Miscellaneous Monday: Spring Wedding Tweet up

Today we're turning our attention to the wonderful wedding suppliers who help our brides and grooms with planning every details of their wedding as smoothly and stress-free as possible. Last week, West Weddings had the privilege of joining many of the local business owners for the Spring Wedding Tweet up, which took place on Tuesday evening at Goldbrick House, Bristol. 

Organised by the wonderful Kirsten Butler from The Little Wedding Helper - our creative director for the West Weddings photoshoots - the Tweet-ups are a chance for wedding businesses within the area to catch-up over a glass of champagne and canapés. As always, everyone was wonderfully looked after by the fantastic team at Goldbrick House.  

Having met many of the South West's wedding experts at events, shows and, of course, on our quarterly editorial photoshoots, we can honestly say the wedding industry abounds in talented, creative and above all supportive people. Our engaged couples going through the all the stages of organising a big day (venue, dress, entertainment, cake, photography, etc) can enlist the services of experienced vendors whom we absolutely love and respect! 

Jacqui from West Weddings with Jane from Beez Neez Bunting Hire 

Wearing the elegant red hat (see picture above), Jane from Beez Neez Bunting Hire is skilled at making beautiful bunting available to buy or hire as well as studying millinery and creating beautiful bespoke pieces. Take a peek at her website if you don't believe us! 

Throughout the evening Jacqui had a lovely chat with Susan from Portishead Wedding Flowers and caught up with Martin from Martin Dabek Photography, whose beautiful and fun images feature regularly in our real weddings pages and photo gallery. He also helped us create the editorial 'love story' in our recent issues!

Later on, the West Weddings team also spoke to Harriet from Harriet de Winton Illustration and Louise from Maison-du-Macaron and we're looking forward to working with both of them on our next photo shoot at Clevedon Hall!

Before the night was over, we also managed to talk to Grace form Grace Kingsley make-up and of course the host - Kirsten from The Little Wedding Helper! Aside from being a fun and relaxed networking opportunity, the event also raised money for the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation - a charity that organises and funds weddings for terminally ill people.

Took part in last week's event? Let us know on our Twitter and  Facebook pages! And don't forget to check the Little Wedding Tweet ups page for information on the upcoming events! 

Miscellaneous Monday: Bristol and Somerset Wedding Awards

Brides and grooms from the South West region, drum rolls, please! The awards season is upon us, and we’re over the moon about the forthcoming Bristol and SomersetWedding Awards.The stylish ceremony will take place on Friday, 27th February, at The Bristol Hotel, Bristol.    

Now in their second year, The Bristol and Somerset Wedding Awards are the

region’s first – and only – awards designed to celebrate the achievements of local wedding suppliers. Prior to the organisation of the last year’s awards, there was no way for local couples to recognise the hard work of those who had helped them on their big days; a huge shame for those who work tirelessly, whether they make and decorate cakes, take photographs to be treasured forever, or dress a couple’s venue. The Bristol and Somerset Wedding Awards aim to address this imbalance, allowing suppliers from across the region to take the spotlight.

A very worthy cause

The Awards will once again be supporting The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation – a locally based charity that funds and organises weddings for those affected by terminal and life limiting illness. After last year’s event raised a phenomenal £1,600 for the Foundation, the organizers are hoping to make this year even more successful. For more information about the charity, visit  www.weddingwishingwell.org.uk

TheBristol and Somerset Wedding Awards ceremony promises to be a great atmosphere and a celebration of the local wedding industry. Tickets cost £50 and include all the ingredients of an amazing party: sparkling drinks reception, 3-course gourmet meal, and DJ entertainment throughout the evening – we’re in!

What’s more, this year you can purchase a VIP ticket for £60, which will include a private pre-dinner reception with canapés, drinks, and goodie bags - it's a fantastic opportunity for suppliers to celebrate another successful year. 

To get your tickets, head over to the website : www.bristolandsomersetweddingawards.co.uk, where you can read more information about the event. 
As always, find us on Facebook and Twitter - we'd love to know who you voted for this year!

You're invited to Eastwood Park

Brides and grooms-to-be, this invitation is for you! What better way to kick-start your wedding planning than with a sneaky peak inside one of the finest West Country wedding venues?  

