NEARLYWED NEWS

Rydal Mount can now be booked by couples wanting to tie the knot in the house or garden where William Wordsworth spent most of his life. Wedding guests will have access to the dining room and the drawing room where Wordsworth is thought to have penned his world-famous poem, Daffodils. There is also space on the two lawns in the beautiful gardens for marquees.

The house, between Ambleside and Grasmere, is on a hillside with views over Windermere and Rydal Water and the surrounding fells. A focus on romantic literature, it was Wordsworth’s family home from 1813 until his death in 1850 at the age of 80.

Couples will have the option to have a tree planted in Wordsworth’s garden or even a permanent seat in their name. And to mark their first anniversary, couples will be able to book a private dining experience at the house.

Wedding manager Annabel Candler said: “Having a wedding in a historic place such as this adds the couple’s beautiful story to the romance of the past. This is a very special venue indeed. Rydal Mount continues to be owned by the Wordsworth family and retains the feel of

a lived-in family home.” For details about Rydal Mount, visit www.rydalmount.co.uk NEWS Nearlywed

All the latest from around the North West

PLANNED TO PERFECTION

Planner and venue manager Weddings by Annabel has been selected as a finalist for the Guides for Brides Customer Service Award.

Annabel said: “After a testing couple of years where I became more of a wedding coach and counsellor than a planner, this is a wonderful achievement even if I don’t get further. My business is growing and developing into something that I’m truly proud of. The nasty pandemic helped me delve down the venue management path, and now I have three glorious places to look after in Cumbria. My private clients are more like friends, and I have taken on help for 2022. Exciting times ahead!”

Annabel has also established a non-wedding part of her business, Creativise Events, which caters for street events, private parties and such. “I have been involved with many a wonderful event over the years but having weddings in my title confused a lot of people,” says Annabel. “Creativise will focus on making events engaging, interactive and entertaining.”

Visit www.weddingsbyannabel.co.uk and www.creativiseevents.co.uk for more.

ROMANTIC REFLECTIONS

This spring, Storrs Hall, a luxurious wedding venue on the shores of Windermere in the Lake District, will be offering its guests skippered cruises on its new addition, the ‘Abigail Leah’ – a beautiful Freebody Slipper Launch, handcrafted in 2005 by the famous boatbuilder Peter Freebody & Co.

Guests can take in the spectacular landscapes around England’s largest lake on a two-hour cruise with chilled prosecco. Lavish picnic lunches are possible too, perfect for proposals and celebratory occasions.

The Abigail Leah is 30 feet long and comes complete with two chairs at the helm and a bench seat across the stern of the cockpit, comfortably seating seven people plus skipper, and it has an integrated ice cabinet, storage and drinks holders designed specifically for champagne flutes.

Storrs Hall stands in 17 acres of its own private gardens, woodland and lakeshore. It offers luxurious Lakeside Suites close to the water with Japanese-style cedar wood hot tubs and private terraces, a Boathouse right over the water and elegant bedrooms with lake views in its main house.

Visit www.storrshall.com to find out more.

www.jessicaoshaughnessy.co.uk

SWEET DREAMS

The Crown Hotel, in Wetheral, Carlisle, has kicked off 2022 with the refurbishment of its 61 bedrooms, hotel lounges and other public areas. The property has also re-launched its fitness centre, consisting of two state-of-the-art gyms, a heated pool, a fitness studio, a sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and lounge areas. The full refurbishment is set to be complete in spring 2022.

The experienced team offer packages that take away the stress of wedding planning. Couples can choose from inclusive packages from just two guests ‘Me & You, Just Us Two’ in the elegant lounge to grand reception affairs up to 150 with the ‘Ultimately Yours’ package in the Garden Suite. Alternatively, say ‘I do’ under the outdoor garden gazebo, with endless photo opportunities in the magical gardens and riverside location.

Discover more at www.crownhotelwetheral.co.uk

WANT EVEN MORE INSPIRATION?

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.

It’s full of 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 here www.youtube.com/channel/ UCMAChACKNanShdZwI5QGXMQ NEW AND IMPROVED

The Alchemist is returning to its roots with an extensive refurbishment of its flagship Manchester venue, The Alchemist Spinningfields. Set to re-open in March, the refined refurbishment will be a significant evolution in design for The Alchemist.

The cosmic-inspired renovation of the all-day dining and cocktail space will include the addition of two new private areas that will be perfect for late-night cocktails or hen and stag dos.

Simon Potts, the CEO, said: “The Alchemist footprint has spread across the UK over the last few years, as we’ve taken our hospitality brand down to London and up to Scotland, but we’ve always remained a Manchester company at heart. The Spinningfields venue is an institution and much loved by our teams and guests alike; we look forward to bringing our new design direction to the city. The refurbishment also marks a new phase of growth for the business as we put the recent challenges behind us and look forward to the renewed evolution and expansion of the brand.”

Check out www.thealchemist.uk.com for more information.

CONGRATULATIONS!

The Wellbeing Farm was crowned the winner of the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable category at the Lancashire Tourism Awards 2021. The awards celebrate excellence across a wide range of visitor economy businesses, revealing the brightest and best stars working in Lancashire tourism today. The Wellbeing Farm was recognised for its commitment to being sustainable, responsible and ethical in how they operate and interact with customers, the wider community and the environment. The farm, which is powered by a wind turbine, has been working on sustainability since it opened in 2013 and last year produced a dedicated sustainability website that highlighted the work done towards each of the 12 Sustainable Development Goals.

Celia Gaze, the founder and managing director of The Wellbeing Farm, tells us: “During lockdown, we decided to focus on our sustainability work, and the time spent is paying off. Having represented independent hospitality businesses at a special fringe event at COP26 in Glasgow last year, winning an award in this category is an important achievement.”

Head over to www.thewellbeingfarm.co.uk to find out more.