Look what catches the eye of the editor with a special emphasis on local wedding businesses, shops and suppliers.
The Barn at Berkeley is a charming family-owned wedding venue, renowned for its restaurant-standard food and stunning rural location. This quintessentially Cotswolds destination is a popular choice for exclusive hire and the team behind this hidden gem have recently released additional availability for 2026 and 2027.
Find out more at www.thebarnatberkeley.co.uk
Catch up on the latest from around the county with our Nearlywed News pages. Download the Feb/Mar25 issue free at www.yoursomersetglosandwilts.wedding/free-download
The Queen at Chester has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment with upgrades to 104 bedrooms and public spaces including its glorious wedding spaces. So, photographer Jaine Briscoe-Price and team wasted no time in putting together this lovely local shoot, to showcase the venue in all its shiny of the building with classic patterned wooden floors, panelled new glory!
Inside the magnificent brick and stucco Italianate building, located opposite Chester's railway station, and said to be the first skyscraper of it's time, you'll find a sleek and homely new look. The design was carefully conceived to honour the heritage and history walls and plush fabrics, complete with a fresh, modern finish.
Set on a working farm in North Tawton near Exeter, Ashridge Great Barn is an authentic rustic barn with beautiful Arts and Crafts semi-formal gardens - the best mix of old and old! The venue is delighted to have joined the Sustainable Wedding Alliance and the farm has gained an RSPB Fair to Nature certification. Read more in the latest issue available to download now for FREE!
I was lucky enough to be invited to Cliveden, part of the Iconic Luxury Hotels group and nestled in beautiful National Trust grounds. Read all about it on page 27 of the new issue available to download now for FREE!
When people ask us what to book first our answer is always: the venue. Without having your venue secured, you won't have a date and without a date you won't be able to book the rest of your suppliers. Hit the internet as soon as you're ready to start planning and check out all of the incredible locations in this glorious county. From historical to quirky and everything in between, Yorkshire has it all. Pop over to the Find a Service section over at www.youryorkshire.wedding as well as the venue section, both great places to start.
For more top planning tips, download the latest issue of Your Yorkshire Wedding free at www.youryorkshire.wedding/free-download
Couples are set to begin marching down the aisle at one of Sussex's most iconic heritage attractions as Newhaven Fort unveils a new range of wedding packages for 2025.
Find out more on our Nearlywed News pages of the Feb/Mar issue, where you can also catch up on other news from around the county.
Download Your Sussex Wedding now, free at www.your-sussex.wedding/free-download
Kate met The Honourable Hilary Wise, or Hils as he's known to her, through mutual friends. “He has a good sense of humour, and genuinely cares for people,” she tells us. When he proposed to her at home in 2023, it was a complete surprise. They followed her “yes” with a celebratory trip to London where lots of surprises had been arranged for her including dinner at the chef's table at Gordon Ramsey's Lucky Cat and a theatre trip to see Dirty Dancing.
The couple were attracted to Dunkertons' relaxed and warm, informal atmosphere, so they booked it for 22nd November 2024 to celebrate their big day.
To find out more, download the Feb/Mar25 issue of Your Somerset, Glos and Wilts Wedding, free at https://www.yoursomersetglosandwilts.wedding/free-download
Alice and Tom met in the pub on Christmas Eve 2013. Alice was trying to break up a fight between mutual friends at the time, and Tom swept in to pull her away. “He'll say it as my bright orange hair that attracted him, while I love the fact that he just wasn't fazed by the drama unfolding around him and fully focused on me,” Alice remembers. “I also thought he had great fashion sense, although his choice of socks really had me questioning that on our wedding day!”
Tom proposed on Christmas Eve 2020, exactly seven years after they met. Alice had had a busy morning at home, baking for the family, when Tom came home from work with a Christmas Eve box containing all of her favourite treats. At the bottom she found a photo from that night they met in the pub. “It wasn't until then I realised he was on one knee,” Alice remembers.
Little did they know at this point that Alice was already expecting twins. So, their wedding planning had to be put on hold for a while. After a tough pregnancy, a premature birth and a long hospital stay, their original plan of a Vegas wedding was off the cards.
