Your Kent Wedding news and ideas from around the county

Capture the best of spring in your wedding photos with Nicky's Photography

We asked Nicky Tulip at Nicky's Photography for her advice on celebrating the season through wedding photos... Nicky says, spring is such a beautiful time of the year to have your wedding day. Such a lovely mild temperature, along with fresh leaves and flowers starting to bloom. To capture the season in your images I love to include those beautiful, natural surroundings and the low, early evening sunlight, which lends them a warm glow.

Maileg Wedding Mice back at Bluebell's Burrow

Award-winning, family-run toy business, Bluebell's Burrow, is one of the UK's leading stockists of Maileg toys. These super-stylish, picture-perfect collectable toys are loved by both children and adults. With the wedding season fast-approaching, Maileg Wedding Mice Set (priced at £64) comes in a pretty presentation box, which opens up to reveal the bride and groom on their wedding day. Their clothes and accessories are removable, providing dress-up opportunities and imaginative play for children.

Bizarre wedding traditions: The Eurovision edition

Wedding traditions are dramatically different around the world. From the type of cake served to the attire of the bride, you'll be amazed at what happens on wedding days around the continent. To celebrate Eurovision 2023 taking place in the vibrant city of Liverpool, engagement and wedding ring experts at Steven Stone have rounded up some of the most bizarre traditions from participating countries – including the Big 5.

The do's and don'ts of having pets at weddings

Are you considering including your dog in your wedding festivities? While it can be a lovely way to honour your furry best friend, there are some important considerations to remember to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Dog Behaviourist at Pooch & Mutt Dr Emma Scales-Theobald, PhD, shares the do's and don'ts of including your dog in your wedding, from making sure your dog is properly trained and socialised to creating a comfortable and safe space for them during the event. These tips will help ensure your dog is happy, healthy, and well-behaved throughout the celebration...

Wedding florist Louise Roots tells us how to inject the spirit of spring into your nuptials

We tend to think of soft pastels when we think of spring, but there's a huge array of colours available. Spring brings an abundance of scent and colour after the long winter months and kick starts the wedding season. Whatever your style or palette, there are so many choices of spring flowers to suit. Pretty ranunculus, sweet peas and clematis are perfect for a soft, romantic colour palettes of pinks and lilac. These delicate little flowers are beautiful in bouquets and low arrangements, while accents of cherry blossom and magnolia are so pretty in taller designs. After all, nothing screams springtime more than blossom!

Introducing Story Locker’s wedding podcast

With the ever growing popularity of podcasting, welcome to the next big thing which makes podcasting accessible. Story Locker, a one of a kind in the UK podcast recording service that lets participants create a personal podcast based on their life story or to celebrate other special moments in life. The couple can choose to either record their podcast before their wedding day and recall the journey of their love story – from when they first met & the engagement (how it all happened!) to setting the date, the planning and build up to the big day or record their podcast after their wedding day to include memories of the big day too!

Learn from the professionals at Kent Mobile Bar Company

The bar staff team at Kent Mobile Bar Company are experts, they're world-class mixologists and they know their stuff! What better way to get the party started than shaking up a storm with an interactive cocktail masterclass? Break the ice, get the conversation flowing and learn a few new skills. The team will do all the planning, shopping and preparations. You just enjoy a stress-free celebration with your friends and family. Perfect for a hen or stag do.

County Wedding Events comes to Morden Hall, London!

If you're newlyweds-to-be embarking on your wedding planning journey, pop along to the County Wedding Events wedding show at Morden Hall, Morden, London for inspiration on 14th May 2023! A must-visit for all those that are desperate for face-to-face wedding planning, the show puts you in touch with local professionals who are on hand to help plan the wedding day. From photographers to cake makers, musicians to florists you're sure to tick a lot off of your to-do list by attending one of our County Wedding Events.

Why Champagne is the number one choice for weddings and celebrations

Champagne naturally goes hand in hand at weddings and there is no shortage of creative ways to share the pinnacle of sparkling wine. The Champagne Bureau UK*, has included useful tips below on how to best serve Champagne at a wedding and help select the right style for the occasion. Using the correct glassware: whilst trends come and go and flutes have commonly been thought of as the crème de la crème - a tall, rounded, tulip-shaped glass is the perfect choice and expertly shows off your Champagne's aromas and bubbles.

#ThisBarbie is getting married! New cards from Thortful

thortful has launched a Barbie card range to send to your bestie on her big day! The internet has been coloured pink with over 107,000 views on Tiktok for #ThisBarbie following the release of a new Barbie trailer. Greetings card marketplace, thortful, has created Barbie cards to send to your nearest and dearest, including 'This Barbie has passed her driving test', and 'This Barbie is getting married'

Kent's own Frasers scoops coveted Sustainable Wedding Award

Frasers, a sustainable events venue based on a beautiful private estate and eco farm in Kent, has been announced as a winner at the inaugural 2023 Sustainable Wedding Awards. The awards recognise businesses and venues demonstrating a commitment to environmental sustainability, ethical business practices, and social responsibility. Kent's very own Frasers scooped the coveted Sustainable Supply Chain Award, reflecting the company's commitment to reducing its environmental impact and promoting sustainability through its responsible sourcing strategy. In addition, the local lovely was highly commended in the Sustainable Change Maker category in recognition of its efforts to encourage greater awareness and action through advocacy and example of best practice.

