Your North West Wedding news and ideas from around the region

A man’s perspective to changing names after marriage

NameSwitch has interviewed some trail blazing men who took a bold step into the future. When you're planning a wedding, whether small and informal or grand-scale, there's a myriad of tasks to organise. And, these days, guys are expected to pull their weight when it comes to sorting everything from flower arrangements and wedding cakes to transport and catering. But, before you even walk down the aisle to say, "I do", there's another important factor to consider – whether you intend to take your partner's surname.

Bliss Events by Katie is now offering six different flower walls

Bliss Events by Katie specialises in venue dressing and styling for weddings and events across the North West. Katie tells us more about her company: "We pride ourselves on being an affordable luxury. We believe 'event perfection' should be available to everyone, no matter the occasion or your budget. We will work with you to create an event for the memory books that will leave your guests in awe!"

There are currently six gorgeous flower walls to choose from in different colour palettes. All of the flower walls are handmade, cloth backed and 8ft x 8ft in size – perfect for making a statement. These are ideal to get married in front of or as a backdrop for the reception.

Is keeping your maiden name at work right for you?

NameSwitch shares its advice on the dilemma that many women face in the workplace, and that's whether to keep your maiden name? Read on to find out more... The process of getting married comes with a million personal choices to be made along the way – do you want a big white dress or something more minimal? Do you want a DJ at your celebration or a live band? Do you want to keep your maiden name or embrace your married one? Each choice is personal and unique and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Even when it comes to something as momentous as what name you'll be known by for the rest of your life, there are different options and choices to be made. And just like decisions about what kind of dress to buy, the choices you make about your name will also be influenced by your personal preferences and life experiences.

West Tower sits proudly at the end of a secluded driveway and is surrounded by well-kept gardens

Nestled within eight acres, West Tower sits proudly at the end of a secluded driveway and is surrounded by well-kept gardens. Boasting uninterrupted views of the Lancashire countryside, guests will be wowed by the 27 beautifully-appointed guest bedrooms, the luxurious bridal suite, state-of-the-art dressing room, glass skylight, wooden staircase, apex-covered entrance, secluded patio and terrace.

Weddings of up to 145 day and 250 evening guests take place in The Ballroom. Full of natural light, this space has wooden floors, PA facilities, striking views and an elegant décor throughout.

Daughters of Bohème is a new luxury bridal boutique in Carlisle, Cumbria

Daughters of Bohème was created in 2022 following a personal search for a boho wedding dress, that revealed a gap in the Cumbrian market. Through connections with several specialist international designers, Daughters of Bohème is now a must-see in Cumbria for gorgeous wedding gowns for the modern bride, many of them in a boho style.

"My daughter, Georgina, was planning her wedding and she had a strong vision of her perfect wedding dress," says owner Kathreen Burns. "We could see similar styles in magazines and online but struggled to find a bridal shop in North Cumbria that offered boho glamour wedding gowns. Her dad, Mike and I were already involved in the Lake District wedding sector through his generator business and local marquee suppliers. We had space at Flanders to create a bridal wear business that we knew would fill a niche gap in the market, and so Daughters of Bohème was born.

New interactive feature to make hen and stag dos less stressful

A new randomised spinning wheel feature has been launched by Hen Weekends and Stag Weekends in an effort to make the planning process of hen and stag parties easier and less stressful. This comes as their recent study of hen and stag party bookings found that 30% of hen and stag party organisers have no idea which location to book, with so many different options on offer creating quite the predicament.

Free Valentine's wedding with Frankie & Benny’s

Top Italian American restaurant Frankie & Benny's has been swamped with applications after offering a free wedding for Valentine's. The popular restaurant has launched the ultimate cost of living crisis busting wedding and they've already had thousands wanting to say 'I do'. The team at Frankie & Benny's have been astounded by the number of applicants, many of the lovebirds had their first date at one of the restaurants and want to celebrate their special day where they first met. You still have a chance to win, so long as you've just tied the knot, or about to, have a great love story, then you can apply for the free wedding. All applications need to be submitted via Facebook/Instagram by January 29, 2023.

New honeymoon experiences for couples with a conscience

Hotelgift is the ideal way to share the joy of travel with a newlywed couple with a conscience; from uber luxury glamping to wellness journeys for two. For every Hotelgift bought and for every gift card that is redeemed for a new hotel stay, 1,000 litres of water are donated to support local communities in places that need it most through a partnership with Made Blue.