Happily, now recovered and with two bouncing babies, Meols Hall was the first and only venue the couple visited. “I came across it while researching online and initially, the brickwork and layout ticked so many of our boxes, so we knew we had to go and see it,” Alice explains. From the moment they drove into the grounds they both knew they’d be booking their wedding that day! “We had complete goose bumps at how beautiful it was,” Alice continues.
Find out more about the big day - download the Jan/Feb25 issue of Your Cheshire & Merseyside Wedding HERE.
This editorial shoot took place at Baddow Park. The brief was to create a long weekend wedding for those couples wanting the keep the party flowing from Friday night to Sunday lunch! A venue like Baddow Park really feels like your own country pad for the weekend! And what's best you can have so many outfit changes! Who needs one bridal gown when you can have three?
See more images from tis shoot at: An Essex Wedding - January/February 2025 (Issue 120)
Pangbourne-based Queen Bee Bridal was recently awarded Best Bridal Retailer at The Wedding Industry Awards. Read more on page 85 in the new issue available to download now for FREE!
Lynsey Beardsmore from Torbay-based Dandelions & Pearls was recently awarded the prestigious title of Bridal Seamstress/Tailor of the Year at the recent South West regional finals of The Wedding Industry Awards. Read more on page 59 of the latest issue available to download now for FREE!
Lucy and Matt met at the MMA Academy in Liverpool where Lucy had joined the Muay Thai class and Matt was a coach and fighter. It wasn't love at first sight and they took a while to pluck up the (Dutch) courage to take things further on a night out in the City. “It was definitely a case of opposites attract,” Lucy says. “Neither of us was each other's type, but somehow it seems to work and within a few weeks we were living together!”
We fast forward a way into the couple's relationship. By this time Lucy and Matt had a number of holidays under their belts, although a trip to Menorca for a friend's wedding wasn't where Lucy was expecting to receive a proposal of marriage. After some stress hiding the ring in his golf bag, Matt overcame his nerves and got down on one knee within 10 minutes of arriving at their villa. “It was perfectly unplanned and spontaneous, just like Matt,” Lucy remembers.
The couple had in mind a secluded location for their big day, somewhere they could enjoy with family and friends in complete privacy. Talhenbont Hall was only their second viewing but they soon decided there was no reason to look anywhere else. They barely made it through the gate before Matt exclaimed: “This is it!” North Wales is one of their favourite places being close to March Loop where they love to camp with their dogs. “So, this felt like the perfect place for us to get married,” Lucy explains. “The whole place was stunning and we could see ourselves saying 'I do' outside in the pagoda. After that it was hard to envisage our wedding anywhere else.”
The date was set for 31st July 2024. To find out more download the Jan/Feb25 issue of Your Cheshire & Merseyside Wedding HERE.
A crisp white, spring wedding at Braxted Park Estate was the perfect choice for Lois and Kieran Handford. The colour scheme was very fresh; lots of whites, with flecks of gold detailing throughout. The centrepieces were beautiful white floral pomanders in large glass vases with tealight candles scattered round. The bridal bouquet was snow-white avalanche roses with gypsophilia at the bottom, and the bridesmaids had a smaller version of this – stunning! This real wedding is featured in full at: An Essex Wedding - January/February 2025 (Issue 120)
Fate seemed to draw Marite and Artis to each other. “One week before we met, Marite recorded a video of someone singing at an open mic, which later turned out to be a video of me,” says Artis. “So, in a way, our story began before we officially met. We actually met at Marite’s friend’s birthday party, where I ended up by sheer coincidence as some people who I met during the day at a Couchsurfing meetup invited me to come along. At the party, I met a lot of friendly people, and soon we all started meeting up more frequently, going on trips and hikes together. Initially, neither of us were romantically interested in the other. But as we spent time together, we had the chance to get to know each other better, slowly and naturally, without the pressure of dating. I started to get interested in Marite and asked her out on a date, but she was not interested in a relationship at that point. Things started to change when we went on a trip to Greece with a small group of friends. That’s when we got into deeper conversations and discovered each other’s core values and personalities. We realised how similar our views on life were and couldn’t stop talking the whole trip. Not long after returning from Greece, while making burritos at home together, we decided to give our relationship a chance.”
