Your Yorkshire Wedding news and ideas from around the county

Team Hen's new Jelly Bag has landed

Meet the jelly bag that every bride tribe wants their hen party favours to arrive in 2023. Landing in three gram-worthy hues (off-white for the bride, dusky pink for the bridesmaids and maid-of-honour and pink for the hens). These reusable beauties are perfect for filling with Team Hen's latest array of coveted hen party favours and gifts whilst flaunting a cool, retro vibe. Plus, each comes tied with a matching ribbon, professionally printed in a luxe puffed design to create a slightly raised font effect. Not only are they the gift that keeps on giving (post-hen recipients can use them from beach to bar) but at £3.99 they're a steal!

Leon Marshall, musician, available for wedding bookings!

Great music is high on the hit list for any engaged couple when planning their wedding, so make sure your guests are well entertained by considering Leon Marshall to sing and play. "As a singing guitarist I provide live music from the intimacy of the ceremony, during reception drinks and your wedding breakfast, before getting the party started for the evening reception. I have a repertoire of around 300 songs ranging from rock 'n' roll through to popular songs today. I give my couples the option of choosing songs that I'll play from my list if they'd like, and if there's something that's not on the list I'll certainly have a go at learning it! My packages start from £250 for the ceremony on its own, to £1,450 for the whole day – but for the full day you'll get ceremony music, two 45 minutes sets during the drinks reception, two 45 minute sets during the wedding breakfast, four 45 minute sets during the evening, and a playlist of background music for between the sets."

Involving your family pet on the big day? Check out this personalised offering

Involving your four-legged friend on your wedding day? Are they taking a staring role walking down the aisle? If so, then you have to take a look at these smart and stylish personalised leather dog ring bearer pouches (£24) from Create Gift Love. Create Gift Love design and make personalised keepsake gifts and accessories to celebrate all of life's special moments, all handmade to order in its UK workshop from sustainable natural materials.

Richmond’s Katrina & Her Camera's special offer

If you're still searching for a wedding photographer, consider Richmond's Katrina & Her Camera, who covers North Yorkshire, the North East and beyond. "I've been a hobbyist photographer for the past five years and since having children decided to turn my passion into a career," says Katrina. "I was asked to second shoot some weddings with another photographer last year and got the bug – and am now available to shoot your own special day. I'm keeping it simple with my introductory prices, starting with The Full Thing – £1,000 for eight hours of coverage, along with around 400+ digital images and a complimentary pre-wedding shoot. I've also a Short & Sweet package available, which is £550 for four hours and includes around 200+ digital images."

The most popular 2023 trends according to Pinterest

To provide insight on the most popular wedding trends for spring 2023, the experts at Aura Print compiled a list of 25 popular trends after scouring Pinterest to discover the number of Pins for each. And here are the top 15 most popular spring 2023 wedding trends to be insipired by...First place for the most popular wedding trend for spring 2023 goes to the floral-themed trend. This trend had 22,148 Pins on the image sharing platform. It can include things like floral arches, flower-themed cakes or flower crowns. With a total of 11,765 Pins, the blue-themed wedding trend places second in the study. The trend also appeared on 116 Pinterest boards from 2022 onwards, cementing its popularity for the upcoming season. What is more, there's been a great interest in navy blue wedding invites, which had a whopping 16,725 Pins.

Winter Wedding Exclusive 2023 package

Love the thought of a winter celebration? We recommend you pay a visit to East Yorkshire's Saltmarshe Hall, a historic 19th-century stately home set in 17 acres of stunning countryside. They're currently running a Winter Wedding Exclusive 2023 package for couples looking to tie the knot between October 2023 to March 2024. Priced at £8,600 based on 50 people all day, it includes exclusive hire, winter Pimm's or Bucks Fizz, seasonal canapés, two-course wedding breakfast accompanied by a glass of wine per person, glass of Prosecco for toasts, a hot sandwich for the evening, and a night in the honeymoon suite with breakfast the following morning. They'll even add in table linen and napkins, a cake knife and stand, Master of Ceremonies, neutral limewash chairs, silver cutlery, crockery and glass wear – and six centre pieces from All Occasions Florists!

