NEARLYWED NEWS

Blue & Sixpence Bridal, Merseyside has been given a national award in the best bridal shops and jewellery category. Voted for by its couples, the accolade shows how valued the boutique is within its sector and is a real seal of approval for couples planning their weddings. These particular awards were designed to recognise businesses and individuals who have gone above and beyond to serve their clients during one of the most testing times the industry has ever faced. This year’s awards were based on almost eight million opinions and what better endorsement can there be than one from a couple who have tried and tested the suppliers’ work?

Boutique owner and award winner Ali Hamilton is proud to be part of the Sustainable Wedding Movement, a member of the Association of British Wedding Businesses, and Totally Locally, a movement aimed at regenerating local high streets and economies. Find out more about Blue & Sixpence Bridal at www.blueandsixpence.co.uk

NEWS Nearlywed Catch up on the latest from around the region

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NEW 2023 BROCHURE

A wonderful combination of classic country-house style with a modern twist, Thornton Hall Hotel is the former family home of the Bamford family. Restored over the years to create a venue that still feels like an elegant stately home, it boasts a beautiful oak-panelled staircase leading up to its character bedrooms and elegant suites.

Nestled in acres of tranquil grounds, featuring a splendid lake and arbour, Thornton Hall is surrounded by the finest Wirral countryside, just a short stroll from the historical village of Thornton Hough.

If this all sounds like a dream come true, it will interest you to know that the venue’s new 2023 wedding brochure is now ready and available to be viewed on its website. If you like what you see, you have the opportunity to book a show round with the wedding team.

Head over to www.thorntonhallhotel.com/weddings to find out more.

LOVE STRUCK

DMR Jewellery, which has a showroom in Liverpool, has introduced a romantic new addition to its collection – Love Lines. Designed in-house at the brand’s Cheshire-based studio, it was influenced by one of the most notable romantic symbols, Cupid’s arrow. Cupid, the Roman god of desire and affection, has been famously portrayed throughout the centuries wielding a bow and arrow, which he’d use to make someone fall in love with the first person they saw.

Seven individual pieces of jewellery make up this stylish contemporary collection, including earrings, neckwear and wristwear. Two new styles of earrings allow you to choose from diamond set or plain polished, crafted from 18ct yellow gold they’re priced from £950. Appreciating the trend for layering jewellery, a necklace set with 0.22cts of round brilliant-cut diamonds, bracelet and stacking bangles are also part of the Love Lines range.

The versatile design means that Love Lines’ pieces will ensure you make a sparkling statement on your wedding day as well as forming part of your everyday layered look for years afterwards. Find the collection at www.davidmrobinson.co.uk

EDITOR LOVES

TOP TIPS

When it comes to wedding-day wisdom, who can we trust more than those who’ve been there, done that and bought the t-shirt? So, when the bride is also a wedding supplier in the form of O’Hares Jewellers’ Rachael Whitwam, we were ready to sit up and pay attention. You can read all about her big day from page 37, but in the meantime here are some top planning tips from the bride herself.

Rachael tells us, “We got as much as possible sorted and booked early on to give ourselves a much wider choice of suppliers. Everyone gets booked up so far in advance, especially for summer weddings, so this really helped to take the pressure off, giving us months where we didn’t have to think about wedding planning at all.

“We had a few private dance lessons during the three weeks leading up to the wedding, which made us feel more relaxed about the first dance. Neither of us are dancers, so we kept it simple, but it made something potentially daunting fun and enjoyable. It was magical to be in the Great Hall at Peckforton Castle surrounded by our family and friends dancing to All of Me by John Legend.

“Our wedding video made such a difference to us after the big day. It captures the moments you can’t get in photos alone. Our video by Harvey Films was beautifully edited and such a joy to watch. If you’re undecided about whether to have one, we can’t recommend it enough. We can’t stop watching ours!” Here at CWM HQ we’re literally never satisfied when it comes to providing our readers with enough wedspiration. Because, really, what is enough? We’d go on forever if we could. So, with that in mind, we’ve created our very own County Wedding Magazines YouTube channel, just for you. Here, you’ll find tons of big-day ideas from venue tours to dream dresses. Catch up on beauty reviews and how tos from our beauty editor and peek behind the scenes of styled shoots featured in our titles past and present. You can even be a fly on the wall at some real weddings – after all, if we’re honest, who doesn’t love being a bit nosey! And we haven’t stopped there, as you’ll also find local supplier interviews packed with tips and tricks. We’re adding more content all the time, so why not hit SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a thing? It’s your one-stop shop for wedding vid-spiration! Simply head to YouTube and search ‘County Wedding Magazines’ or click www.youtube.com/channel/UCMAChACKNanShdZwI5QGXMQ

RECHARGE FOR W-DAY

With 2022 bringing continued pandemic challenges, spa bookings agency Spabreaks.com is working with the UK’s top spas to offer new tailored packages designed to give you that all-important time out to recharge and boost wellbeing.

