Your Glos and Wilts Wedding news and ideas from around the area

Intimate Weddings are in for 2024: Venue expert offers tips

Micro weddings are on the rise, with a 100% increase in searches for 'intimate wedding venues' recorded in the past 12 months alone worldwide. In the UK specifically, searches for 'micro wedding venues near me' have risen by 100% in the past two years, and searches for 'intimate wedding venues UK' by 50% in the past 12 months. Forced small gatherings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have clearly rubbed off as scaled-back nuptials have stuck around, offering couples the opportunity to be in the moment, create memories with their closest loved ones, and eliminate the feeling for couples that they may need to gain approval from or impress guests on their big day.

The Ashmolean Museum Oxford offers Christmas hampers

Looking for a last-minute gift for Christmas or New Year's Eve? The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is offering Christmas hampers, a carefully curated collection of hand-picked boxes including a selection of sustainably sourced, British-made products from local artisans. The Ashmolean Oxford Artisan Distillery Gift Box, £62 features Ashmolean Dry Gin and plum and dinger dark chocolate while the Ashmolean Gibsons Crabapple Liqueur Gift Box, £40 is filled with goodies such as gingerbread oat mill chocolate and items from the Oxford Cheese Co. The Ashmolean Pantry Gift Box, £25 contains strawberry & Marc de Champagne preserve and tasty caramelised onion chutney.

5 ways to make your bridesmaids feel special

On average, it costs a bridesmaid around £408 to have the privilege to stand by their dearest friend as they tie the knot. In fact, from organising a memorable hen to booking accommodation and buying the right accessories for their dress, the expenses can slowly creep up. But even if the role comes with pressing responsibilities, the reality is that bridesmaids are more than delighted to support you during the preparations and celebrations. As the bride, it's only right to thank your bride tribe for all their dedication, as they are likely to have been through all your highs and lows.

Blossoming love on a budget - top tips from YouFloria

Wedding albums can be a garden of memories with the enchanting presence of flowers seen in every snapshot. Flowers can play an integral part of a wedding narrative, adding a tapestry of texture and colour into photos, bringing out personality and creating an overall feel to a wedding. From bouquets to table centres, pew ends and buttonholes, flowers are incorporated into every wedding memory... Creating your own wedding floral displays and bouquets can be an easy way to cut the cost, and the perfect way to make your wedding a little more personal - also, super fun and easy to do! You don't have to have a good track record of keeping house plants alive to be able to throw together a show-worthy, eye-catching floral masterpiece, no matter how big or small.

Ultimate festive campervan road trip unveiled covering nine locations

Quirky Campers, a unique British campervan hire service providing beautiful, hand-crafted campers, has unveiled Southern England's ultimate campervan Christmas road trip with nine locations and five Christmas markets featuring on the 400-mile circular route. Salisbury and Mompesson House, Richmond, Kew Gardens, Hever Castle and Mousehole have all been highlighted. Get ready for Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol brought to life. Mompesson House in Salisbury is decorated every year for Christmas, as you enter the house you're taken through the tale of a Christmas carol, starting at Marley's front door and ending with the Cratchit's Christmas feast. Once you've satiated your literary appetite head to Salisbury Town for Christmas markets, live music, Christmas fairs and their Christmas on the square pop-up event.

The groom's guide to wedding planning

Matthew Shaw is founder and creative director at sauveur. a renowned event planning and management company based in London. Here, Matthew shares his groom's guide to wedding planning...

More often than not, the bulk of wedding planning lands up being the work of the bride with the groom being delegated select tasks but, wedding planning should be the work of a team and there may also be two grooms involved in the planning. Today's grooms are often much more involved with all aspects of the planning, something we very much encourage!

Giftlist predictions for 2024

As 2023 is drawing to a close, wedding gift list company Prezola, has pulled together their best-selling wedding gifts of 2023, whilst looking at predictions for 2024. Despite being in a cost-of-living crisis, it appears people are getting MORE generous when it comes to weddings. In a recent survey*, 99% of guests confirmed they would give a wedding gift, with 93% saying they find having a list to choose from helpful. Experiences continue to be front of mind for the adventurous Prezola couple, but they are also combining this with big home upgrades, including coffee machines, pizza ovens and more. The likes of Airbnb, Mr & Mrs Smith and Lastminute.com are extremely popular, alongside honeymoon funds, with 59% of guests giving cash for honeymoons and 39% of them donating towards a honeymoon through a fund like Prezola.

