Katy, our blogging bride has crossed some more things off her wedding to-do list since her last post and has been to the Liverpool wedding show in September looking for ideas for her wedding day. The May wedding is only seven months away and there are lots of things to get organised before then….

“The invites are out lol – after many proofs we finally got there! A big Thank You to Prontaprint http://www.prontaprint.com/southport/Pages/welcome.aspx and my Aunt who made all 240 two toned daisies for the invites. I found my ribbon on line (ebay), and once we had decided on colour, size and type it was fine. The wedding invitations also included a lovely verse so that guests know we want a honeymoon gift list. As we have been together for a long time we have all of the housie things and intend to use any monetary gifts towards a trip to New York the October after the wedding. It took most the night to do the ribbons on the wedding invitations and to stick the daisies on but was well worth it, as lots of people have commented on how lovely they are. Sometimes the personal touch goes a long way.

I am on the hunt for bridesmaid dresses, but think we will wait until the New Year once the spring collections are out. The suits are booked for the Groom, Best Man, Father of the Groom, Ushers and Pageboys - the Father of the Bride is wearing a Kilt all from Moss Bros Hire. I’m looking into getting a long, long wedding veil as they are lovely, and I think I will hire all accessories just like my dress – another way to save money when you are on a budget.

As for my shoes, well I’m not a fan of high heels, so I want a very low heel in ivory and could very well pop a few diamante crystals on myself (once I have found the shoes ha! ha!) Not sure about a tiara, but I’m heading over to the ManchesterCentral Wedding Show http://www.theukweddingshows.co.uk/wedding-shows/manchester/central.html as a Bride instead of an organiser this year – which will be exciting!”

Concept Shed in Cornwall are the inventors of AutoWed - the wedding vending machine. The team at Concept Shed are product designers who develop unique ideas, build prototypes in their lab and develop interactive products. With the price of weddings soaring a Vegas style vending machine is a quirky alternative, and one that can be built to order.

AutoWed is a novelty wedding machine offering a quick hitch, a couple of rings and a personalised certificate for just £1/$1. Audio prompts, specially produced music, a bespoke retro keyboard and VFD display, ring vending and ticket printer all wrapped up in a Cadillac-pink cabinet with shiny aluminium fittings. We came up with the idea last year and built the unit shown here especially for Marvin’s Marvellous Mechanical Museum in Detroit, USA (marvin3m.com).

It is difficult to imagine a more romantic place than Armathwaite Hall, a Country House Hotel & Spa, set in the secluded splendour of 400 acres of deer park and woodland, bordered by the calming waters of Bassenthwaite Lake and framed by the dramatic Skiddaw Mountain and Lake District Fells.

Set in a nearby field, the churchof St Begas is the most intimate of venues for a wedding of close families and friends. Whatever the season whether a budding spring, the full glory of an English summer, the rich auburns and gold of autumn or the snow capped fells of winter, a dreamier setting would be hard to find. As a finishing touch to ensure that love grows, Armathwaite Hall can even plant a native tree with a plaque to commemorate your wedding day!

To make sure you are looking your best and feel completely relaxed for your big day, the contemporary new Spa at Armathwaite Hall offers a variety of treatments for the bridal party and the Spa is also the perfect place for guests staying over to relax and socialise.

The Spa has extensive facilities for fitness and pampering including a 16 metre infinity swimming pool with indoor waterfall, tranquility room with a veranda overlooking the gardens and a private spa lounge with a central fireplace and dining area. There is also an outdoor hydrotherapy pool which is deliciously warm all year round.

The hotel has four approved venues for weddings and civil ceremonies, each is individual in design and offers flexibility when it comes to numbers.

For further help and information on planning your wedding please contact Armathwaite Hall on 01768 776 551 email: [email protected]

Few things are as instantly recognisable as a F1 car and visitors will be able to have the ultimate experience at the Manchester Central show 29^th and 30^th October. The show sponsors, Bluff House Beach Resort and Marina will have a F1 car on their stand, complete with simulator. The car, provided by Formula One Events, is a full specification 2011 season model, built by qualified technicians based at Silverstone race circuit using genuine components right down to the carbon fibre and Kevlar skirts. The only thing that the car does not have is the engine, but visitors will be able to try out the state of the art F1 simulator, and experience the adrenalin rush of the Formula 1 arena and the spectacle that surrounds it. With a choice of race circuits replicated in detail, the software provides an experience so realistic that F1 drivers use it for practice.

