NEWS Nearlywed

All the latest from around the North West

Fashion Forward

BRIDHA, a bridal boutique in Bolton, Greater Manchester, has officially reopened its doors. “We’ve been trading for more than 30 years; the last 17 years of which were run by my late father-in-law, who sadly passed away in November 2021 during the Covid 19 pandemic,” says Mez. “The store was previous known as Bliss Bridal Bolton, and as a family we decided to renovate the store and rebrand in honour of my late father-in-law. We wanted the new name to reflect this and therefore we incorporated his initials into the name (DHA). We came up with BRIDHA (pronounced BRIDE-UH), which combines the word bride and his initials. We had a launch evening in February, and courtesy of Maggie Sottero, we held a raffle and gave away a free dress to one very lucky bride.

“We are the UK’s first experience-led bridal store,” adds Mez. “We offer four different experiences for our brides: a luxury experience, an afternoon tea experience, a photography experience and a limousine experience. Our brides can expect nothing but the best from the moment they arrive into our store. We have our very own treats bar for our brides and bride tribe to enjoy with complimentary treats and drinks. All our brides are given exclusive membership to Club BRIDHA, an online hub which features a custom wedding manager, status updates on their dress, a section showcasing recommended vendors from the wedding industry who offer our brides a discount on their products and much more. Our brides are also given a luxury Jo Malone gift with the purchase of their dream dress.”

For more information, visit www.bridha.co.uk

A Room With A View

Emma Jane Events has a new home called The Lakes Wedding Hub. This hub is for storage but also acts as a showroom, office, and workshop, all under one roof.

“The workshop is where we design and make bespoke props for our couples,” says owner Emma Farrell. “We have also started holding our wedding consultations here as couples can see our décor in the showroom to help them with the vision for their special day. Couples can come here to learn all about recommended suppliers and venues in the Lake District all in one visit.

“We understand how lonely and overwhelming it can be to work from home on your own,” adds Emma. “So, we have opened our doors to other wedding suppliers to provide them with a friendly industry-specific hub to hot desk, hold consultations, and even host workshops. We’re excited for the hub to be part of the local community and a hive of activity for wedding suppliers.”

Check out www.emmajaneevents.co.uk or email lakesweddinghub@gmail.com for more information.

Beautifully Boho

Daughters of Bohème is a new bridal boutique in Carlisle, Cumbria. “My daughter, Georgina, was planning her wedding and had a strong vision of her perfect wedding dress,” says owner Kathreen Burns. “We could see similar styles in magazines and online but struggled to find a bridal shop in North Cumbria that offered boho, glamour wedding gowns. Her dad and I were already involved in the Lake District wedding sector through his generator business and local marquee suppliers. We had space at Flanders to create a bridalwear business that we knew would fill a niche gap in the market, and so Daughters of Bohème was born.

“Our emphasis at Daughters of Bohème is on great service with a private appointment approach, a relaxed setting and a wide range of wedding dresses in stock to try,” adds Kathreen. “Wedding gowns from Rembo Styling, Dando London, Marylise, Nicole Milano and RISH mean that there’s an emphasis on boho style but a variety of designs for the modern bride. Daughters of Bohème operates as an appointment-only bridal studio to give you the best experience possible. By booking ahead, we’ll make sure that you have a bridal stylist on hand and access to our beautiful designer gowns. You can try on as many as you like, as often as you like – we understand that it’s a big decision and could be hard to choose, so we want you to be able to relax and take your time.”

To find out more, visit www.daughtersofboheme.co.uk

Just The Two Of Us

West View Photography in Kendal, Cumbria, is offering a new Just The Two Of Us Elopement Package. The owner, Sarah Louise Bainbridge, tells us more: “I love to capture special moments for people to cherish forever. I am a big believer in natural photography, and I will help guide you and your wedding party into capturing some beautiful images to cherish forever.

“After photographing a few styled shoots, I have decided to offer a new elopement package,” adds Sarah. “This includes a pre-consultation, two hours in the Lake District and all images on a wooden USB stick priced at £360. This is perfect for intimate nuptials and is a great way to capture those all-important photographs.”

To see more of Sarah’s work and to find out more about the package, visit www.westviewphoto.co.uk

The Beauty Of Nature

The Yan in the Lake District is launching The Smithy – an idyllic lakeland cottage for two that’s perfect for a minimoon or a pre-wedding getaway.

