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

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."

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.

New year nuptials at De Vere Cotswold Water Park

De Vere Cotswold Water Park in nestled in South Cerney, Gloucestershire, surrounded by the 152 lakes that make up the Cotswold Water Park. The hotel is home to the award-winning Spa 6, perfect for a pre-wedding pamper which boasts a gym, a hydro swimming pool, an aroma steam room and a dry flotation room. There are a variety of luxurious spa therapies and beauty treatments available on the extensive spa menu.

Could you have to pay inheritance tax on a wedding gift?

Before the big day comes around, whether you are a guest giving a present or contributing to the cost of the honeymoon, or perhaps a relative considering helping towards the cost of the wedding itself, you ought to consider the inheritance tax implications of making such gifts. James Mabey, partner at law firm Winckworth Sherwood advises on the inheritance tax implications of wedding gifts. In the UK, if you die within seven years of making a gift, inheritance tax may be payable on the value of the gift after your death. This is because gifts are considered to be part of your estate for inheritance tax purposes.

Fireflower Tipis offers year-round wedding options

Fireflower Tipis based in Stow-on-the-wold, Gloucestershire and hiring nationwide offers year-round wedding options for winter and summer celebrations. These magical tipis offer a rustic charm and blank canvas for weddings in all seasons. Summer celebrations can make the most of the great outdoors with garden games, al fresco drinks, hay bales and firepits. During the colder months, the interior of the tipis looks cosy dressed with fairylights, sheepskin rugs and blankets. Menu choices to complement a tipi wedding can be anything from fine dining to a grazing table set-up. Outdoor barbecues, wood-fired pizza ovens and street food vans are other great alternatives, as are mobile horsebox bars. On a warm evening, guests can gather around the firepit to toast marshmallows while enjoying a fireworks display.

Propress launches the MINI Clothes Steamer - perfecting for wedding dresses!

Professional and long-established British fabric steamer manufacturer, Propress, has unveiled the Propress MINI Handheld Clothes Steamer. A revolutionary product that combines over 40 years of steaming expertise with cutting-edge technology, the MINI allows users to say goodbye to the days of wrestling with an ironing board and hello to the future of garment care with beautifully crease-free clothes, whether at home, in the office, or on-the-go.

The Propress Mini Handheld Clothes Steamer (£110) is available in Arctic Grey, Idol Blue or Vintage Pink from the Propress website. It heats up in under a minute offering the convenience of crease-free clothes with a simple touch of a button. Its efficiency and ease of use make it a must-have for every fashion-savvy individual, plus it is versatile enough to treat various home fabrics from curtains to bedding, and is ideal for weddings or even hoteliers.

Sous Chef leuan Davies at The Castle Inn, Wiltshire Appears On Masterchef

The Castle Inn in Castle Coombe, Wiltshire reveals that sous chef leuan Davies, made it onto MasterChef: The Professionals as a Quarter Finalist. Finding his passion for cooking at an early age, leuan embarked on his culinary journey at the age of 16, accumulating diverse experiences at renowned establishments across the UK. Motivated by a desire for personal growth and a love for the culinary arts, leuan chose to participate in MasterChef: The Professionals. Competitions, for him, are not only a measure of his skills but also a source of excitement in his daily culinary pursuits. MasterChef: The Professionals is on Tuesday and Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One and the series is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Winter wedding inspiration from leading wedding planner

Matthew Shaw, founder & creative director at sauveur. shares his winter wedding inspiration for those looking to tie the knot at this time of year. Winter weddings have grown hugely in popularity. The festive season can be a truly magical time of year to host a wedding and stand out from the crowd but it does bring its own set of considerations for the planning. Whilst the key areas of your wedding planning will be the same as a wedding in any other month, there are a few different elements to consider to create an incredible winter wedding celebration.

How to kick-start your wedding planning

Samantha Gilchrist, Co-Founder and CEO of the UK's largest wedding venue collection, The Gilchrist Collection, shares her top tips on how to kick-start your wedding plans, taking away any unnecessary stress and disappointment in preparation for that special day. Set a Date - possibly the most important aspect of planning as getting this date in the diary will allow you to move forward with your plans. When choosing a date, it's worth carrying out a simple checklist to help you nail that day down such as: Think if there is a time of year you both always wanted to get married in? A season you both love or a month that is special to you is a great starting point.

5 unique winter wedding trends for 2023

From décor inspired by the season's natural beauty to creative ways to keep your guests warm, wedding supply experts Aura Print have searched TikTok to bring you the top five quirky winter wedding trends for 2023.While traditional wedding fayre often includes champagne toasts and wine, a hot chocolate bar offers a warm, decadent, and customisable alternative for the colder months. As the evening progresses and temperatures drop, guests can enjoy a sweet treat to keep them going on the dance floor. For younger guests or for those who don't drink alcohol, a hot chocolate bar also provides a great non-alcoholic option. With over 112.7 million TikTok hashtag views, the hot chocolate wedding bar trend is set to take the winter wedding season by storm!