Artis proposed on the couple’s fifth anniversary in Greece, where they first had those meaningful conversations. “We had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant, after which we went up the nearby hill to a small viewpoint overlooking a village in Meteora under the open night sky,” shares the groom. “It was a very beautiful and meaningful place for us. Marite suspected the proposal because it was an unusual amount of planning by me. She later told me that she was also keeping her expectations low in case it didn’t happen. When I proposed, I was very nervous. Nobody else was around, but exactly when I asked the question, a motorcycle honked as it passed by. She replied, ‘Of course, yes!’ We stayed up on the hill, reflecting on our life journey together and looking forward to a new chapter in our future.”
See more from their wedding in the current issue. Download your free copy at www.yourkent.wedding/free-download
Aisling and Liam met during their first week at dance school. “Liam was in his first year of the course and I was doing the foundation year,” says Aisling. “We met at a house party and were friends for about eight months before starting a relationship.”
Liam popped the question at home after the couple had been together just over 10 years. “It was a huge surprise,” shares the bride. “I’d been away for the weekend and then went straight to work, but when I got home I found Liam had decorated our flat with candles, lights, rose petals and Polaroids of us throughout our relationship. I looked at all of them, and when I got to the last one, he kneeled down behind me with a ring.”
See more from their wedding in the current issue. Download your free copy at www.yoursouthwales.wedding/free-download
Amber Cox from Weddings with Amber Cox worked with a team of local suppliers to create this wintry styled shoot at Minstrel Court. Amber tells us: “We wanted to create a stunning winter themed shoot, showing that even if you’re having a wedding near Christmas, it doesn’t need to be full of reindeer and snow. Keeping it some-what traditional with red and green hues, we tied in glitter tablecloths and pearls that brought that extra winter sparkle. The golden hour in the gorgeous winter sunshine was the perfect backdrop for a champagne spray.”
See more from the shoot in the current issue. Download your free copy at www.youreastanglian.wedding/free-download
Broadoaks Country House Hotel, the setting for this styled shoot, is the perfect location for an exclusive wedding event. The property is nestled in the heart of the Lake District, which was the first national park in the UK to receive Unesco Heritage Site status in 2017.
The team at Broadoaks Country House Hotel tells us more: “With the ideal mixture of traditional and luxe, Broadoaks Country House Hotel has recently had lots of love poured back into the venue, making the most gorgeous setting for your dream wedding. We ensure that your wedding day will be one that you and your guests will remember for years to come with dedicated service, delicious food and, of course, a venue that’s exclusively yours for the day! With its picturesque views, there is no better place to tie the knot! Our wedding team is flexible with private tours, working around a time that suits you and your calendar. On our private venue tours, you will be able to see the hotel in all its beauty as well as have the chance to discuss all your wedding plans and ideas with our specialist team.”
See more from this styled shoot in the current issue. Download your free copy at www.yournorthwest.wedding/free-download
Georgia Bride is a local wedding stationer and the founder of &received studio based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire offering bespoke place name illustrations and a variety of wedding invites. Check out her fashionable designs in our latest issue available to download now for FREE!
How cute are these little beauties available to book for a wedding through Lakemoor Alpacas Dartmoor. Alpacas Juniper, Silversky and Hagrid are photographed here outside Bovey Castle in Devon at the December wedding of Elizabeth and Kyle which included an alpaca walk inside the castle. Guests got to hand-feed carrots to them, stroke them and take photographs. Read more in the current issue that's available to download now for FREE!
This editorial shoot took place at Baddow Park. The brief was to create a long weekend wedding for those couples wanting the keep the party flowing from Friday night to Sunday lunch! A venue like Baddow Park really feels like your own country pad for the weekend! And what's best you can have so many outfit changes! Who needs one bridal gown when you can have three?
See more images from tis shoot at: An Essex Wedding - January/February 2025 (Issue 120)