The Forest Side has scooped the award for Best Country Hotel of the Year

The Forest Side has scooped the award for Best Country Hotel of the Year at the Good Hotels Guide 2023, winning one of its 12 coveted César awards. Inspectors singled out this Lake District gem's "Michelin-starred cuisine, elegant bedrooms and red squirrels in the garden" and acknowledged chef Paul Leonard's efforts to "source 90 per cent of produce from a 10-mile radius of Forest Side to create his inventive dishes."

General manager, Alasdair Elwick, commented: "We are extremely honoured to have won this prestigious award. It's a great testament to the team here at The Forest Side who have worked so diligently during what has been an unprecedented few years."

Average ages we are hitting life’s milestones

A new study from Confused.com has revealed the average ages we are hitting life's milestones in England & Wales, including getting married at age 35! So how does your milestone timeline compare? Typically, the first milestone people in the UK reach is moving out of their parent's home at age 20, followed by moving in with their partner at 27. The next life milestone those in the UK usually meet is having their first child, with couples seeming to have children before marriage. The average age for having children is 29, while the average age for getting married is 35. The data also suggests that on average, people are choosing to have children before purchasing a property. This could be a result of house prices continuing to rise making it harder to save for a deposit.

Ribby Hall Village is a five-star holiday destination with plenty of places for guests to explore

Situated in 130 acres of gorgeous countryside, Ribby Hall Village is a five-star holiday destination with plenty of places for guests to explore, including The Spa Hotel, 2AA Rosette dining areas, a health club, an impressive nine-hole golf course and gorgeous bedrooms.

The Summer House is an idyllic setting for al fresco nuptials with vibrant summer blooms and gorgeous greenery, whilst The Garden Room offers a beautifully-lit space with scenic views.

Couples are opting for eco-friendly weddings

One of the UK's leading waste and recycling management companies BusinessWaste.co.uk collected data, which shows how much attitudes to environmental and sustainable choices in regard to weddings are changing. According to the research searches for 'sustainable wedding' has skyrocketed by 75% over the last year, while 'sustainable wedding venues near me' saw an 80%+ increase along with 'sustainable engagement ring' which saw a staggering 96% search increase. What's more, us Brits came out on top overall for our eco-friendly mindfulness, with France and Greece also seeing the biggest increase in searches for sustainable wedding venues.

Keep your wedding guests warm this winter

Putting the chocolate back into drinking chocolate with their unique fine beads, Cocoa Canopy are making winter weddings super cosy with its sample-szie offering. Perfect for winter wedding favours, they offer the ultimate in comforting hot chocolates, guaranteed to put a smile on the receiver's face! Cocoa Canopy is the only UK drinking chocolate brand to craft unique fine chocolate beads for beautifully smooth, real chocolate drinks made from only a handful of sustainably sourced ingredients.

Rosie Miranda Photography is offering £100 off any of her packages

Rosie Miranda Photography is a wedding photographer covering the South Lakes, Lancashire and Yorkshire. Approaching photography from an artistic background, Rosie uses a distinctive colour palette, editing with warm pastel tones to add a fine art and contemporary style to her photography.

Rosie tells us more about her approach: "I strongly believe the secret to beautiful photos on your wedding day is being happy and in love. I like my couples draped in light and beaming with joy – the perfect combination for dreamy wedding portraits."

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.

Chorley Golf Club is a 17th-century manor house with a beautiful stone exterior

Chorley Golf Club is a 17th-century manor house with a beautiful stone exterior. The Grade II listed building houses many original features while still having a modern and sleek style. Situated within 124 acres of moorland golf course, the venue is in the heart of Lancashire and boasts impressive views of the surrounding golf course, Rivington Pike and Winter Hill.

The happy couple will host their ceremony and wedding breakfast in the beautifully-decorated Rivington Suite and the drinks reception in the Fairclough Suite.

Spotify data reveals the most popular wedding songs

Luxury engagement ring retailer, Diamonds Factory, has scraped Spotify to find the top 100 most popular wedding songs to include in your playlists. To do this, Diamonds Factory analysed over 100 Spotify playlists containing the word 'wedding' and found the most featured songs across all playlists. These playlists included 3500 unique songs, and the data scrape also used additional keywords to reveal the top wedding ceremony songs, wedding party songs and top wedding artists, too.

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:

Amore Signature Events is a new business created by two North West companies

All That Glitters Weddings and Events, a stationery company in Cumbria, has joined forces with local styling company, Finesse Weddings and Events to create a new company called Amore Signature Events.

Leigh McPake, one of the owners, tells us more: "At All That Glitters Weddings and Events, I make anything from table numbers and welcome signs to seating plans, favours and bridesmaid proposal gifts. My little one-man band recently joined Finesse Weddings and Events to create Amore Signature Events."

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