A more sustainable, ethical, and zero-waste approach to weddings

Reports suggest that 4,910 tonnes of unrecyclable plastic was used up and left behind at British weddings last year, with this in mind, 77 Diamonds has released a planning guide to promote a more sustainable, ethical, and zero-waste approach to weddings. Individually, one wedding can produce as much as 20kg of plastic waste. What's more, the black bags used to collect the rubbish are themselves potentially harmful. They can take as many as 90 years to break down under the ground. But it's not just plastic which has an impact. Food wastage is also a common theme for most weddings.

Find County Wedding Magazines on YouTube

We're never satisfied when it comes to providing our readers with enough wedspiration, which is why we've created our very own County Wedding Magazine YouTube channel! You'll find tons of big-day ideas, from venue tours to dream dresses, then take a peek behind the scenes of styled shoots featured in our titles past and present. We're adding more content all the time, so why not hit SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a thing? Simply head to YouTube and search for 'County Wedding Magazines' now

Book a festive seasonal break at The Manor House

Book a festive seasonal break at The Manor House in Castle Combe, Wiltshire with a three-night package from £3,180 or a four-night package priced from £3,520. Guests will be swept off their feet in the fairytale-inspired setting in this historic hotel nestled in the heart of the Cotswolds. This idyllic retreat offers a refined festive experience with welcoming roaring fires and plenty of cosy nooks to curl up in. An enchanting Christmas Eve dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant Bybrook awaits, with the option to head to midnight mass, before being welcomed back with hot chocolate and warm mince pies. The main event, the Christmas Day lunch, will be served in Bybrook where culinary excellence meets holiday magic.

AI creates the ultimate first dance song

There are over 217,000 first dances in the UK every year (1,950,000 in the US) yet couples usually pick the same handful of songs. Have you ever wondered why tracks like Etta James' At Last and Just You And I by Tom Walker are so popular at weddings? And what makes them so timeless? Function Central, a platform for finding and hiring musicians and bands for events, have answered exactly that! By analysing the most popular first dance songs to find the top 10 that couples choose, they have used AI to create the world's ultimate first dance song based on their findings, showing couples that they can have a timeless first dance song that is unique to their wedding.

PoB Hotels unveil Black Friday Special Offers with luxury stays

PoB Hotels unveil Black Friday Special Offers with luxury stays in their exquisite properties in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall. The finest collection of independent hotels across the British Isles unveils an exclusive special offer. Running from now until the 2nd of December, any guest purchasing a PoB gift voucher exceeding £250 will be gifted a Gusbourne Estate voucher worth £100. PoB Hotels' Gift Vouchers are available to buy online and can be personalised as part of a luxury gift pack including a reusable travel bag, a copy of The Handle – PoB Hotels' elegant print magazine - and a stylish gift wallet. The voucher can be sent digitally to guests getting to embark on a staycation, dining experience, or spa retreat.

How to make your engagement ring shine for wedding day

Between shampoo, hairspray, moisturiser and hand cream – we can all agree that our beautiful engagement rings go through a lot on a daily basis. After all, many of us wear them every day without ever taking them off! But if your big day is just around the corner, it's crucial to keep your ring looking its best for those all-important wedding photos and to ensure your nearest and dearest see it in all its glory. With this in mind, experts at family-owned jewellers and diamond merchants, Chisholm Hunter, offer their specialist advice on how to get your ring gleaming before your big day... Max Brown, Retail Director at Chisholm Hunter, shares their top tips for ensuring your engagement ring is sparkling ahead of your wedding day: "If you want your precious jewellery to look its best on the big day, we recommend taking your ring to a professional jewellers for both ultrasonic and steam cleaning and using fine emery paper followed by a full polish to remove any surface scratching.

Venues for the perfect autumnal ceremony

New research conducted by ethical jewellery brand Sacet has revealed the top country wedding venues across the UK that would make the perfect location for an autumnal ceremony. By analysing a number of factors (including guest capacity, number of reviews, professionalism, quality of service and value for money) of over 30 wedding venues that offer barn, country and forest-style weddings in the UK, the top 10 were revealed. Brinsop Court Manor House and Barn, in Hereford, has been crowned the overall winner, with top ratings across all factors (quality of service, response time, professionalism, value for money flexibility and average rating). It also had the most number of reviews and can hold between 30 to 250 guests.