Your Cheshire and Merseyside Wedding news and ideas from around the area

Must-see wedding shows taking place in January and February

While you're planning your 2023 diaries, we recommend popping in some time to visit local wedding fairs and open days. They're a great way to meet potential suppliers and start assembling your W-day team. Here are our suggestions to keep you busy for the next few months!

19th January, 2023 | 6pm-8pm. Grosvenor Pulford Hotel & Spa Wedding Open Evening

21st January, 2023 | 12pm-4pm. One Fine Day Wedding Open Day.

21st January, 2023 | 12pm-4pm. Oh Me Oh My Wedding Open Day.

22nd January, 2023 | 12pm-3pm. The Cheshire Wedding Fayre at Nantwich Civic Hall.

How to throw an insta-worthy engagement party

You never have to scroll too far to stumble upon a celebrity engagement party on instagram and if you've recently got engaged yourself, you're probably thinking - should I throw one too? The short answer is yes, absolutely. While planning the wedding is always top priority, there's no reason why you shouldn't have a party to get all your loved ones together and celebrate the big news straight away - particularly when most weddings take place a good 12 to 18 months post-proposal. However, hosting an engagement party of your dreams can still be quite a daunting task. To help, wedding jewellery experts, Queensmith have pulled together 11 tips for taking your celebratory soirée to the next level.

Pear Tree Farm is a charming country cottage standing in landscaped gardens

Pear Tree Farm is a charming country cottage standing in landscaped gardens and fields extending around nine acres. A small and private retreat for intimate and bespoke two-or-a-few weddings, its speciality is elopement and micro nuptials. Located in the heart of the open Cheshire countryside, a five-minute drive from Knutsford and 10 minutes away from the motorway, the venue is easy to access.

The large landscaped garden has several areas providing plenty of photo opportunities: a dedicated rose garden, a parterre, and a clematis- covered tunnel leading down to a duck pond, complete with decking and a trickling waterfall. The summer house can be found next to a small orchard home to a variety of fruit trees, including, of course, several pear trees. There are also nine acres of fields to explore, along with a small paddock with seating area and firepit beneath the stars.

New planner reveals when you can afford to tie the knot

With wedding costs rising by 3,000% since the 1950s, and set to reach an all-time high in the 2020s, making and sticking to a wedding budget can be a real headache for couples. To help would-be newlyweds with the complex task of budget planning their big day, the wedding finance team at money.co.uk have created a new wedding budget planner, to help couples account for all their costs for each stage of their dream wedding. The new planning tool also helps you calculate the earliest date you should set for your big day, based on how long it will take you to save up enough money to pay for your dream wedding. The wedding budget planner page also has lot of tips to help couples save cash, including:

Win a ‘One Night Luxury Four Poster Hotel Break for Two’ in Essex

County Weddings Magazine has teamed up with The Rose and Crown Hotel to give our readers the chance to win a 'One Night Luxury Four Poster Hotel Break for Two' in their 700 year old hotel. The lucky winner will receive a voucher which can be redeemed any time in the next 18 months. Also included is a bottle of champagne waiting in your room on arrival, breakfast in the morning, early check-in and late checkout, and a delicious three course dinner in their onsite restaurant

Gill Collins Ceremonies is a new celebrant based in Liverpool

Gill Collins Ceremonies is helmed by Liverpool-based celebrant Gill. She's one of the newest celebrants on the block in the Cheshire and Merseyside region having qualified earlier this year, and she can't wait to bring her own brand of understanding, care and attention to detail to local couples' wedding ceremonies.

With an extensive background in healthcare, Gill has cared for and helped people throughout all stages of their lives, which we understand has made her see the incredible value in important life events and occasions such as weddings. She also loves nothing more than living life to the fullest and you'll often find her salsa dancing, climbing hills with her four-legged friend and enjoying good food and wine with fine company.

The most popular wedding foliage 2022 revealed

Wow, 2022 was quite the year for weddings with a bumper amount taking place. Looking back at what was trending last year, perhaps inspiration for those tying the knot in 2023, wedding insurance specialists Protectivity have researched the most popular wedding flowers, based on UK Google Search Volume. The most popular wedding bouquet foliage was Eucalyptus, with 585,000 searches! Followed by, Ivy 495,000, Jasmine 458,200, Rosemary 374,600, Ferns 351,200, Monstera 319,500, Silver Birch 219,600, Philodendrons 219,400, Olive branches 143,000 and Myrtle 133,300.