Fancy a big-day cocktail bar? Check out Whitebox Cocktails

Whitebox Cocktails, the ready-to-serve cocktail specialists, have everything you need to create the ultimate in wedding cocktail offering. From classic cocktails like the Pocket Negroni and Squeezy's Margarita, to unique and refreshing long drinks like Hippy Fizz and Disco Baby, take the hassle out of the perfect pour on your big day with a wide range of ready-to-serve cocktails to suit every taste. Expertly mixed by the award-winning team of bartenders, Whitebox Cocktails' convenient single-serve cans mean there's no need to limit your cocktail menu, as there's no mixing, no mess and no long wait at the bar. For casual weddings, cocktails can be served in ice buckets for guests to help themselves and enjoy straight from the can. Alternately, for a more elevated occasion, simply chill and serve the cocktail in a glass with ice and a garnish of choice.

The best UK cities for a hen do

With Google search volume data revealing a 402% search increase for 'hen party ideas' since December and 2023 wedding season in touching distance, organising a pre-wedding celebration is already on the bridal party to-do list. Getting all of your nearest and dearest pals together for a hen party can be challenging - whether it's catering to availability, budget, activity preferences or dietary requirements. Hen party decoration supplier, Ginger Ray, has done a little digging to find the top 19 UK cities to host your pre-wedding celebrations.

Masons of Yorkshire is celebrating 10 years

Masons of Yorkshire is celebrating 10 years in the business, and its state-of the-art distillery in beautiful Bedale is the perfect place for a party if you and your besties are gin lovers! Start the festivities going with a welcome cocktail on arrival, then be guided through the magic of mixology. Learn the art of distilling, develop your senses with a guided tasting with the in-house mixologist, and enjoy a magical, sophisticated cocktail evening in the lush surroundings of the Masons of Yorkshire bar. The package includes a delicious charcuterie board, packed with fresh, locallysourced ingredients. All dietary requirements are catered for – just organise this in advance with the helpful and passionate team.

New book launch: The modern couple's guide to wedding speeches

The Modern Couple's Guide to Wedding Speeches is for grooms and brides who want their wedding speeches to be memorable for the right reasons and to kick off their marriage with a bang. This book is intended to benefit you whether you are straight or gay, whatever your religious beliefs are, or where you live. Heidi encourages us to reconsider old traditions, and tear up the outdated rulebook to create a modern wedding guide. Because speeches are such an important part of the day, she encourages couples to think about who they want to give speeches and what they want from the speeches.

County Wedding Magazines' competition winner!

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 the Autumn of 2022, CWM ran a competition, 'Win a two-night stay in the heart of The Lakes!' and the winners were nearlyweds Steph and Michael! The lucky pair enjoyed a stay, with dinner, bed and breakfast at The Wild Boar Inn a traditional Lakeland inn with oak beams, log fires, an in-house microbrewery and smokehouse all in the rolling countryside of the Gilpin Valley.

New wedding packages launched by Carlton Towers

Couples planning a small wedding can still enjoy their special day on a grand scale thanks to new wedding packages launched by Carlton Towers. The Gothic revival-style stately home in North Yorkshire is offering anIntimate Celebration for a minimum of 30 guests, and a Candlelit Celebration for a minimum of 60 guests. Included in the per person price is a welcome drink, three-course meal, half a bottle of wine per guest and glass of sparkling wine for toasts. The services of a dedicated wedding planner, table linen, use of a silver cake stand and knife, plus a gold mirror and easel to display the table plan, are also included.

