Your Herts and Beds Wedding - February/March 2024 (Issue 102)

WHAT’S TRENDING? Smaller guest lists, informal dress codes and no speeches are among the top wedding trends for 2024 according to a recent survey commissioned by high street jewellers F.Hinds. Two thousand couples were also asked for their thoughts on which wedding traditions are still important, and the results are in. Big-day traditions that remain in favour include the bride being walked down the aisle (53 per cent), having wedding rings (52 per cent), cutting the cake (49 per cent) and having a best man (44 per cent). In contrast, wearing a garter (nine per cent), being carried over the threshold (eight per cent), and interestingly, sticking to a colour palette (eight per cent) are loosing momentum among UK nearlyweds. Looking at new trends for 2024, intimate wedding ceremonies (29 per cent) and receptions (24 per cent) are in, as are informal dress codes (22 per cent). Alongside guest numbers have being significantly reduced, the classic sit-down three-course wedding breakfast could become extinct with couples favouring more informal food options such as grazing tables, dessert bars, and brunch- and afternoon tea-inspired setups. Discover: www.fhinds.co.uk FEELING PEACHY Pantone, the global colour authority and provider of professional colour language standards and digital solutions for the design community, has introduced the colour of the year that’s sure to impact 2024 weddings - PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz! The velvety gentle peach’s embracing spirit enriches mind, body and soul. At a time of turmoil in many aspects of life, the need for nurturing, empathy and compassion grows ever stronger as does imaginings of a more peaceful future. The warm and cosy shade highlights desire for togetherness with others and the feeling of sanctuary this creates. It adds a feeling of tenderness communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director at Pantone Color Institute says. “A cosy peach hue softly nestled between pink and orange, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz brings belonging, inspires recalibration and an opportunity for nurturing, conjuring up an air of calm, offering us a space to be, feel, heal and to flourish from whether spending time with others or taking the time me to enjoy a moment by ourselves. Sensitive but sweet and airy, the colour of the year evokes a new modernity. While centred in the human experience of enriching and nurturing the mind body and soul, it is also a quietly sophisticated and contemporary peach with depth whose gentle lightness is understated but impactful bringing beauty to the digital world. Poetic and romantic, a clean peach tone with a vintage vibe, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz reflects the past yet has been rephrased to have a contemporary ambiance. DINE AND WINE The Three Horseshoes in Letchmore Heath, the newest pub to be taken on by the award-winning Peach Pub company, has launched a new menu for 2024 to start the year with a bang! Step inside the pretty, half-timbered inn and find a warm welcome from the experienced team who, between them, will make every trip to the pub memorable. Everyone is welcome, including four-legged friends. It’s the perfect setting for pre-wedding date nights or gettogethers with loved ones. Sip on well-made cocktails like a delightfully different Limoncello Spritz or a glass of Nyetimber Classic Cuvée, an English sparkling wine from Sussex, while perusing the new seasonal menu and deciding what to eat. The menu is full of fresh, honest food from classic gastropub favourites to modern, healthy dishes and weekend treat specials from the head chef. The pub is also serious about Sunday roasts, serving up at least three delectable choices every week. Everything is made with quality ingredients with provenance from suppliers more used to supplying Michelin-starred restaurants than village pubs with Aubrey Allen British beef and free-range Jimmy Butler Blythborough pork as well as Cornish lamb, native fish and seafood. Ensure to leave room for pudding as the baked Basque cheesecake with white chocolate and poached rhubarb and the cherry and Chantilly cream choux bun and hot chocolate sauce are just two of the superb, sweet dishes currently available. Discover: www.thethreehorseshoeslh.co.uk www.gettyimages.co.uk 9 LOCAL NEWS

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