Now that Chelsea is a happy newlywed we wanted to follow another bride through her wedding planning, right up to the day itself and are delighted that our new blogging bride has been found so close to home.
Katy Davison has worked for The UK Wedding Shows for the past seven years and knows a thing or two about what makes a great wedding. Talking to exhibitors about their business and building up some great relationships with our clients in the North East has given Katy a real insight in to the wedding industry, but it is a very different thing when you are talking about your own wedding day. This is the start of Katy’s story as we follow her and fiance James up to their wedding in May 2012.

“James and I have been together since 1996, fifteen years, and were childhood sweethearts some would say! We met through friends and have never been apart since. After many happy years together we have now decided that the time is right to finally get married – whoop! Working within the wedding industry for over seven years I should have the heads up on how to plan a wedding – so here goes! I am looking forward to keeping readers up to date with everything. James and I have some ideas about what we want already and we are basically looking to have a simple, quiet family wedding, with a few little extras. We don’t want to spend lots of money and have set a wedding budget of £7500 as a realistic target to stick to. I am hoping that this will cover everything, but I will let you know how we get on!”

Follow Katy’s preparations on our blog as she gets the main elements of the wedding sorted out over the next few weeks.

After 15 years in the jewellery business, Iain Henderson made the brave decision, mid-recession, to completely reinvent his brand. Having spent most of his career supplying retail outlets all over the UK, designer-maker Iain Henderson decided the time was right to do something a little different.
Iain’s passion is designing and making bespoke pieces and he wanted to tailor his business so that he could do more of what he loved. He wanted to be able to meet his clients face to face, discuss their design ideas and create their perfect piece of jewellery rather than being a behind the scenes designer who never got a chance to see the people purchasing his pieces.
After much deliberation about how he could make this change, Iain decided to focus his attention on brides and grooms and began to target this audience by attending wedding fayres across Yorkshire. He has been amazed at the response and loves having the opportunity to chat to people about to people about their wedding day and their jewellery of course! Iain likes to remind his brides and grooms that their wedding ring will be a daily reminder of the most special day of their lives which is why it’s good to get it designed to perfection.
Proud of his Yorkshire roots, Iain Henderson was keen to keep his company based firmly on Northern soil. From concept to creation, IHD are proud to say their jewellery is designed and made on site by craftsmen passionate about the product. With the recent resurgence for supporting British talent, Iain knew that he had something to offer his customers that was more than a little bit special. Iain’s knows that his customer led service is becoming increasingly rare in a world where most jewellery is created in a blur of mass productivity, somewhere in an unknown factory overseas. And this exactly why he wanted a more hands on approach to wedding jewellery production. For Iain the key to his new business is to keep it home grown and high quality.
In true, understated Yorkshire fashion Iain Henderson Designs has been keeping very quiet about himself for the last 15 years, but with this change of approach Iain is now keen to shout it from the rooftops. He has really enjoyed meeting his customers in the flesh and has even embraced the world of facebook and twitter!
This September Iain and his team will be attending The UK Wedding Show in Harrogate for the first time and can’t wait for the event. To celebrate their attendance they’re offering one lucky bride or groom the chance to win 50% off their wedding ring .

For more details visit: http://www.iainhenderson.co.uk/promotions/uk_wedding_show

Our lovely blogging bride Chelsea got married on 16th July and sent us this piece about her wedding day and honeymoon. It sounds as though they had a fabulous day, full of emotion, and they both look very happy. We wish Chelsea and Matt all the best in their married life.

” You spend so long planning a wedding you almost forget there is something at the end of it all. The calls, emails, lists, notes and endless magazines that you start buying as soon as you get engaged and then get strangely addicted to buying even when you no longer need them.

My Wedding Day came round on July 16th 2011 and I’ve got to say it was what dreams are made of. The main piece of advice I received was ‘enjoy it - it goes so fast’ and that’s exactly what I tried to do. It’s not easy though with 49 guests, and I’d added the extra stress of making the whole trip a surprise for friends and family who had no idea where they were going. I wanted to constantly make sure they were ok and happy and the thing is, looking back now it all feels like a dream, and without the pictures I’d doubt it even happened at all.

