Your East Midlands Wedding news and ideas from around the region

Exchange vows at Rutland Hall Hotel

Nestled in the tranquil countryside, Rutland Hall Hotel is a truly unforgettable place to say "I do". The romantic scene is set as couples travel up the sweeping gravel driveway to the historic 18th-century Main Hall. Start a new life together, celebrating with loved ones in this elegant venue with indoor and outdoor spaces that will take everyone's breath away. With 65 acres of peaceful parkland on the shores of Rutland Water, the stunning backdrop offers endless photo opportunities. The range of flexible indoor and outdoor spaces can bring dream weddings to life, from intimate gatherings to larger celebrations. The Lakeview Terrace offers a breathtaking backdrop for ceremonies. It's an idyllic location with sweeping views across the grounds and Rutland Water.

Thinking of doing a joint wedding speech? Read Speechy's top tips

The Speech Surgery' with Heidi Ellert McDermott, Founder of Speechy & author of 'The Modern Couple's Guide to Wedding Speeches. A joint speech follows the same etiquette principles as your standard bride and groom speech but allows you to present it as a team and play up to your relationship dynamic. But, despite the two voices, be careful not to make the speech double the length! No more than 1,500 words maximum. When it comes to writing a joint speech, it all comes down to your ability to collaborate, discuss and bounce ideas off each other.

Things to consider when booking your big-day musicians

As the UK's largest and most sustainable musician bookings platform, musicians for weddings account for around 50% of Encore's bookings. As such, the company is well-versed in the most cost-effective ways to cut down on one of the more expensive aspects of a wedding. Please see below some best tips to help you save the most money when booking your wedding entertainment. On average, couples book musicians for their wedding seven and a half months in advance, but if your big day falls on a Saturday during peak season, you should book your musicians at least nine months in advance.

Exchange vows at the romantic Barnsdale Gardens

Tucked away in the heart of Rutland, Barnsdale Gardens is a blank canvas waiting for couples to add personal touches. With 38 different individual gardens, the versatile spaces can be used in many ways – the only limitation is couples' imaginations. The stunning gardens make for the perfect romantic setting, with ceremonies held in the purpose-built oak arbour surrounded by spectacular planting and lots of room for guests on the manicured lawn. The remainder of the gardens are also available to capture memories for as long as needed. The photographic opportunities are endless, with traditional family and group shots on the manicured lawns, romantic pictures in the Woodland Walk and Japanese Garden or some quirky wheelbarrow shots on the Allotment.

Planning a hen (or sten) party? These activity-based bars need to be on your list

Tasty food, gorgeous cocktails and a bit of healthy competition equals a winning recipe for an amazing time for your pre-wedding get together! How does a side of shuffleboard or darts with your cocktails sound? Whether you're looking for a daytime plan or something to keep you partying into the early hours, Electric Shuffle and Flight Club are great options. Both have resident DJs banging out the tunes, and both offer fab bottomless brunch packages if an afternoon booze session is more what you're after. They're also perfectly designed for the most amazing insta-worthy pics

Rutland Hall Hotel offers a new menu at its recently refurbished restaurant, Blossoms

The award-winning Rutland Hall Hotel offers a new menu at its recently refurbished restaurant, Blossoms, carefully curated by the venue's passionate executive head chef, Sumit Chakrabarty, and his team of nine sous chefs. The new lunch menu, set at just £26 for two courses and £28 for three, offers a selection of starters, mains and desserts, including a chef's special that will regularly be updated. As well as delicious local meats, all menus have vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Sumi says, "This new menu is close to my heart. I call it refined dining, where I champion fresh local produce. Blossoms' latest menus are all about celebrating flavours; we're proud to serve dishes that are not too fussy in style and use seasonal produce that makes the dishes very tasty."

Revealed the UK’s best venues with woodlands to achieve dreamy cottage-core weddings

A recent study revealed the UK's highest-rated venues for woodland-themed weddings, with Creeksea Place being named the best. The research conducted by photo wall art creator StoryBoards analysed user-generated review data to identify the UK regions with the highest quantity of top-rated woodlands venues by creating an overall rating score. The study has revealed that Creeksea Place is the most highly rated woodland in the nation. Located in Essex, the manor house, which includes picturesque woodland, has been rated five stars over 220 times giving it a perfect score of ten out of ten.