Eastwood Park, winner of ‘Best Wedding Venue in Bristol & Somerset 2014’, is holding an ‘open house’ event on Tuesday 9th September 2014 between 6pm and 8pm. 

  

You can experience this stunning country house at Eastwood Park, just near Thornbury and not far from junction 14 of the M5, in all its glory to see whether it’s right for your wedding.You’ll be able to see the function suites fully laid out for a wedding, together with a wide selection of displays from local wedding suppliers. You’ll be welcome to savour the warm, inviting atmosphere of the magnificent country house with bridal suite and bedrooms, nestling in 200 acres of grounds and formal gardens, in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside.

It’s an ideal opportunity to see the delightful drawing room prepared for a civil ceremony and the Eastwood terrace suite laid out for a wedding breakfast. The team will be on hand to show you round and answer any questions or queries you may have regarding your special day.

Tempted? Perhaps this will persuade you to pop this date in your diary: there will also be a delicious hog roast and spectacular firework finale at 7.45 pm too - not to be missed! Entrance to the event is free, but you will need to register your tickets in advance by contacting the weddings team on 01454 262818.

All proceeds and donations raised from the event will be donated to the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation, a charity that helps organise weddings for those suffering from terminal life-limiting illnesses. 

For further information visit  www.eastwoodpark.co.uk and www.weddingwishingwell.org.uk, find them on Facebook, and don’t forget to book your ticket by calling 01454 262818!

Let us know if you’ll be going on Facebook or by tweeting us at @WestWeddingsMag! 

Reminder: Annual Wedding Fayre this Saturday to benefit Wedding Wishing Well Foundation

Last year we announced that The Guild of Professional Wedding Services will be hosting their Annual Wedding Fayre this Sunday (5th of January), at which they will be hosting a Charity Prize Draw to benefit the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation.

The Foundation was established in 2012 to fund weddings for terminally ill people, many of whom are unable to afford a wedding due to the financial burden often imposed by serious illness. Naomi Thomas established the Foundation after walking through these circumstances herself. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, but thanks to the generosity of a local wedding planner who donated her time and found suppliers who donated their services, Naomi was able to get married in 2012. Naomi now uses her background as a wedding planner to help pass on the gift of a wedding to people in the same situation.

This Saturday, attendees at the Annual Wedding Fayre will have the chance to support the Foundation (and be one of 25 winners of some fantastic prizes at the same time!) by entering the Charity Prize Draw. Raffle tickets will be available to purchase on the day from the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation table.

Winners of the prize draw will be eligible for a 5% discount from a long list of Guild members, including suppliers of photography, flowers, wedding cars, videography, cakes, and more! The full list can be found on the Guild's website here: http://theuniqueguildofweddingservices.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/charity-prize-draw-discounts-from-guild.html. Guild members have also agreed to donate 5% of their bookings to the Foundation.

Event Details:
Date: Sunday, 5th of January, 2014
Time: 11am-3pm
Location: Old Down Manor, Tockington, Bristol, BS32 4PG
Admission (optional): £1

Charity Prize Draw for the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation

The Guild of Professional Wedding Services will be supporting The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation at its next wedding fayre in January. 

From Guild members' personal experiences, they felt the foundation was a very important organisation to support because of their important work: organising and funding weddings for terminally ill people.   

The Guild members, who provide some of the very best wedding related services in our region, discussed ways in which to raise both awareness and funds for The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation and  decided to organise a ‘Charity Prize Draw’ with all funds being donated in its entirety to the foundation.   

With 25 prize draw winners, couples will be receiving discounts from Guild wedding service providers and in addition, the 'same value' will be donated to the foundation by the Guild members to boost funds for terminally ill people wishing to get married.    

The Charity Prize Draw will be held at The Guild of Professional Wedding Services Annual Wedding Fayre on Sunday, 5 January 2014 at Old Down Manor in Tockington, Bristol.

Come along to the wedding fayre and meet all the Guild members and also hear Naomi's story, the founder of The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation.  

For more information go to www.theuniqueweddingguild.co.uk and www.weddingwishingwell.org.uk.