This detached lakeland stone cottage on The Yan’s beautiful former 17th century farm site at the foot of the fells, is just outside the picture-perfect Grasmere village. A peaceful retreat for two, it can be fully serviced with breakfasts and dinners from The Yan, either in the chic bistro or delivered via ‘room service’ to the cottage door.

The Smithy has been lovingly converted and offers high ceilings, an open-plan living, kitchen and dining space with a wood-burning stove, a bedroom with a king-sized bed and a contemporary bathroom furnished with local goodies. The former blacksmith’s residence is all on one level, with stunning views towards Helm Crag and Steel Fell on one side, plus French doors which open out onto a private seating area overlooking Grasmere Village, Loughrigg and Silver Howe. It has its own enclosed south-facing garden too, complete with a barbeque.

The Yan opened in July 2019 and has fast gained a reputation as one of the best places to eat in the Lakes, with everything pickled, preserved, smoked, cooked and baked in-house by executive chef Will Manley and his team. Named after the word for ‘one’ in Cumbrian dialect, The Yan has a rustic bistro, seven en suite bedrooms, four Lakeland cottages and two glamping pods, providing guests with a wholesome welcome, hearty food and stylish interiors, all at the foot of the fells.

Visit www.theyan.co.uk for more information.

Love At First Bite

Big Bear’s BBQ, a mobile catering company, has recently invested in a second custom-built trailer allowing the team to offer a mixture of British and American barbecue foods.

“We’ve been building our business for the past three years,” says owners Jill and Hugh. “We started in our custom-built wood-fired pizza trailer and soon found ourselves being asked to provide catering for private events and weddings. This soon became an area we enjoyed exploring, and have since made many long-lasting customers, friends and contacts. We have built our business by trying to provide high-quality food at an affordable level by making each event we cater for bespoke and as personalised as we can. We have recently found our enquiries have come from much further afield, and as we are mobile, we have enjoyed visiting many locations all over the North West. The second trailer has always been part of our expansion plan from the very start, and after a few small test events, our feedback has only encouraged us to believe we made the right decision! We have several packages available to those who might be looking to find the right caterer for their special day, and we look forward to receiving any enquiries and working alongside those who are planning ahead; we still have dates available for this year and welcome any more for the future.”

Discover more at www.bigbearsbbq.co.uk

Getting out into the outdoors can be a great unique way of celebrating a special occasion, such as an up coming wedding or birthday party. We can also provide a selection of activities throughout the day that revolve around a ‘mission’ type theme with a small prize at the end. Ideal activities for hen/stag parties and special occasions include: raft building, team building/ problem solving, archery, gyhll scrambling, canyoning and canoeing. £40 for half a day and £60 for a full day per person. Based in the Lake District at Coniston.

We also can add to your day, buffet lunch at a small extra cost and changing and showers. Some of our activities can be done in Lancashire such as Rock Climbing and Abseiling. These events are suitable for groups of up to 16 (if you have a bigger group please contact us to see what we can offer).

WOOD-FIRED PIZZAS & BBQ BUFFETS

Using our wood-fired pizza oven, BBQ, smoker and fresh locally sourced ingredients, we are able to offer a range of catering options for you and your guests. From pizzas and simple BBQs to a meat lovers dream, with the option of fresh homemade salads to accompany them.

The Time Of Our Lives

April from Wed in the Wilderness is a wedding photographer based in Greater Manchester. “I’m an adventurer at heart and love to visit and experience new places,” says April. “I shoot intimate weddings and elopements in the Peak District as well as Cheshire, the Lake District, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and beyond. My love for photography was sparked at an early age when I used to have a 35mm Teletubbies camera to take photos of all my family members; I’ve never been without a camera since. I think of photography as a story with each picture being the pages of your own book. This is why I love photographing weddings and elopements as each story is unique. I’m constantly inspired by each couples stories and personalities. For me, it’s so important for you to be as comfortable as possible and capture those natural and fun moments. For many of you the idea of a whole day’s worth of photographs may seem daunting, but I want you to know that I will be with you every step of the way, cheering you on and celebrating with you.”

Wed in the Wilderness is offering Your North West Wedding readers a personalised, rustic wooden photo print and a USB box as a complimentary keepsake worth £150 with every wedding package booked before the end of May 2023. To claim this wonderful offer, email april@wedinthewilderness.com and mention the magazine.

For more information, visit www.wedinthewilderness.com