Your East Anglian Wedding news and ideas from around the region

The Speech Surgery: how long is too long?

The Speech Surgery: how long is too long? Heidi Ellert McDermott, founder of Speechy explores this. My groom says he's finished his speech and he's really happy with it but it's almost 2,000 words long. Is that too much? Yes. All speeches should be under ten minutes long. It seems obvious but I've seen several speeches (generally the best men) go well over half an hour, oblivious to the yawns or heckling. That's no more than 1,300 words maximum, allowing for pauses or laughter on the day. Remind your fiancé that his first draft is just the start of the writing process.

Wedding favours for Kids: ToyChoc Box

PLAYin CHOC's ToyChoc boxes are a fantastic choice for entertaining kids at weddings. These eco-friendly, vegan, and allergen-free treats come in 100% recyclable packaging. Each box contains two creamy chocolate bars wrapped in compostable packaging, along with a 3D card puzzle toy featuring animals like endangered species, sea creatures, or dinosaurs - there's also a fun animal fact inside. At just £2.25 each on Amazon, these boxes are a budget-friendly addition to your wedding plans.

April Dace Jewellery is offering our readers an exclusive discount

April Dace Jewellery is an independent goldsmith and jewellery designer based just outside of Dereham, Norfolk, who has over 10 years of experience working with gold, silver and platinum jewellery. April specialises in creating wedding rings, engagement rings and one-of-a-kind keepsake jewellery pieces and also offers jewellery repair services.

If you're looking to have your wedding rings specially commissioned, April will work with you from start to finish to make sure your rings are just right. At her home studio, there are plenty of samples to choose from and a gallery of previous work to browse through to gain inspiration. Anything is possible, from shaped or fitted rings to diamond-set bands or simply sticking to a traditional style.

Your ultimate guide to wedding gift etiquette

It's that time of year again where our inboxes and mailboxes are full of beautifully designed wedding invitations, we're scouring the web for the perfect outfit and excitedly researching accommodation and travel. Being invited to a wedding is a gift and it is tradition to provide a gift to the happy couple. But, where to begin? Luckily we've sat down with Georgie Mitchell, Wedding Planner, Coordinator and Wedding Expert, at online fashion destination SilkFred, who has shared her ultimate guide to wedding gift giving from how much to spend to how to make your gift stand out on the present table.

Glen Lodge is a neutrally decorated wedding venue filled with natural light

Glen Lodge is a neutrally decorated venue filled with natural light that lends itself to any theme or colour scheme. The outside decking is one of the venue's focal points, overlooking the Bawburgh Golf Course and Yare Valley, it's ideal for outdoor ceremonies and photographs.

The Woodlands Accommodation Suite is a romantic setting with countryside views, a freestanding bath, a four-poster bed and a private outdoor hot tub. It's the perfect place to relax with a glass of champagne under the stars after your special day.

All of the catering at Glen Lodge is provided by the in-house team, which aims to offer a vast selection of high-quality food.

Green I dos: How to plan a sustainable wedding

The carbon footprint of a wedding in the UK is equivalent to driving a car around the world twice – both create 14.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Ahead of wedding season, sustainability experts from BusinessWaste.co.uk teamed up with leading wedding planner Georgie Mitchel from Georgina Rose Events to share the best ways to make a wedding more sustainable, while also saving some money. Georgie says: "Having been involved in hundreds of weddings, it's hard to see the amount of waste that is produced from that one day. However, it's so good to hear that couples are looking at ways to be more green! Here are my tips for having a sustainable wedding day."

The Speech Surgery: too many thank yous? Heidi Ellert McDermott, founder of Speechy explores this

The Speech Surgery: too many thank yous? Heidi Ellert McDermott, founder of Speechy explores this here, ready now...I've written my bride speech but almost three quarters of it is 'thank yous'. Is that right? The thank yous are obviously very important but you also need to be wary of turning your speech into one long tedious list. For guests, thank yous are really only interesting if 1) they're personally getting thanked or 2) the thank yous are entertaining, from-the-heart and feel more than a cut and paste job...

Five ways to beat a wedding hangover

Weddings are notorious for booze with 50% of people admitting they wouldn't be happy to attend a wedding without alcohol. With an expectation for heavy drinking at most celebrations, lots of dancing and a late night, wedding guests often wake up feeling worse for wear. Those suffering the morning after a wedding can ease the pain with simple hacks, including drinking a pint of water before bed and sleeping on their left side. Nausea, thirst and aches can also be alleviated by having a lie-in, which helps to limit fatigue and irritation the next day.

Becky’s Cake Bakes is offering our readers an exclusive discount

Becky's Cake Bakes, a talented cake maker based in Soham, Cambridgeshire, is offering our readers two special discounts.

The owner, Becky Coverdale, offers a bespoke service and works closely with her clients to create their dream wedding cake. She tells us: "I handmake all of the flowers that I use in my designs out of wafer paper, which makes them very lightweight, realistic and a beautiful keepsake from your wedding day. I also love to make bride-and-groom cake toppers. I use photos of the couple and details of what they will be wearing on the day to create the topper. If the couple chooses, I can also include bridesmaids, pageboys, or pets. Toppers make a lovely keepsake from your special day that you can keep for many years to come."

UK vs US Brides: Wedding expert reveals 5 ways we differ

It's time to settle the score: do UK brides really do it better, or are our American cousins stealing the show? Let's dive into the wedding warzone and explore five spicy differences that set us apart! According to a survey conducted by the UK's largest wedding venue collection, the Gilchrist Collection, there are some key differences in the ways Brits plan their big day, compared to that of Americans. Samantha Gilchrist, the owner of the Gilchrist Collection, has had the pleasure of helping thousands of engaged couples with their wedding, across 12 venues, both in the UK and US.