Everything went as planned and I wouldn’t change a thing – maybe the stress my poor Mum felt as she threw talcum powder all over my feet and shoes at 8am on the morning of the wedding. It was to stop me sweating apparently. Matt cried all day, he will hate me for saying that but there is no way of denying it as we have approximately 66 thousand photographs of him weeping. Our friend and singer Cole Page even dedicated the Michael Buble track ‘Cry Me a River’ to him, changing the lyrics to ‘Matt Cried A River Over Her’.

Weddings are a great opportunity to bring families together that may otherwise be distanced forever and ours was no exception. It’s also a chance for friends to come together and get to know one another and as I sit writing this on my honeymoon I can’t help but check face book. And seeing that friends have become friends with other friends makes me smile. It could also be because I have a glass of champagne in my hand and it’s been there for hours. Not the same drink you’ll understand but rather the glass that is continuously being topped up.

We were VERY lucky to be upgraded to FIRST Class on the brand new Emirates A380 from Manchester to Dubai. This is exciting to most people but for me it was extra special. I’ve always been a bit obsessed with the airport and planes and so to be onboard a plane with a bar, lounge and spa is just something else. I didn’t even need a shower on board but did it anyway just to say I’ve had a shower 30,000 feet in the sky, I’ve joined the mile high shower club!!!! If I’d known a Honeymoon could do this I’d have got married ages ago – and it wouldn’t even matter who to. We did feel a bit like Monica and Chandler snogging at the gate to prove our love – but unlike them we got lucky and Matt didn’t have to steal a piece of fruit.

As I write this I think I may have found heaven. I am lying on a large round wicker bed on a part of my own private deck looking at the sun set over the Indian Ocean. We are staying on a Maldivian Island called Huvafen Fushi – it is paradise. You are greeted at the airport and taken to a speedboat which brings you to the island in less than 30 minutes. You are given a cold towel on arrival and a cocktail to get you used to the utter fussing and luxury you are about to receive.

There are a few different types of accommodation – the beach villa, and the deluxe version, the over water bungalow and the water pavilion. We were taken to our over water bungalow and were blown away the moment the door opened. The piece de resistance was an over water coffee table. You know the ones like in the movies where you can see fish whilst placing your cup of tea on the glass above?

You may actually have heard of Huvafen Fushi (possibly from looking gooey eyed at holiday brochures) but also because a $15,000 stay here was a gift in the goody bag for this year’s Oscars. Celebrities flock here – for example Kate Moss has partied here, George Clooney has rolled around on the sheets and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes popped in for a massage at the Maldives ONLY underwater spa. Well if it’s good enough for celeb royalty then it’s good enough for me.
The island is located in the North Atoll and they pride themselves on modern, sophistication. All rooms are kitted out with the latest technology and if gadgets are your thing then you will find yourselves in gadget heaven. With a Bose surround sound system in every room, huge plasma TV’s, Bang & Olufsen telephones, and electronic blinds. It’s like stepping into a Grand Design’s exhibition.

But above all of this you will get your own Thakuru. This is not a native furry Maldivian animal but your very own butler. You are initially escorted by your Thakuru to your villa, shown around and given any information necessary. You then have a direct dial number to him 24 hours a day. Our Thakuru was called Ahmed. He becomes a little friend over the course of a stay and it’s comforting to see his smiley face. One word you’ll never hear is ‘no’. Can I have a pizza in my room? Can I take this wine back to my room as I’m so relaxed at 9pm I can’t drink anymore? And can you help, my 99 TV channels won’t come on? The answer 24 hours a day is always…..yes!

Your Thakuru will organize anything you desire for example meal reservations, trips off the island, even a doctor should you require it. If you’re honeymooning as we and most of the island were – you will probably want utter quiet and relaxation and you’ll get that in abundance.

Evenings are relaxed and the food would challenge even Michelin restaurants at home. The food is varied each evening, served in a chic style and so fresh.