The new Yankee Candle® SS24 collection

Find an oasis this spring with the new Yankee Candle® SS24 collection, Under the Desert Sun. The new collection will brighten the home with fragrances that exude memories of warmer days, including four refreshingly light and bright fragrances including, Desert Blooms, Aloe & Agave, Sweet Vanilla & Horchata, and Stargazing. Inspired by the unique beauty of the desert, the new collection has been designed to help escape the ordinary and satisfy wanderlust, immersing the home in sun-drenched scents. The Under The Desert Sun collection features exotic fragrances such as aguaro cactus, aloe and blue lotus, as well as soothing lavender and eucalyptus.

Three spicy but sophisticated hen party ideas

Throwing a hen party that will please all attendees can be tricky. Striking a balance between risque and tame activities can be one of the most controversial challenges you'll face when planning. In fact, some of the more crude hen party gimmicks came out in the top 10 most hated parts of a hen party in this report. However, you can create a hen party that strikes the perfect balance between spice and sophistication, ensuring a night to remember for both the bride and her friends. Jess Martin, Hen Party expert at Ginger Ray has shared three amazing themes for the perfect spicy but sophisticated hen party:

Longnor Wood Holiday Park wins award

Longnor Wood Holiday Park in Derbyshire has picked up a national award in the Campsites 2023 Camping and Glamping Awards. The AA Gold Pennant site near Buxton was highlighted for its pristine facilities, quiet environment and great location. The annual awards, run by the national online booking site, identify the best campsites, glamping spots and touring sites across the country, celebrating those that have provided exceptional services for outdoor enthusiasts throughout the year. Sam Kitchen, who manages Longnor Wood along with her husband Ian and brother James, says, "We're absolutely delighted to have won this award! Being a site that's exclusively for adults, we aim to create a destination where people can completely relax and get away from it all. Our focus is on providing the best possible experience for our guests through improving our already excellent facilities, offering a quality personal service while going above and beyond for our guests.

Experts share 5 tips on accommodating deaf guests at your wedding

Planning a wedding can be challenging, especially when there are so many decisions to be made and so many things to be considered. Whilst this is your big day, considering your guests can go a long way, especially for those who have disabilities or are hard of hearing. In the UK, one in five adults is deaf, has hearing loss or tinnitus, so the likelihood of having someone who may need additional help when it comes to hearing in attendance is quite likely. Ashish Shah, Audiologist at The Hearing Care Partnership has offered his expert advice on how you can better accommodate your deaf and hard-of-hearing guests.

County Wedding Events coming Kimberley Hall, Norfolk!

If you're newlyweds-to-be embarking on your wedding planning journey, pop along to the County Wedding Events wedding show at Kimberley Hall, Norfolk, for inspiration on Sunday 24th March 2024! Sister company to County Wedding Magazines, the event brings couples that are desperate for face-to-face wedding planning in touch with local professionals who are on hand to help plan the wedding day. From photographers to cake makers, musicians to florists you're sure to tick a lot off of your to-do list by attending one of our County Wedding Events. Built in 1712 during the reign of Queen Anne, Kimberley sits at the centre of a 700 acre park laid out in 1778. The house boasts spectacular views past grazing cattle and Norfolk's greatest concentration of ancient oaks, to a large lake at the bottom of the River Tiffey valley. Centrally located in Norfolk, 9 miles west of Norwich and close to arterial road, rail and air links (plus a private airstrip), Kimberley is ideally positioned.

Charlotte Elizabeth Bridal wins wedding award

For fashion-forward bridal luxury in the heart of the Peak District, look no further than Charlotte Elizabeth Bridal! The multi-award-winning boutique in Matlock, Derbyshire, provides beautiful gowns from some of the world's leading designers. The team is over the moon to have been announced as the Bridal Retailer, est. less than four years, East Midlands Regional Winner at the Wedding Industry Awards 2024. Owner Charlotte Burton says, "I was ecstatic and very proud when they announced it. It's taken lots of hard work, and it feels like my biggest achievement to date, especially as it's an independent business, and others in the industry have big teams to do all the different roles. I think it's down to my personal approach to my customers.