Avoid a pet custody dispute - get a petnup

Ella Welsby, a senior associate at law firm DMH Stallard and specialist divorce lawyer, explains below how a petnup can help avoid a costly custody battle. Ella Welsby, a senior associate at law firm DMH Stallard and specialist divorce lawyer, said: "We are a nation of animal lovers, but consideration of how pet ownership would be dealt with in the event of a relationship breakdown often comes too late. Given the continued trend for couples to embark on pet ownership as a first foray into family life, it is important to appreciate how to best protect respective interests.

Check out the wedding showcase at Bromley Court on 14th May

The Bromley Court Hotel is hosting a wedding showcase event on Sunday 14th May, 2023, from 12pm to 4pm. It's your opportunity to view this stunning venue while you enjoy sampling some of its tasty canapés and bubbles. While you're there, meet the venue's team of experienced wedding coordinators as well as local suppliers who together can turn your wedding dreams into reality. Register and book your tickets today at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wedding-showcase-event-tickets-519094484577. And for further information on the venue pop over to https://bromleycourthotel.co.uk

5 ways to plan a sentimental bridesmaid proposal

Planning your wedding is such a personalised experience, and getting to do it your own way is part of what makes it so special. With this in mind, have you thought about how you'll ask your bridesmaids to be part of your wedding party? Add a sentimental touch to this moment with these tips from Kirsty Prankherd, Managing Director of Write From The Heart. Getting everything planned for your wedding is such a personal process, and asking your bridesmaid to be in your wedding party is one of those special moments you'll remember long after the event. So naturally, you'll want to add some individual touches to this proposal to make it an even more special moment between you and your friends.

Noble Macmillan is celebrating this year's wedding season

Luxury leather goods brand Noble Macmillan is celebrating this year's wedding season with a stunning collection of exceptional quality, personalised leather gifts. This thoughtfully curated edit includes a variety of exquisite items from their ever popular classic travel games and bound photo albums, to their brand new glassware range, specifically their stunning hand-blown decanters - all would make wonderful additions to any wedding list.

There's a new space to celebrate at Kent's Penshurst Place

Penshurst Place and Gardens had the opportunity to show off its fabulous new wedding space for the first time at an open house event recently. The Garden Room is a new area at the historical venue, available for ceremonies, receptions and parties. Repurposed from its original role as a restaurant to become a flexible function space, it's located alongside the South Lawn at Penshurst Place and is accessed independently from the main house. Accommodating between 30 and 120 people, the ground floor room is suitable for a variety of events and has wheel-chair access. It offers an adaptable, additional space for dining, dancing or drinks receptions, allowing you to decide how you'd like to utilise it on your big day. Find out more about tying the knot at Penshurst Place in our Spotlight on... Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells feature this issue, or head over to www.penshurstplace.com

The truth about artificial flowers

While they're undoubtedly becoming more popular, the stigma of the past surrounding artificial flowers still lingers. But Sam Richards from A Touch of Kent believes they've evolved and are now more realistic-looking than ever, to a point that from a distance even the most well-trained eye would struggle to tell the difference. We caught up with Sam to find out more. Where do we stand on the sustainability front with faux flowers – aren't they plastic and therefore more harmful to the environment? "In a world where we focus on sustainability and being environmentally-friendly, we still don't bat an eyelid at using fresh flowers for our big days and are happy to waste hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds on real, fresh flowers only for them to go into the bin at the end of the night.

How to throw a Hen Do on a budget

A typical spend for a Hen Do weekend can cost over £250 per person, taking a big chunk out of the wedding budget. Not only is this a massive cost for the bride, but it could also lead to members of the bridal party worrying about how they can afford such lavish expenses, which may result in them bailing out on the plans. Making arrangements in advance and planning activities ahead of time means both the bride and the party enjoy the celebrations without any falling outs. Sticking to local destinations or opting for activities like bottomless pottery painting over brunch are some of the simple solutions to saving money but still allow everyone to revel in the fun.

Check out Betteshanger Park's wedding fair on 23rd April 2023

Betteshanger Country Park offers two stunning venues set among 250 acres of Kentish grounds. The contemporary building constructed woods and metals offers a great first impression to arriving guests. The in-house team of event experts can also tailor bespoke packages and menus, enabling you to personalise your big day. The venue is located just outside of Deal, Kent, so the beach and other exciting photo backdrops are also within easy reach should you wish to ventre outside. WEDDING FAIR Now you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to the venue's wedding fair on 23rd April 2023. Here, you have the opportunity to meet 20+ local Kent suppliers from 10am-2.30pm. Plus Betteshanger's fab team will be on hand to help answer any questions related to the venue.

County Wedding Magazine reader shares their prize win story!

Here at County Wedding Magazines HQ, we love nothing more than to hear from the winners of our competitions. In the crazy world of wedding planning, it's exciting for us to be able to offer our lovely readers some exciting giveaways and competitions which will hopefully give you a much-needed pick-me-up during on the countdown to your wedding day. In December 2022, CWM ran a competition, 'Win a relaxing spa day for two!' and the winners were nearlyweds Laura and Antoni. The lucky pair enjoyed a day at The Spa at Ardencote, a luxury four-star wedding venue in Warwickshire, including a 55-minute Elemis treatment, light lunch and full access to the award-winning spa facilities worth £130!