Mottram Hall is an elegant 18th-century late Georgian country house hotel

Mottram Hall is an elegant 18th-century late Georgian country house hotel set in 270 acres of beautiful Cheshire countryside. Located in the heart of Cheshire within easy driving distance of Manchester and surrounding villages, it's easily accessible for your guests. Plus, the picture-perfect rose gardens and stunning lake offer an idyllic setting any wedding day.

Ceremonies are held in the St Andrews Suite or during the summer months, outside among the glorious gardens. The grounds also offer a wonderful setting for your couple portraits and while you're off with your photographer, you can rest assured knowing your guests are well looked after at your drinks reception. Prosecco is included in every package, but you're welcome to upgrade to champage or an alternative.

Honeymooning in your married name

If you are dreaming of jetting off to sandy shores with your sparkling new ring, spouse and matching passports...then this guide from NameSwitch will tell you how to make your dreams come true. Please do have a proper think about whether having matching passports straight away is really that important to you because, trust us when we say, it's not an easy thing to pull off! With recent changes to how processes work, effects of the Pandemic, and added complications like not being handed your marriage certificate on your wedding day, or needing the name on your NHS records to be the same as the one on your passport, an already stressful undertaking just got even more nail-biting! Now it's not mission impossible, but you do need 3 key things to be aligned (and nerves of steel) if this is going to work...

Manor House Hotel has finished its second phase of spa developments

The independent family-owned Manor House Hotel in Alsager, Cheshire, which started life as a 17th-century farmhouse, has finished its second phase of spa developments and has opened its new English Country Spa Garden.

Making the most of the natural light and fresh air, this exciting new addition is inspired by the hotel's picturesque rural location. Here, you can relax in the stunning outdoor seating areas come rain or shine or wander around the garden visiting the large vitality pool, sunken table top hydrotherapy tub, The Pavilion with a panoramic laconium and the Summer House where you can find the light relaxation lounge and patio. Then, make your way through a thermal journey and visit the salt steam inhalation chamber and the Potting Shed herbal sauna before braving the icy cool plunge bath.

Maritime Museum tells the story of one of the world’s greatest ports

Located in the heart of the historical Royal Albert Dock, Maritime Museum tells the story of one of the world's greatest ports. From the large HMS Conway anchor at the building's entrance to the ship models in our spacious galleries, the Museum forms a unique part of Liverpool's history and is an iconic place to get married.

The Museum overlooks the Royal Albert Dock, one of the largest groups of Grade I listed buildings in England and boasts an impressive outdoor space on the waterside Colonnades. This is an ideal spot to enjoy drinks receptions, evening buffets and barbecues with 200 guests – you could even hop on a boat and sail off into the sunset.

The rise of double-barrelled surnames

n the past couple of years, there's been a continued increase in the number of people wishing to join their names. For example, in November, research by The London Mint Office to mark The Queen's platinum wedding anniversary shows that 11% of married couples between the ages of 18 and 30 joined their names. As the UK's leading Name Changing Service, NameSwitch has also seen an 18% year-on-year growth in couples wishing to adopt a double-barrelled surname, which accounts for 12% of the thousands of name changes we've assisted over the last 12 months. So, why are more of us opting to double-barrel their surnames?

Your wedding, your way

With the Pandemic derailing wedding plans since 2020, the next few years look set to be a busy time for couples celebrating their union. But couples themselves are evolving – from individuals who feel shoehorned into traditions or cultural expectations they don't feel comfortable with, to those who feel more confident creating their own idea of how a wedding should be, encompassing a far wider range of preferences, traditions, and cultures. When NameSwitch was invited to speak on diversity at a recent industry event, Bridelux Symposium, the overwhelming consensus of wedding professionals was that they, too, are seeing a change in how weddings are becoming more individually unique; created to celebrate the heritage (often blended) and preferences of each couple.

We sat down with local florist Debbie Bennett from Lilac & Thyme

We sat down with Debbie Bennett owner of Wirral-based florist Lilac & Thyme to find out more about her business.