If you can break from the utter relaxation to get on board a boat, because when you do – what follows is more relaxation, then I’d absolutely recommend the Dhoni. A Dhoni is a very old traditional Maldivian boat – only in true Huvafen Fushi style it’s had a 60 minute makeover. Red Smeg fridges, a king size bed, mother of pearl bathroom with shower and a deck scattered with huge comfy beanbags shaded by giant sails. We felt like Brad and Ange as we left for our very own deserted island. Ahmed came with us accompanied by 3 others manning the deck, oh and a dolphin we nicknamed Paul who led our boat out to deeper waters as he sparkled in the midday sun.

Once just off the deserted island you jump in the crystal clear waters for an hour’s snorkeling round some of the most beautiful coral reef you’ve ever seen. If you’re as lucky as we were you will get to see a sea turtle munching on coral before appearing to fly away into the deep ocean. As you’re doing this the 3 guys have set up a table, 2 chairs and a giant umbrella on the deserted island – you’re lunch is laid out with wine and with that they’re gone for an hour and a half. Ever fancied feeling like Jack in Lost? Well this is your opportunity. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.

Tonight is the honeymoon meal served by the beach under candlelight and oil lamps. We have the most exotic fish risotto I’ve ever seen and I’m pretty sure the fish I waved at on the way to breakfast this morning is the one eyeing me up on my plate right now. Tonight I’ll retire tired out (after doing nothing all day) to my room, which has already been turned down, fresh water left and a newsletter with details of events and activities on the island for tomorrow.

I once read that waking up in the Maldives is something everybody should do before they die. I’m glad to say I’ve done that and to hell with it I may even do it again. Huvafen Fushi is the place to be, the owners ‘Per Aquum’ have a plan I heard last night, this is just the start and they want to go even further when it comes to luxury. And after seeing this – I don’t doubt them for a single second!!!”

Each photographer has their own approach and it can make all the difference on the day, Thompson & Kelly Wedding Photographers gave us their take on making memories for the couples they work with.

“As photographers, we want to show moments from a wedding that perhaps the bride and groom weren’t aware of and show the relationships between people there on the day. It’s the people who make a wedding what it is – they create the atmosphere and sprinkle the magic on the day.

This shot is a particular favourite of ours from a recent wedding; it’s definitely not a ‘traditional’ wedding photograph. This bride and groom were fortunate to have many of their grandparents still on this earth and, having lost all but one of ours, we’re mindful of the relationship a grandchild may have with their grandparent. Knowing that grandparents won’t be around forever makes photographs like this priceless.

Aislinn had been observing this grandfather for a while. He had real character and she wanted to capture that in an image. We were mid-way into the drinks reception and, for a while, the waiters stood either side of the door, setting up the potential for a nicely balanced shot. Aislinn kept her eye on the door for a bit while she shot some other images.

Finally, she saw her picture coming together. The grandfather came through the first set of doors and emerged into the light, the two waiters laughed at something – the one on the right of the frame seems almost deferential in the way he leans towards the grandfather – and, just as he spotted Aislinn and lifted his hand with the wonderfully bandaged finger to his chin, she took her picture. It’s more ‘Godfather’ than ‘Grandfather’, with the low viewpoint giving him presence and that bandaged finger adding to the feel of the shot.

This photograph will only increase in personal value to this couple; it’s a wonderful portrait of an important figure who will not always be around. Images like this are so special and it’s a joy to be the ones to photograph them.”

Thompson & Kelly will be exhibiting at Harrogate in September 2011, Manchester Central in October 2011 and the EventCity, Trafford show in March 2012. They can be contacted at [email protected] or visit their website http://www.thompsonandkelly.com

Husband and wife team, Mike and Jan Greatbanks will be at The UK Wedding Shows exhibition at St George’s Hall, Liverpool event on 17 & 18 September. This is their first time at such a major show, having only recently entered the specialist wedding market and they’ll be on stand number 45.

