as the wedding ring or can be moved to the right hand leaving room for a separate wedding ring. Slim styles can be worn alongside the wedding ring in the same way that women’s rings are worn, although the jury is still out on men’s eternity rings.

Engaged couples who intend to get married should make sure that they both want the same things out of the day, as this should avoid problems later. Perhaps the bride would prefer the groom to wear a wedding ring, but he is not keen on the idea. Is the wedding going to be a small family affair, a wildly romantic elopement, a ceremony in a castle or a swift registry office affair followed by a pub lunch? Celebrities like David Walliams who served posh fish and chips followed by a knickerbocker glory at his wedding, or Piers Morgan who had a quiet country wedding may find it easier to do their own thing, but couples should try to keep their day personal to them and not let themselves be swept away by the opinions of family and friends.

Enjoy the engagement however long it lasts, use the time to plan your future together, or just enjoy the sparkle of the engagement ring and the feeling of being with the one you love.

JANE DAYUS-HINCH is the only UK wedding planner with her own popular reality TV show called ‘Wedding SOS’ which is aired daily on SKY TV. Jane has been a wedding planner for over 25 years and has organised over 1000 weddings nationally and internationally. Based in Lichfield, Staffordshire, Jane has worked tirelessly to promote the wedding industry and all that it has to offer.

With the success of her TV show, Jane is in high demand to help potential wedding planners progress in the industry and she is now running national workshops. She already holds ‘How to plan your wedding’ workshops for Brides and this is now her new venture. With the launch of her ‘Wedding Wall Planner’ Brides and wedding planners alike have been delighted to be able to purchase them at the wedding shows - and they are now for sale online. (www.janedayus-hinch.com)

Jane has also taken her new product ‘Sparkling Gold’ cuvee to North America where it has been greatly received! Containing 23 carat gold flakes, it is the only ‘drink with bling’. The perfect celebration drink for ALL celebrations. See Jane at the show on Stand 502.

The thought of a stunning wedding that involves virtually no planning and costs a fraction of the average seems almost unbelievable. However it is possible….and the best thing of all is that you can do it in some of the world’s most beautiful locations!

Sandals resorts are built for two people in love, and are perfect for celebrating both your wedding and honeymoon in your dream destination. And with a team of expert wedding planners in each resort, you can relax safe in the knowledge that your destination wedding will go without a hitch.

Sandals exclusive new Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart™ offer you exquisite wedding themes from one of the most internationally-known wedding experts. These customisable experiences have coordinated colour palettes, beautifully designed wedding décor, complementary bouquets, invitations, cakes and favours. Additionally there is an array of à la carte items available, allowing you to celebrate your special day in your own personal style.

Getting married at one of the 14 idyllic Sandals Resorts is also surprisingly economical, as at Sandals you can actually get married for free! The Beautiful Beginnings theme is complimentary for guests staying in a concierge-level room or above at any Sandals resort* and includes everything a couple needs to create their dream celebration, from beautiful flowers to a mouth-watering cake and sparkling reception.

For further details call 0800 022 3331 or visit www.sandalsweddings.co.uk. W

*Excluding Sandals Emerald Bay