Please tell us about Lilac & Thyme – We're a wedding florist based on The Wirral and are passionate about all we do! The business was born out of my passion for all things floral. I'm a self-taught florist and am fanatical about learning new skills. We work with creative flair to put together beautiful fresh and faux flower displays for all occasions. We love what we do and put our heart and soul into our work to ensure that your wedding flowers are all you've dreamed of and more. From consultation to the actual day, we're with you every step of the way, guiding you and recommending seasonal flowers and styles to suit your theme.

GREAT! romance to Launch on Thursday 5th January 2023

Dreaming of cosying up with some love-ly film entertainment in the New Year? GREAT! romance, a new, free-to-air, TV channel dedicated to bringing feel-good, romance films to TV screens, all day, every day, is launching on Thursday 5th January 2023. If you have a soft spot for romantic movies and are looking to indulge in escapist entertainment this winter, then look no further! Romantics across the UK can fall head-over-heels with the only TV channel that promises back-to-back love stories all day every day - for free! - and the curated selection of movies is guaranteed to melt anyone's heart at the start of 2023.

Crewe Hall is a stunning Grade I listed Jacobean mansion

You take a step back in time when you host your wedding day at Crewe Hall, a stunning Grade I listed Jacobean mansion complete with wow factor. With opulent interiors, landscaped gardens and period-style bedrooms there's so much to take in. But despite being a historical gem, Crewe Hall hasn't skimped on the 21st-century comforts, as you can also kick back with an expert treatment in the spa or plunge into the heated indoor pool.

The Long Gallery is the largest room in the main hall and is bathed in Jacobean history. With a central fireplace and large windows overlooking the landscaped grounds, it's a magnificent setting and can accommodate 200 for the ceremony, 180 for your wedding breakfast, and 200 for the evening do.

Christmas winter wedding music

Getting married at Christmas doesn't mean that you have to plan a Christmas-themed wedding. Here, roaming band The Travelling Hands, suggest songs that would work well for a Christmas winter wedding and the songs to avoid! When it comes to music, the same rule applies. Just because you want to get married at Christmas it doesn't mean that your musical playlist has to be full of Wizzard & Cliff Richard if you don't want it to be there. When our acoustic roaming band The Travelling Hands perform at winter weddings we see a wide variety of decisions when it comes to Christmas songs. Some want to embrace the Christmas classics - adding these into their day. Others like a few placed in here and there, whilst some want to just stick to their favourite songs without any Christmas numbers added in at all.

John Pass Jewellers has won Retail Sales Team of the Year

The winners of the UK Jewellery Awards 2022 were revealed recently at the Hilton London Metropole, and John Pass Jewellers, which has a store in Crewe, Cheshire, scooped up the win for Retail Sales Team of the Year. The team were praised by the expert judging panel for creating a team spirit that other businesses would be proud to emulate.

Marking its 30th anniversary this year, the UK Jewellery Awards, organised by jewellery and watch industry title Retail Jeweller, is the country's longest-running and most prestigious trade awards event. With 21 targeted categories, the awards cover every aspect of the industry from jewellery design and ethical business practice to customer service and successful retailing.

Outdated wedding laws need to change

In an article earlier this year there was discussion and praise aimed towards the Government's plans to allow outdoor weddings to be made permanent. The article also highlighted the eagerly awaited Law Commission report into marriage laws, which was due to be published in July. Now it has been published and we have had some time for the dust to settle, Kate Van Rol, Barrister at 4PB has looked into these recommendations, "Are wedding laws at present 'confusing, outdated and restrictive' as the Commission suggest, or would the implementation of their suggestions trivialise weddings and commercialise the ceremony?". Kate continues...

The Isla Gladstone’s sun-flooded interior breaths warmth into any occasion

A traditional Victorian conservatory, The Isla Gladstone's sun-flooded interior breaths warmth into any occasion, allowing your imagination to run wild and create the day of your dreams. The venue has an incredible structure dating back to the 1800s and is a significant cultural and architectural piece of history. Nestled amid picturesque rose gardens, 20 glistening lakes and historical sandstone pavilions, the glasshouse is surrounded by beauty – quite the playground for your photographer.