For any bride thinking of visiting one of our wedding exhibitions it is great to get some firsthand feedback from someone who has been to a show, and hear about their experience. This report was written by Stacie who visited the Manchester show in 2010.

I knew about the show as I had visited it a few years back with my cousin when she was getting married, so I decided to find out when the next one was. I would definitely recommend a visit to any bride and I would go again myself…
I contacted a few of the exhibitors since I was interested in their products for our wedding and we have now arranged the suit hire, headpieces and jewellery. There was an exhibitor who decorates shoes/accessories etc.. with Swarovski crystals whom I have contacted about my shoes and those for the bridesmaids; and I have ordered my wedding rings from one of the exhibitors too. Everything else has already been booked and organised, but I did get a lot of ideas from the decorations and flowers and I have spoken to my florist about this.
I enjoyed the whole day; the catwalk show was really good and a lot more fun with all the dancing etc.. as other wedding fayres I have been to were very serious with a lot of posing and pouting. The best bit of the day was trying the dresses on and finding that the dress I really loved was one I would never have thought to try on in the first place. I was quite nervous about trying dresses and tried to avoid it but the lady at Berketex encouraged me to try a few styles and I found one that loved so will be going to visit a Berketex store in the new year.
The one thing I didn’t see that I was hoping to, were the casino tables for hire. I had seen these at another fayre but didn’t get the contact details so I was hoping there would be a company that I could chat with to see what they offered. I also wanted to speak to the people from the vintage bus hire company with a view to hiring them, but each time I went there was nobody free to speak to as they were already dealing with people.
The only downside of the day really is that it just gets so busy with visitors it can be difficult to have a really good look at all of the stands, but its understandable as its only on for two days.
It was a brilliant day and I would recommend it to any bride or bridal party regardless of how organised they are. I thought I was pretty much organised, but still came back with lots of ideas. I would definitely go to a show again and I know my friend is thinking of going next year in preparation for her wedding in 2012 so I will be tagging along.

Brides across the South of England will now be able to capture the beauty of the English countryside on their wedding day as Bella & Fifi launch their innovative take on floral design in Devon,Cornwall,Bath, the Cotswolds andEast Sussex.

Bella & Fifi specialise in creating bespoke floral designs using only locally grown, seasonal ethically sourced blooms. Working exclusively with flower farms and small scale growers across the South of theUK, they use seasonal British flowers to create effortlessly beautiful and fragrant wedding bouquets and arrangements.

Fifi says: “Both Bella and I love British flowers, there are so many beautiful and unusual varieties growing in this country. Yet, we have always felt so sad that this same huge variety was not easily available from shops and florists. We realised that there was a gap in the market to create bespoke designs for weddings using only seasonal flowers from this country. They smell divine and there are endless varieties on offer. We also felt that there was scope for more natural looking flower arrangements, something a little looser, that looks effortless and like it has just been gathered. From a fragrant herb buttonhole to a tumbling bridal bouquet or a wedding dress made from five hundred English roses we are inspired by the beauty of the flowers, and the environment in which they are grown.”

Bella & Fifi have been practicing their own particular form of floral alchemy in Bristolsince 2007 when they invested in small Piaggio van and began selling locally grown flowers around the Clifton and Montpelier areas of the city. Since then their reputation for imaginative, natural and sustainable floral designs coupled with their commitment to friendly and personal service has spread throughout the South.

“We’ve been delighted that demand for both locally sourced flowers and our designs has grown so rapidly. We have built up a wonderful network of local flower farms across the South of the UK and so it seemed a natural progression to expand our service. We’re committed to maintaining the same standards, passion and ethos that has driven the business so far, so we’ll remain closely involved with sourcing and design. But, with the help of our extended family of floral stylists we can spread our passion for British blooms that little bit further afield.”

This does not refer to a new wedding venue, but to a fantastic new stationery company based in Devon. Jenny Keegan set up the company in April 2011 and now has lots of happy customers thanks to her quirky and original designs. Jenny has a passion for design and her personalised service means that the cards and prints she supplies have a truly unique feel. Jenny and her team take the time to listen to the customers’ requirements and go on to create something that really represents the occasion and their personality. For those couples who are concerned about the impact on the environment, they can be assured of Jenny’s green credentials as she sources her paper and card from responsibly managed forests and offers 100% recycled card options for all clients. Designed and printed by the seaside inDevon, In The Treehouse wedding stationery and prints are unique, beautiful, fun and of the highest quality.