These daily habits are ruining your wedding ring

If you've been the lucky recipient of a diamond ring or a piece of jewellery, Nilesh Rakholia, jewellery expert and founder of Abelini, has shared exactly how to care for your precious diamonds to ensure they last a lifetime... Nilesh says: "While it can be tempting to wear precious items such as an engagement ring all the time, daily habits such as cooking and cleaning can damage your jewellery. To avoid this, we always recommend removing jewellery before showering or washing up because the soap can cause a film to form, which can leave rings and bracelets looking dull.

Wedding traditions which are falling out of favour with younger generations

Researchers surveyed Gen Z couples and found many traditional wedding and proposal traditions which are falling out of favour with younger generations. But it's good news for the father-of-the-bride, as 54 percent said expecting parents to cough up for the big day was no longer necessary. Other things which are likely to fall out of favour are asking the bride's father for permission to propose (43 percent), sleeping apart the night before the wedding (38 percent) and the bride taking their partner's name (35 percent).

Of the 2,000 18- to 27-year-olds, surveyed by Churchill, as many as 86 percent believe the traditional stereotype of men proposing to women is old hat – and women should be able to pop the question too.

A third (29 percent) think that being given away is no longer necessary, while 27 percent say that tossing the bouquet is out of style. Being carried over the threshold (26 percent), promising to obey in the vows (25 percent) and wearing a veil (19 percent) are also falling out of favour.

A third of Brits decline wedding invites due to cost Klarna finds

The wedding season is just around the corner! What is normally a cause for joy can often become a financial strain for guests. Travel, outfits, gifts – the costs can quickly soar to unexpected heights. This is also confirmed by a recent survey by Klarna*, the flexible choice for smart, secure payments: One third (36.4%) of those surveyed said they had declined wedding invitations in the past due to associated costs. Moreover, 30.2% of respondents said they have not attended a Stag or Hen party due to the expenses involved.

Barnsdale Gardens celebrates its 40th anniversary

Although best known as Britain's largest collection of individually designed gardens, Barnsdale Gardens in the East Midlands is fast becoming an extremely fashionable wedding venue for those who enjoy beautiful surroundings. The spaces are open all year round, and weddings can occur in any season with many taking place in winter. The venue's dedicated team have the experience and passion to make weddings perfect. They appreciate that each wedding is unique and with this in mind, their planning and packages are flexible, aiming to fit any requirements. The team has recently celebrated the venue's 40th anniversary of the gardens after the much-loved BBC Gardeners' World presenter Geoff Hamilton founded Barnsdale in 1983, developing the gardens from a pasture he had ploughed.

9 in 10 newlyweds say budgeting is the biggest wedding stress

New research of newlyweds has revealed that 9 in 10 newlyweds find budgeting to be the biggest wedding stress. Queensmith's research surveyed 1,000 recently married couples throughout the UK, exploring the most and least enjoyable aspects, as well as the most stressful moments, leading up to their weddings and during the day itself. Weddings take a lot of time to plan in order to make them fabulous, but they also cost a pretty hefty sum of money too. Looking at the most stressful aspects of wedding, a whopping 93% of respondents said budgeting was the most stressful part of planning a wedding.

County Wedding Events coming to Swynford Manor, Cambridgeshire!

If you're newlyweds-to-be embarking on your wedding planning journey, pop along to the County Wedding Events wedding show at Swynford Manor, Cambridgeshire, for inspiration on Sunday 17th March 2024! Sister company to County Wedding Magazines, the event brings couples that are desperate for face-to-face wedding planning in touch with local professionals who are on hand to help plan the wedding day. From photographers to cake makers, musicians to florists you're sure to tick a lot off of your to-do list by attending one of our County Wedding Events.

Tom Wyatt Photography launches new wedding website

Located in Nottingham, Tom Wyatt Photography has launched a new website to showcase his work and media features after a fantastic 2023. Working across the UK and Internationally with a focus on a modern and editorial photography style, the company's approach is to tell a narrative in which couples look effortlessly elegant. Owner Tom Wyatt says, "The last year has been a year of growth, accolade and travel. I've been fortunate enough to travel internationally for destination weddings to some stunning locations such as Los Angeles and Barcelona. My focus next year will be to continue to improve the client journey, adding value to every step of having me as your wedding photographer."