Your Yorkshire Wedding news and ideas from around the county

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.

Bolton Castle shortlisted in the North of England Wedding Awards

Bolton Castle has offered weddings and private hire for a number of years alongside its commitment to welcoming visitors during its open season. Now, this beautiful location has been shortlisted in the North of England Wedding Awards for the Countryside Venue award. What makes these awards special is that it's only couples who've tied the knot at the venue who are eligible to vote, so as a small venue, the team are delighted to have been recognised among other much larger venues in the region. The Castle's GM, Jacqui Naylor says, "To be a finalist in such awards is a real boost for the entire team."

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.

Rewarding news from Beauty in Bloom!

It's been an eventful year for the owner of hair and beauty salon Beauty In Bloom. Since launching her Ilkley-based concept salon in April Charlotte Hawkins has seen great support, not only from her local community but now from her industry. Last week, the prestigious Hair and Beauty Awards announced the salon on Cowpasture Road as a finalist in the Bridal Salon of the Year category. Charlotte says of the news: "I'm blown away and it's an honour to have our hard work and efforts recognised within the industry. We love making our brides look and feel amazing for their big day and this award would be testament to our dedication."

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.

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

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.

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!

Bawtry Hall given a new lease of life

Award-winning South Yorkshire wedding venue, Bawtry Hall near Doncaster, has redeveloped its facilities with support from HSBC UK. Large areas of the 18th-century site including wedding reception rooms and the grounds have been updated following the investment, with further works planned later this year. The owners have also hired 15 new staff members in order to meet increased demand following the renovations. Jason Cooper, one of Bawtry Hall's shareholders says, "We're thrilled with this latest round of renovations completed with HSBC's backing. Although the building was already incredibly special, these updates will ensure that Bawtry Hall remains an exceptional venue for all our customers.

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.

Ales and Cocktails launch exciting new collaboration with Wressle Grange

The team at Ales and Cocktails are proud to be collaborating with Wressle Grange on a new Cocktails and Graze package. Located in the quaint village of Wressle on a working arable farm, the hen party venue boasts a stunning garden, patio area, firepit and large lawns, not to mention the exquisite décor and furniture inside the farmhouse itself. Wressle Grange Farmhouse is ideal for group celebration, with plenty of indoor and outdoor space. Guests can play games, walk or simply relax. Three days here is the perfect amount of time to fully relax into the festivities with your besties. While you're there, why not enjoy Ales and Cocktails' new Cocktails and Graze package?

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.

Find out how to choose your big-day beauty team with The Style Lounge

With more than 19 million results showing up when you Google 'Yorkshire wedding hair and make-up,' finding the right team for you can be a daunting task. So, we turned to Lisa Kramer at The Style Lounge (https://thestylelounge.uk) for some advice: Lisa says: First, have a clear idea of what you want – do you need an individual hair stylist, make-up artist, or someone to do both? Where you will be getting ready, what time you need to be ready for, and how many people are in your wedding party, are all other questions to consider. The reason for this is that your glam squad will need to establish whether they've the time to get you all ready on the morning of your wedding, as well as if they're prepared to travel to your location.

Are these popular 2023 wedding song cursed?

Research from wedding entertainment providers Function Central shows couples are taking risks choosing songs for their weddings with shockingly high divorce rates. Function Central used existing data on the songs most likely to end in divorce to see whether couples were still taking risks by adding these songs to their upcoming nuptials. This data was then cross-referenced against existing wedding playlists of engaged couples to see whether couples were still choosing these songs for their weddings. The results were concerning for any superstitious couples worried about whether certain tracks were deemed bad luck for long lasting marriages.

Create a dreamy ambience with a harpist at your wedding day

We asked Rhian Evans Harpist (www.rhianevansharpist.com) to explain the virtues of harp music on a wedding day. This is what she had to say... Imagine a wedding without music. Impossible, isn't it? Music is a vital part of your celebration, and the harp creates a dreamy fairytale atmosphere, transforming your ceremony and adding that extra-special wow factor. You'll also be surprised by how many of your guests have never seen or heard a harp before! It's probably the most romantic musical instrument for your ceremony, drinks or wedding breakfast – or a combination of all three. I suggest for your ceremony you select songs that mean something to you as a couple.

5 reasons couples fail at sticking to their wedding budget

With the cost of living on everyone's minds, budget expert Isabel Smith, offers some insight into how couples can set (and stick to!) their wedding budget. The number of couples who are going overbudget on their wedding is dropping, from around 2/3 in 2018 to somewhere around 50% this year. This may be due to savvier couples setting more realistic budgets, or people simply refusing spend a penny more than planned owing to future financial uncertainty, but either way, I am all for it! I've never been an advocate for getting in debt over your big day, no matter how special you want it to be.

The perfect couples advent calendar

Couples looking for that x-factor idea to get them in the Christmassy mood this festive season need look no further than A Twist Of Date's personalised couples' advent calendar. This personalised QR-code collection of romantic, fun and creative couples' activities adds a spark of magic that is sure to make 2023 a December to remember. Perfect for long-term busy couples looking to reconnect through heart-warming moments, it's a no-brainer alternative to the typical chocolate-filled Christmas countdown. Whether it's an impromptu trip to your local ice rink, engaging in an act of kindness together or writing each other a romantic letter to be opened on Christmas, each day brings something new and exciting to share together.

How to master taking the perfect engagement ring photo

Proposals are often one of the most memorable, special and magical moments in a couples life, so it's only natural they want to share this joyous news with their friends, family and colleagues. In 2023, one of the most common ways for couples to share the news of their engagement is through social media. Couples often post gorgeous pictures in real time of themselves along with the dazzling engagement ring. Sharing the news via social media is a quick and easy way of telling your loved ones the news without having to individually call everyone, which can be overwhelming and time consuming. However, taking the perfect photo can be a bit of a challenge. Whilst it's not a competition to see who has the biggest ring and whose ring sparkles the most, a lot of people want their ring to look as desirable and shimmering as possible.