family

It’s your wedding day. Some would say it’s up there in being one of the biggest and happiest days of your life. But, for wedding guests who are living with dementia it’s not that simple. We asked Mark Quarmby, Head of Dementia at Reconnect, to share his top tips for helping someone with dementia to build new memories and enjoy the big day…

Dementia expert: give wedding guests the choice

Memory loss, cognitive difficulties, confusion. These symptoms often affect a person with dementia’s behaviour, confidence, relationships and social roles. 

Wherever you go, marriage is sacred. But different cultures have their own unique ways of preparing for and celebrating the happy couple’s nuptials. Here QUIZ, retailers of occasion dresses, tell Vows & Venues a few weird and wonderful wedding traditions from around the world.

1.    China

As China is a large nation, wedding and bridal traditions can depend on which region you’re from. Tujia brides must cry for an hour a day every day for a month in the run-up to their wedding. After ten days, the bride’s mother joins her in crying daily before being joined by her grandmother. As the other women join in, it’s seen as an expression of their joy.

Five reasons to have your wedding at home from bespoke caterer and event specialists Dine

If you are lucky enough to have space in the garden, there’s something nicely relaxed and intimate about being able to hold your wedding in your own home or in the home you grew up in.  Such an individual location enables you to buck the trend and create your own traditions by putting your own personal stamp on your day in a unique family setting.  Your home will already hold so many memories; wouldn’t it be amazing to add more from your own wedding day? 

1. Flexibility

Blossom and Balloon provide a unique service to help you plan your special day. We have a team of extremely talented Floral Designers, Wedding Planners and Venue Dressers. We are a family run business based in Manchester that caters for all events and we have 10 years experience in the wedding industry.

Our team prides itself on offering a quality service that suits all budgets and requirements. All of our prices are competitive and the quality of work is second to non. Our couples are our priority! We look to achieve a luxurious wedding at an affordable price and with a flexible approach.

A new study conducted by a UK based holiday company has revealed that 85% of brides to be and their hen parties would prefer a classy hen weekend over a tacky one. ‘Not getting drunk’, ‘spending quality time with family and friends’, ‘doing something productive’ and ‘being pampered’ emerged as the top reasons why women are choosing classy breaks away, with many happy to pay from £100 to £300 for a weekend away including activities. 

Hen parties are one of the best parts of an impending wedding. Not only do you get to head off somewhere exotic with all your best girl friends in tow, you also have the perfect opportunity to go as wild, as extravagant, as debauched or as indulgent as you see fit. Looking for a bit of inspiration for your upcoming hen do?

Here, leading European hen do organiser Eventhuse, has put together a list of celebrity hen dos to show you how and where to party like a VIP.

A festival weekend like Kate Moss

Are you looking to get married in a location that can be made to look and feel just how you want it to?

Barns are perfect as they are often a blank canvas, giving you the scope to have your wedding styled exactly how you always imagined, however their size alone can be daunting.  Lindsey Hunter of Get Knotted gives us her recipe for transforming a barn from blank and chilly to warm and romantic.

Weddings create memories for lifetime not only for the bride and the groom but also for the family of both the sides. It’s nice to have a wedding all planned out as per your budget in order to create a wonderful wedding memory for both the families so that no one gets disturbed with the high costs or the hidden costs of the wedding. It’s a best practice to cut down the costs of unnecessary items and keep a fair amount as a backup for some unusual things, so that in case you need money urgently you can have it from your backup savings.

Pros

It can save pounds - Nuptials abroad are definitely cheaper than weddings in the UK, which approximatly cost around £25,000. By getting wed abroad, couples can have a holiday as well – so the weeks after the big day can be spent in relaxing, warm surroundings.

Low peak bargains- If flexible about wedding date, then brides should consider getting married out of season. This is when villa rates are much lower, to save even more cash and still have a fabulous day. 

An extensive restoration project lasting six months has transformed a fading Georgian country family home in Powys into Wales' newest, exclusive wedding venue. 

In excess of 500 people visited the official launch weekend, which proved a great success for all involved. The beautiful sunshine and live music added to the magical atmosphere for visitors to soak up as they wandered through the grounds. Visitors could see firsthand the work done to-date and the exciting future plans for the walled garden.

PAUL HINDLEY, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE BEST WESTERN CRESTA COURT HOTEL:

One of the most difficult parts to a wedding can be monitoring the budget.  With the average budget often overstepping the £20,000 mark and a wealth of amazing wedding choices to make, it can be difficult to know where you can save money in your budget - whilst still getting the dream style you want for your big day. We work with bridal parties of all sizes and budgets, and have learnt a thing or two about saving them money where nobody will notice, whilst investing the money where it really counts.

From a small intimate gathering of close friends and family to a lavish reception for up to 250 guests, The Woburn Estate gives couples the opportunity to have their perfect wedding day.

The Sculpture Gallery is set in the beautiful grounds of Woburn Abbey and was constructed by Henry Holland during the 18th Century for the fifth Duke of Bedford. It is one of the most majestic and elegant settings for any ceremony or reception, and with its own private gardens overlooking the Camellia Lake, it guarantees exclusivity. 

In 2015, there were 3.1 million opposite sex and 90,000 same sex couples cohabiting in the UK, according to data from the Office of National Statistics. Cohabiting couples are the fastest growing type of family in the UK: from 2005 to 2015, there has been an increase from 14% to 17% of opposite sex couples making up the total number of families, and an increase of 0.3% to 0.5% for those of the same sex.

Celebrate the most important day of your life here with us at The Royal Toby, where our team is dedicated to creating the wedding of your dreams.  Based in Castleton, Rochdale, The Royal Toby is a beautiful, friendly and relaxed hotel and restaurant. From a large wedding breakfast to an intimate family meal, The Royal Toby is the perfect location for your special occasion.

With a civil wedding licence, your wedding ceremony can be held here in one of the beautiful rooms, with photographs outside on the large lawned garden or in front of the roaring fire indoors. 

When you’re daydreaming about your big day, do you envisage a festival-style wedding complete with tipis and circus tents? How about having a street-food set up serving Turkish Meze, or a 1930s themed wedding with vintage 7” records for table name markers? Enter Canvas & Stone, the new country house collective offering ‘anything goes’ weddings on the grandest of scales.

The wedding industry is worth in excess of £10bn a year and the big trend for 2016 is personalisation - adding personal touches that make your special day stand out for all the right reasons.