Christmas gifts for the bride to be

The Christmas countdown is on – and if this isn't the only big day on the horizon, it's the perfect excuse to pull out all the stops If you're got a friend, sister or loved one who's about to celebrate their last Christmas as a Miss, mark it in style with a thoughtful and stylish gift from Team Hen. Responsible for giving hen parties across the world a serious glow-up, Team Hen is the ultimate go-to destination for fabulous accessories that are modern hen party goals. Forget the tacky L-plates or garish flashing tiaras, Team Hen is doing things differently – and in style. From fun festive goodies to super-stylish accessories, Team Hen has got all of your nearly-wed Christmas gifting sorted this year. The bride is going to love you for it!

Unwrap the magic of Willy Wonka with Haute Dolci

This Christmas, Haute Dolci introduces their delicious Belgian milk chocolate Dolci Bar, that's not just a delectable sweet treat but also a golden opportunity! Inspired by the whimsical world of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory and timed perfectly with the release of the much-anticipated WONKA film, Haute Dolci is excited to bring the enchantment of golden tickets to life...Recreating the magic of this Roald Dahl children's classic, each Dolci Bar comes with the exciting opportunity of discovering a Golden Ticket concealed inside and winning one of their fantastic prizes. Not every customer will discover one, but those who do will be in for a delightful surprise. Prizes range from free teasers of Dolci's finest creations to tickle your taste buds, a free drink to quench your thirst, a free dessert from their exquisite range, to charms which will give you from anything from 5% - 40% discount off purchases for an entire year, or the ultimate exclusive key, which will grant a year of free desserts.

Enjoy a cosy Christmas stay with Sutton Hotel Collection

The Sutton Hotel Collection extends a warm invitation to guests to celebrate Christmas in their three distinctive and quintessentially British hotels, The Queens Hotel Cheltenham, The Castle Hotel Windsor and The Francis Hotel Bath. Experience stylish settings, the enchantment of Christmas traditions, captivating entertainment, and exceptional cuisine as each hotel adds its unique touch of elegance to this cherished day in the calendar. Celebrate good times at the iconic Queens Hotel Cheltenham. Step back in time in this Grade II listed building, whilst enjoying all the modern comforts of an exquisite boutique hotel. From parties to a festive afternoon tea, there's something for everyone. Enjoy delicious food and a cosy, warm welcome.

Expert reveals her ultimate tips on how to have a hen party on a budget

Getting married is an exciting time in your life, however, sometimes it can cost a small fortune. You might even be feeling the guilt of your loved ones having to fund their attendance to your events, during a cost of living crisis. Life insurance broker, Reassured polled 1,500 people to reveal the costs behind attending a hen party. To be exact, you'll be out of pocket by £979 for attending the hen party. From a boozy weekend staycation in a local city or jetting off to somewhere sunnier, the costs clearly build up more than you first imagined. However, some brides seem to have no regrets with over two-thirds (68%) being glad to have had a hen party, with 65% having high expectations and expecting their bridesmaid to organise the party for them as a surprise!

The Bibury Duck Race set to take place on Boxing Day

A Cotswold tradition, the Bibury Village Duck Race, now in its 35th year, returns on Boxing Day with hundreds of tourists, and a new 'live stream' element is expected. The Bibury Duck Race has become a beloved tradition, attracting locals and visitors to the idyllic River Coln for a festive get-together. The event starts at 11 am when the starting guns signal the race's beginning - and 3,000 rubber ducks are released onto the river. Spectators can cheer on their adopted ducks as they race downstream, creating a visual spectacle in the village described as "Britain's most beautiful". New for 203, the organisers are also offering a 'live stream' via Instagram - which has already attracted interest from across the globe.

How to plan a wedding speech

Matthew Shaw, a leading wedding and events planner and founder of sauveur. - a superb events and creative studio - reveals his top tips to help you plan your big-day speech. Speeches can sprawl quite easily when you're trying to cover so much and this makes them difficult to follow. When you first start planning your speech it's definitely helpful to throw lots of ideas around but then try to focus on an overall theme or approach. This could be a personality trait, great jokes, or a more heartfelt approach, but it will help you, and the guests, if there is a clear angle to follow. In turn, this will help your guests follow along and you will be gifted with a better response from the room.