If you’re looking for something really special to remember your wedding, then why not have Mike from Calidad Canvas (www.calidadcanvas.co.uk) paint your special place for you? Whether it’s where you had your marriage ceremony, your wedding reception venue or your honeymoon location, Mike can capture your cherished memories in an original painting in watercolour, oil or acrylic. In addition, why not have prints as a special, “Thank you,” gift for parents and your Maid of Honour and Best Man?

Jan from Calidad Creations (www.calidadcreations.co.uk) produces handmade jewellery using semi-precious stones interspersed with Swarovski crystals and glass and describes her work as, “Effortless Elegance for Everywoman”.

While creating pieces that cater for current trends, she’s more than happy to create a distinctive one-off piece for you. Perhaps you’re looking for presents for bridesmaids/flowergirls? Why not give them jewellery which reflects their birthstone? Jan makes bangle and necklace sets in a choice of styles with Swarovski crystals in colours which represent birthstones.
Jan says, “We’re really excited about the St. George’s Hall show and are looking forward to meeting all the couples planning their special day together and hope we can be part of that happy process.”

If you want to REALLY impress your guests - Make your Wedding Stand-out and Make it More Unique & Unforgettable than you can Imagine - your solution is Mr. Chris Cross The UK’s Favourite Wedding Close-up Magician & Alternative Cabaret Entertainer (As recommended by his mother!)

Chris Cross has entertained at Hundreds of Weddings Worldwide with his Unique style of Fresh, Funny & Cheeky Close-Up Magic. He has Performed at Weddings fromIndiatoDubai,Londonto New York & Beyond for Celebrities, Millionaires and Even Royalty!

Rest assured the bulk of Chris’s work is for people like himself however –NORMALpeople!

Chris is VERY Passionate about his work and would LOVE to Entertain for YOU!

Chris has been Performing Magic for over a decade. He is ALSO an Internationally Renowned Cabaret Entertainer – A Stand-Up Comedy Contortionist & Escapologist! The magic act is like no other - Tricks with Cards, Coins, Rubber Bands, Marker Pens and So on…His Style is Fun and Unique - Nothing Old and Crusty. If you want Fresh, Loud and Energetic then look no further! Popularly booked to perform during the Pre-Dinner Drinks Reception, during Dinner around the tables OR during the Evening Celebrations…

For something even more weird and wonderful Chris can also organise a Full Cabaret Show at your evening event before the Band with Burlesque Dancers, Stilt Walkers, Jugglers, Fire Eaters, Comedians, DJ and so on…

More information can be found at the Official Chris cross website www.chris-cross.co.uk/ and Chris can be contacted at [email protected]

Those readers who have been following Chelsea our blogging bride will be aware that the big day will shortly be here and we hope that Chelsea and Matt have a fantastic wedding day. There have been some questions about how Chelsea is transporting her wedding dress to Italy so she got in touch to share her story…

“I’ve been getting loads of emails and questions from people asking me how I’m getting my wedding dress from here to Italy. The answer is, up until a week ago I had no idea.

I didn’t want to put the dress in a case in the hold if I could help it - I felt a bit worried not being able to ‘see’ it - if you know what I mean. And I didn’t fancy folding it into a little origami ball in the hand luggage either.

Having never got married before, (and never again after these preparations) these are not things I’m used to dealing with. So I had to ring Jet2 and ask what the hell you do in circumstances like this.

In short - the wedding dress now has its own seat. I know! And it gets funnier, I have printed off its boarding card. Its Title is Miss, First name Wedding, Middle name - Dress and Surname - Norris. Yes, Miss Wedding Dress Norris will be on the flight.

Then just when I’d got used to this Jet2 called me to say there was a problem. The dress was booked into a seat on the emergency exit aisle, and this had to be changed as in an emergency, the dress could not get out on its own!!! This is the god’s honest truth - so me, Matt and Miss Wedding Dress Norris have had to move an aisle forward.

Loads of airlines do this apparently so in the absence of a private jet when flying out to your wedding - either stick it in your case or buy it a seat. And don’t forget it might need a drink too!”