Copdock Hall is an exclusive-use wedding venue in the Suffolk countryside

Copdock Hall is an exclusive-use wedding venue with a Grade II Elizabethan barn and on-site luxury guest accommodation in a vineyard setting. Set in the beautiful Suffolk countryside, it has been recognised as one of the top barn wedding venues in the county. The award-winning vineyard stretches across the valley below Copdock Hall's wedding barn and offers special opportunities for photos. Guests are free to explore the vineyard throughout the day and the venue can serve its award-winning sparkling rosé for the ultimate locally sourced grape-to-glass experience.

Here are 10 must-have items to include in a wedding bathroom basket

Luxury bathroom experts at Posh.co.uk have shared ten must-have items to provide to make sure guests are well taken care of. Wedding bathroom baskets can be a really nice touch for couples to show their guests they care by providing them with everything they need for a comfortable evening. Including items like safety pins, deodorant, body tape and antihistamines will mean that guests won't have to worry about a thing. Andy Ellis from Posh.co.uk said: "Wedding bathroom baskets can be a really lovely touch at a reception by providing guests with all of those small but important items that they may not necessarily be able to bring with them.

The Speech Surgery: timings!

Unsure of when to have the wedding speeches? Heidi Ellert McDermott, founder of Speechy & author of The Modern Couple's Guide to Wedding Speeches has the answer: In the US, speeches are just as common at the rehearsal dinner (the formal dinner prior to the wedding that the 'top table' are invited to) as the wedding day itself. At many British weddings, the speeches are scheduled before the wedding meal; the idea that everyone is officially welcomed to the wedding and the speakers are quickly able to relax (and tuck into the free wine!).

Wedding day wines from leading English wine producer Gusbourne

English wine producer Gusbourne, has a stunning range of the finest vintage sparkling and still wines to elevate any wedding providing guests with an array of exquisite drinks that complement every element, from the welcome drinks to the wedding breakfast and toasts! With Gusbourne wines, every pour becomes a celebration of love and new beginnings, ensuring your wedding day becomes a truly unforgettable affair, brimming with sophistication, charm, and cherished memories. For a spectacular wedding reception, fill your guests' glasses with the exquisite Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2018, a sparkling masterpiece that exudes elegance with its delicate bubbles and refreshing, crisp notes. As guests raise their glasses to toast the happy couple, each sip is vibrant and intense, setting the tone for an evening of celebrations.

Deep Space Media has launched two new services

Deep Space Media is a video production company with more than 10 years of experience having delivered video services for a number of well-established events and organisations in the UK and Europe. As well as wedding videography, the company is now offering live streaming and social media editing. Live streaming makes a great addition to any wedding for couples who have friends and family that unfortunately can't make it but would love to watch it live.

Biggest wedding faux pas to avoid on your big day

With more than half (53%) of married Brits confessing to having wedding day regrets, wedding expert and CEO of the UK's largest collection of wedding venues, The Gilchrist Collection, Samantha Gilchrist shares her thoughts on the biggest wedding faux pas' couple should steer clear of to guarantee wedding day success. "You've planned everything down to the tiniest detail and finally get to enjoy your day, why risk something spoiling it? While some of these things are a little outside your control, it's important to let your wedding planner and venue know what your boundaries are, and the things you would find unacceptable, were they to happen on your big day. They'll be able to support you in handling issues both ahead of time and on the day itself.

High Lodge offers exclusive use of the venue for weddings

Set in 80 acres of beautiful Suffolk parkland, High Lodge offers exclusive use of the venue for your big day. Located between Aldeburgh and Southwold, just three miles from the Suffolk coastal village of Dunwich, it's a destination hotspot – ideal for those of you looking to extend your celebration to explore all the area has to offer. There are also traditional, luxury holiday lodges set in tranquil woodland that are available for weekend-long weddings.

You can host your whole day in the versatile Champion Suite, a bright and airy function space with a private bar and garden area that's perfect for intimate weddings or grand celebrations of up to 300 guests.

These are the most popular 'first dance' songs of 2024, as online searches soar!

Scraping over 350 'First Dance' playlists on Spotify and analysing the 12,000 tracks that featured on them, Diamonds Factory ranked the songs that featured the most to determine the most popular first dance song of 2024. 60 years on, and Etta James' At Last is the most popular first dance song of 2024. The data revealed that Etta James' 'At Last' is the most popular first dance song for couples to choose for their wedding, with the song featuring in a whopping 46 'first dance' playlists. Regardless of the song being released over 60 years ago, Etta's love song is still proving to be a timeless classic for couples.

The Speech Surgery: does my wedding speech have to be funny?

'The Speech Surgery' with Heidi Ellert McDermott, founder of Speechy & author of The Modern Couple's Guide to Wedding Speeches: I'm not funny. Does my wedding speech need to be? I've heard some lovely speeches that haven't contained any humour, but here's the thing...they are the exception to the rule. Nearly every speech is better if it contains a little humour. FACT. Generally, folk from the UK and Australia want their speeches to have a lot of humour in them, while clients from other parts of the world, namely the US, lean towards a sweeter speech, with lighter elements, as opposed to all-out funny.

6 bridesmaid proposal ideas from Getting Personal

Once you've said yes to your future spouse, it's time to recruit your future bridal party. To pop the question you can keep it short and sweet or go with something a little more elaborate. A bridesmaid proposal is the perfect way to ensure they know their special role in your life and, more importantly, on your big day itself. There has been an 85% increase in Google searches for 'bridesmaid proposal ideas'¹ over the past year, therefore gifting experts at Getting Personal have shared 6 bridesmaid proposal ideas for those needing a little inspiration for asking their bridesmaids to be part of their bridal party.