Fever-Tree's new cocktail mixers: the ultimate hosting hack

With Christmas and New Year being the key season for popping the question, there's double the amount of celebrations at this time of year! Get ready to elevate your festive hosting with Fever-Tree's innovative cocktail mixers, new for winter 2023. In a year where approximately 100,000 proposals will happen from Christmas to New Year, and 64% of consumers enjoy cocktails at home, busy hosts can now have it all serving Mojitos, Margaritas, and Espresso Martinis. The line-up: Fever-Tree Classic Mojito Mixer: Fresh Mexican Limes meet Moroccan Mint for a zesty, refreshing twist. Just add rum and ice, stir, and craft a Mojito masterpiece.

Feeling peachy with Pantone's Colour of the Year 2024 announcement

It's here, Pantone's Colour of the Year announcement for 2024 is... Peach Fuzz! We take a look at what this means for weddings! "A cozy peach hue softly nestled between pink and orange, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz brings belonging, inspires recalibration, and an opportunity for nurturing, conjuring up an air of calm, offering us a space to be, feel, and heal and to flourish from whether spending time with others or taking the time me to enjoy a moment by ourselves," says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director, Pantone Color Institute. "Drawing comfort from PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, we can find peace from within, impacting our wellbeing. An idea as much as a feeling, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz awakens our senses to the comforting presence of tactility and cocooned warmth."

Enjoy the festivities at Atul Kochhar Restaurants

Chef Atul Kochhar's restaurants in Buckinghamshire and beyond have shared their Christmas and New Year's Eve menus and offers for the festive season. Offering unrivalled options for Christmas and New Year's Eve, plus festive lunches and parties, the restaurants' festive menus will ensure you have a very Merry Christmas and a happy start to 2024. Chef Atul Kochhar said, "Christmas is always one of the busiest periods for hospitality venues, from Christmas Day and New Year's Eve to Christmas parties, lunches between Christmas shopping and beyond, so my restaurant's festive offerings must be absolutely world-class, offering something delicious for everybody".

Why are prenups no longer the reserve of the wealthy?

Wenup, a collaborative online provider of relationship agreements, conducted a comprehensive analysis of its first 120 customers. This data offers valuable insights into the changing landscape of prenuptial agreements, capturing shifting trends among couples from diverse backgrounds and providing a glimpse into the evolving dynamics of modern relationships. Recent celebrity divorces, involving well-known personalities such as Britney Spears, Sophie Turner, and Joe Jonas have cast a spotlight on prenuptial agreements. Despite their often sensationalised portrayal in the media, prenups are no longer the exclusive domain of the rich and famous.

Rugby World Cup winner Phil Vickery will unveil new Cotswold café

Rugby World Cup winner Phil Vickery will unveil the new Cotswold café at Birdland Park & Gardens this Thursday the 7th of December. The former front-row favourite at Gloucester, who has since built a burgeoning foodie career after winning Celebrity Masterchef in 2011, will be at the Cotswold attraction to endorse the new-look eatery. The Nest Kitchen and Café officially opens on Thursday and there will be a special 10 per cent discount over the weekend to mark the occasion. Vickery, a former England captain who played for Gloucester for 11 years, now works for food service company Creed, which will supply the café with a delicious selection of hot and cold options.

Overwhelmed planning a wedding? A leading wedding planner shares top tips

Matthew Shaw, a leading wedding and events planner and founder of sauveur. - a superb events and creative studio - is here to reveal his Top Tips to help you plan and feel calm, confident and importantly, excited for the big day. ASK FOR HELP: I would always advise considering if you would like to engage a planner at the beginning of the process. They are true experts in their field and will help organise, inspire, and de-stress the process for you. There are planners available for varying wedding budgets so do reach out and request more information.

Weddings Wrapped 2023 - wedding special

With Spotify Wrapped 2023 having just dropped, Encore Musicians, the UK's largest musician bookings platform has analysed 2,300 song requests by newlyweds to see the most requested songs and artists for weddings in 2023. They also surveyed 1,000 of its customers and musicians to discover the UK's favourite and least favourite songs to hear at weddings. Although Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" ranked as the most common song for first dances, it also ranked as the second least popular song to hear at weddings with one in seven ranking it as their least favourite.