Once such package takes us to Cheshire’s Mottram Hall. Home to a £10 million stateof-the-art Champneys spa this local hot spot is a stylish wellbeing destination combining luxury and clinical excellence. Working with award-winning brands, this is the home of tension-melting massages, reflexology, radiance-boosting facials, manicures, pedicures and everything in between. The Georgian property is every inch the decadent estate, complete with ornamental lake, and rooms and suites that honour its history.

This package, from £209 per person, includes a one-night stay on a bed and breakfast basis, a choice of one 50-minutre treatment, full access to fitness classes, a three-course light lunch at Raffaella’s spa restaurant, and £35 allowance towards dinner.

Find out more at www.spabreaks.com

We know what a support mums can be when planning a wedding, so it’s time to say “thank you” and think pink this Mother’s Day.

On 27th March, The Mere, Knutsford will be serving a Mother’s Day Pink Afternoon Tea with delicate finger sandwiches, freshly-baked cakes and pastries, fluffy fruit and plain scones served with clotted cream and strawberry preserve, along with a glass of pink prosecco and tea from the Manor. Plus, there’ll be a free gift for mum! This special afternoon tea is £35 per adult and £17.50 per child.

Find out more and reserve a table at https://themereresort.co.uk

A METEORIC RISE

The start of 2022 has brought a record number of wedding requests to National Museums Liverpool (NML) as its events team prepares for its most romantic year in history! An unexpected flurry of wedding enquiries over the past six weeks has placed some of Merseyside’s arts and cultural landmarks in high demand amongst the region’s nearlyweds. In fact, January saw Hosted By National Museums Liverpool, NML’s events brand and in-house events team, responding to triple the number of wedding enquiries than the monthly requests received during the last three months of 2021.

NML has seven venues, the oldest dating back to the 19th-century and includes some of the most-visited museums in England, outside of London. The Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight has become the latest venue to begin hosting weddings, with its first reception held in the magnificent Beaux-Arts style building at the end of 2021.

Rebecca O’Neil, events manager at Hosted By National Museums Liverpool says, “Many of our artworks and collections have their own romantic stories and we enjoying playing a part in the love stories of today too. We’re having our busiest ever period for wedding enquiries including newly-engaged couples, as well as those who’ve delayed setting a date or rescheduled their wedding. There’s growing popularity in art galleries and venues that add an element of culture or nostalgia. We’ve also recently found that more people are coming back to their roots from elsewhere to get married.”

Find out more about some of NML’s venues over in this issue’s historical and local venues features, or by heading over to www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/venue-hire/weddings

LOCAL CHAMPS

The Wedding Industry Awards are the only regional and national accolades voted for by customers rather than a panel. They were set up to recognise excellence within our beloved industry and the hard work suppliers put into bringing their couples’ big-day visions come to life, very often going above and beyond the call of duty. There are a whole host of Cheshire-, Merseyside- and North Wales-based businesses taking home the gongs for the North West region, which makes us super-proud. Check out our roundup below and keep your eyes peeled for the national winners who’ll be announced on www.the-wedding-industry-awards.co.uk

CATERER Wild Garlic Event Catering, www.wildgarliceventcatering.com DJ Groove Noise, www.groovenoise.com EVENT TEAM Heaton House Farm, www.heatonhousefarm.co.uk MAKE-UP ARTIST Glow Make Up Studio, https://glowmake-upstudio.co.uk MARQUEE PROVIDER Tipi Unique Limited, https://tipiunique.com MUSICAL ACT Lee Gordon Music, www.leegordonmusic.com PHOTOGRAPHER Andy Griffiths Photography, www.andygriffithsphotography.co.uk PLANNER Charlotte Elise Weddings and Events, https://charlotteelise.co.uk SPECIAL TOUCH Glorious by Heidi, www.gloriousbyheidi.com