How to save money on your next wedding gift

Receiving an invitation to a wedding is always an exciting time. However, deciding what gift to buy the couple, and especially how much to spend, can be daunting - now more so than ever due to the increased cost of living. Data from VoucherCodes.co.uk reveals guests will spend an average of £113.39 for each gift they buy when attending a wedding which, for many of us, is a hefty amount. Anita Naik, Savings Expert at the UK's most trusted savings site VoucherCodes.co.uk, has some great tips on how to save money on your upcoming wedding gifts without skimping on the sentiment:

10 Most Instagrammed UK Wedding Venues

With over 278,000 UK weddings expected to take place in 2023, there's no doubt that couples across the country are already scrolling through Instagram in search of inspiration! With this in mind, Aura Print has discovered the most Insta-worthy and beautiful wedding venues of the UK. Analysing over 200 venues around the UK, they searched Instagram to discover which venue was being talked about most, narrowing it down to the 10 most desirable wedding venue locations in the UK.

Masham’s Black Sheep Brewery new gift options

Want to thank a member of your wedding party for all their help throughout the run-up to your big day? We've a Yorkshire business for that! Say hello to Masham's Black Sheep Brewery, who've been busy brewing proper beers independently since 1992. They've a great line-up of gift packs to order online, perfect for fathers of the bride or groom, best men or ushers (or bridesmaids; our Editor Claire loves a pint of the good stuff!). We've got our eyes on The Deluxe Cheeseboard on their site right now. Priced at £84.95, it includes a whole host of Wensleydale cheeses and biscuits, along with pickle, ales and a branded cheese board and knife set. We'll drink (and chomp on lots of cheese) to that!

Unique theatre venues for your vows and and bows!

Finding the wedding venue of your dreams can be a difficult task, especially if you're looking for something with a little less traditional with a little more drama. According to Google trend data, searches for 'unique wedding venues' have seen an uplift of 769% in the last month, and more specifically, searches for 'theatre weddings' have risen by an enormous 1250%. SeatPlan reveal the most unique, musical, dramatic, and theatrical wedding venues around the UK, so you can be centre stage and in the spotlight on your big day.

Weddings don't need to cost the earth

With nearlyweds looking to opt for more sustainable choices when planning their nuptials, Talking Tables' new wedding rental scheme ensures this special occasion will look beautiful, without costing the earth. Would be spouses can choose from its best-selling tall glass candle holders in a variety of colours to suit every theme, both clear and brightly coloured bud vases, and handmade silver stainless steel plates and bowls. Tables can be exquisitely dressed for a fraction of the cost to buy and be happy knowing the items will bring more joy to others rather than sitting in the back of your cupboard - a sustainable solution!

5 songs to avoid on your big day

On top of organising flowers, dresses, venues and speeches, choosing the music for your wedding is yet another decision to make. But where do you even begin? The options are seemingly endless and the song you do pick will be the one that you define as 'yours' for the rest of your lives together. Wedding decor specialists Ginger Ray have crunched the numbers to reveal which songs and artists have made it onto the most Spotify wedding playlists and could be, dare we say it... overdone. So, whether you want to embrace the most popular choices (they are favourites for good reason after all) or whether you want to know which songs to avoid if you are looking to create a more unique soundtrack for your big day, here is Wedding Spotify, Wrapped.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s disco tour coming to a local venue near you!

Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Christmas Kitchen Disco UK Tour begins in November and here at County Wedding Magazines HQ we think it will make a great night out for your hen/stag or sten do! Tickets for shows are on-sale now The shows will feature hits from throughout Sophie's career, as well as some very festive classics, all in Sophie's own seasonal disco style. The tour follows on from the huge success of her 2022 Kitchen Disco Tour in which she brought her lockdown online sensation from her kitchen to sold-out stages across the country, including a sold-out finale at the London Palladium.

Top tips for having a low waste wedding

Getting married is one of the most exciting days of your life, and you'll want it to be as special as possible. But you might also want your wedding to be kinder to the planet than the usual nuptials — indeed, a study found that British weddings create 18kg of plastic waste per event, adding up to 4,910 tonnes of plastic waste every year. Even for the biggest event of your life, this is a lot of waste to produce during a single day, and many people are increasingly looking to find ways of reducing it and have more sustainable nuptials. If you want to enjoy the big day but also make it more of an eco-friendly event, suppliers of catering equipment Alliance Online have put together some tips for you to take forward in your wedding planning. Even though getting married is a big event, you can still keep the carbon footprint small.