NEARLYWED NEWS

Barnutopia Glamping & Venue has made several enhancements to its beautiful facilities including new yurt accommodation.

The owner, Katrina Boydon, tells us more: “Our biggest project did not start until late February. Storms forced a decision to replace our large canvas Mongolian yurt with a new wooden structure. We wanted to retain the essential yurt features and create a light, airy space in keeping with Barnutopia’s eclectic collection of wooden octayurts, cabins, stable and bunkhouse. We chose warm orange for the beams to add Barnutopia’s signature splash of colour. The first guests stayed in yurt Axana at the beginning of April and loved it. As with the original yurt, the new luxury glamping unit sleeps up to eight guests in a kingsize bed and two triple bunks – single over double beds. Couples may choose any unit for their wedding suite, but Axana is a favourite. All units at Barnutopia have real beds, linen, power, lights, heating and free Wi-Fi. The venue is located in the stunning Shropshire countryside on the Welsh border and yurt Axana looks out over rolling green fields.” To find out more, visit www.barnutopia.com Nearlywed Picture by Katrina Boydon NEWS All the latest from around the West Midlands

LET THE LOVE BE-GIN

The Shropshire Distillery is now able to transform its custom-built distillery into a hen or stag party destination, where visitors can have fun crafting their own gins. The gin can even be produced in miniature bottles as party favours for the big day.

The distillery is run by husband-and-wife team, Emma and Gareth Glynn, whose shared love of gin was the inspiration to launch the business four years ago. Emma tells us: “Our gin school has been going strong since it opened last year. We’ve been inundated with happy gin students, and are proud to be rated five stars. We would love to start welcoming hen parties or stag dos, looking to do something memorable to celebrate the occasion. They will have exclusive access of the distillery where they will learn about the history of gin, and have fun creating their own spirits, whilst sampling some tasty tipples. There’s something really special about creating gin for one of the most important days of your lives. We store each recipe on file to be ordered again for future gifts and wedding anniversaries.”

Head over to www.theshropshiredistillery.co.uk for more information.

NEW VENUE ALERT!

Bennetts Willow Barn is a new wedding venue situated on a working dairy farm surrounded by grazing fields and a charming lake. The exterior boasts beautiful flowers throughout the year, picturesque log walls, fairylights, willow trees and a firepit. Outdoor ceremonies are very popular, but couples can choose to run the day how they want, holding ceremonies outside in the gardens, in the yurt marquee or barn. The 20m long yurt marquee is full of rustic charm. If couples hire the yurt marquee, they will have exclusive use of the adjacent gardens, including the firepit and outdoor space for garden games or even a bouncy castle.

To celebrate the venue’s launch, the team at Bennetts Willow Barn will be hosting a wedding fair on 25th September, 2022. Couples are invited to come visit the space and see first-hand why it’s perfect for weddings.

Check out www.bennettswillowbarn.co.uk for more information.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, hairdressing salon, BLACC + BLOND, are finalists at this year’s Salon Business Awards in the Green Salon of the Year category.

Anil Salhan, the owner of the BLACC + BLOND salon, commented: “To win the Green Salon of the Year category at this year’s Salon Business Awards would be an incredible achievement. We launched our ‘Green is the new Blacc’ campaign on World Earth Day last year and since then, we have been continuously researching new avenues to become more environmentally friendly, with the aim to be one of the most sustainable hair salons in the UK. Winning this award would show that our efforts truly have not gone unnoticed and would help us shout further about what we do, with the hope that many other salons and businesses will follow and do their part to make the world a better place.”

For more information, visit www.blaccandblond.com

SARAH GALLIVAN ENJOYS A DAY OF LUXURY AT MODDERSHALL OAKS COUNTRY SPA RETREAT

Set in 72 acres of private Staffordshire countryside, Moddershall Oaks Country Spa Retreat is a luxurious getaway that has it all. From its firstclass indoor and outdoor spa facilities and treatments, lakeside dining in the newly-refurbished restaurant and drinks overlooking the surrounding woodland, to its five-star boutique suites, on-site wellness centre and stunning spaces in which to tie the knot.

TIME OUT

I went along with my mum to enjoy a Tranquillity Spa Day and to explore this gorgeous venue and we were in for a treat. We were greeted with a warm welcome by the friendly team and given a tour of the facilities. The outdoor spa area was my favourite, and we spent a lot of our day there! We started with a visit to the Kelo pine sauna, followed by a dip in the 25sqm vitality spa pool overlooking the surrounding countryside and sampled numerous coffees, hot chocolates and nibbles from the Deli huddled around the outdoor fireplace. On a warm day, the sun loungers would be perfect for catching the rays. It rained while we were there but the seating areas around the pool were undercover and with our fluffy robes, it made for a cosy experience.

Indoors, the spa boasts a swimming pool, steam room, hydrotherapy pool, heated loungers, reflexology footbaths and an experience shower, all of which leave you feeling invigorated. For the ultimate time out, the tranquil Sleep Lounge is the place to be with its comfortable loungers and seating, no mobile phones allowed and mood lighting.

As part of the spa day experience, we also had an Enlighten Signature Massage – 50 minutes of pure bliss! If you’re feeling stressed in the runup to your day, you won’t be after this full body and scalp massage.

A delicious two-course lunch was served in the newly-refurbished restaurant, The Oak House. We sat in a gorgeous booth, overlooking the lake and enjoyed the food on offer – featuring local produce the menus provide a modern take on classic dishes.

TIE THE KNOT

Couples can book a spa day with their wedding party the day before the wedding and on the morning of the big day, you can hire the venue’s Blush Lounge for all your hair and make-up needs. What’s more, after saying ‘I do’, you can stay the night in a luxury suite and enjoy a day of pampering the following day as newlyweds.

There are two options in which to host your day here, both accommodating 130 daytime guests and 175 for the evening. The lakeside wedding space is a favourite and comprises of an oak gazebo overlooking the lake, Astro-turfed seating areas and beautifully landscaped gardens. The indoor ceremony room is just as stunning, and because we can’t trust the good-old English weather, even if you choose an outdoor wedding, the indoor space is set up just in case of a lastminute downpour!

BOOK IT

When you’re choosing your venue, the surroundings and facilities are the main things that you’ll consider, but I was so impressed with the level of service here too. The team all genuinely love what they do and it’s that that’ll make your day all the more special and memorable. Check out www.moddershalloaks.com to find out more and to book a tour.