Your East Anglian Wedding news and ideas from around the region

Fynn Valley is offering discounted stays on its holiday lodges

Set in the Suffolk countryside on the outskirts of Ipswich, Fynn Valley is a stunning venue that caters for weddings and private events. A stone's throw from the town, overlooking beautiful countryside and the Fynn Valley golf courses, the property is a short distance from the A12, A14, and Ipswich town centre.

Fynn Valley has several luxury holiday lodges on-site, and for 2024, it is offering discounted stays. The beautiful log cabins are nestled in a peaceful setting with valley views and are within easy reach of Suffolk's attractions. Sink into a comfy sofa with a book, spend lazy evenings in a hot tub under the stars, roast marshmallows on the firepit, or enjoy a stroll to the local pub.

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.

The Orwell Hotel dates back to 1898

Situated in the centre of Felixstowe, beside the beauty of the Suffolk coast and countryside, is the Orwell Hotel. Built in 1898, the property boasts the grandeur of a Victorian building and a stunning backdrop for those once-in-a-lifetime photographs. With high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and oak-wood panelling, the interior provides a charming canvas for you to add a personal touch to your day.

In the warm seasons, the sun shines through the windows of the Garden Walk, and when opening the double doors to the gardens, it becomes a delightful space for drink receptions and celebrating with friends and family.

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

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!

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.

GG’s is a new fully stocked and licensed mobile bar

GG's is a new fully stocked and licensed mobile bar available for weddings, private functions, festivals, and more. The business is the brainchild of Gemma Thompson, from Costessey, Norfolk, who has been a successful mortgage advisor for more than 15 years. The idea of converting a horse trailer into a fully operational bar came at the King's Coronation. Gemma was able to source a trailer from Facebook Marketplace and set to work converting it into a fully operational bar with the help of her friends. The transformation, including all necessary licenses and insurance, cost less than £5,000.

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.

Hadleigh Guildhall is set in the heart of the ancient market town

Hadleigh Guildhall is set in the heart of the ancient market town and is flanked by St. Mary's Church and the Deanery Tower. The property has a rich heritage that provides a one-of-a-kind backdrop for your vows. With a Grade I listed building dating back to Medieval times and a Grade II listed Victorian addition, there's a choice of rooms for weddings, three of which are licensed for ceremonies.

Whether it's an intimate space you're after or an impressive hall, there's something to suit a whole host of big-day needs. Take your pick from the light and airy Council Chamber with its charming minstrels' gallery, or for a more relaxed, contemporary feel, the Dining Room in the Victorian part of the building is ideal.

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.

L.A Brewery in Suffolk specialises in non-alcoholic drinks

L.A Brewery in Suffolk specialises in non-alcoholic drinks. The sustainably brewed non-alcoholic drinks use natural fermentation with innovative, seasonal blends of tea, wild plants, and botanicals.

Offering mindful and healthy options to provide balance, the drinks are perfect for guests who are driving or don't feel like drinking but still want to feel included in the party. L.A Brewery is offering couples who sign up to its newsletter a 10 per cent discount.

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.

Hintlesham Hall is surrounded by peaceful gardens

Surrounded by peaceful gardens, Hintlesham Hall has an impressive Georgian frontage and an elegant Tudor feature at the back. This Suffolk gem is sure to wow your guests as they wind their way down the tree-lined drive and discover the impressive hall.

There's a choice of distinctive rooms where you can tie the knot, including the Georgian-style Salon, which has an impressive chandelier, an ornate gold-leaf ceiling, and space for up to 100 friends and family.

Intimate ceremonies take place in The Justice on the ground floor, which overlooks the back lawns.

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.

Oaktree Ceremonies is offering a new service

Once you have tied the knot and officially become newlyweds, there is so much to think about. Firstly, you may very well have your honeymoon booked and are planning to spend time together at your favourite destination. You will be waiting for the amazing photographs from your special day to drop into your inbox, and you may also be thinking about getting your dress professionally cleaned and a plethora of other jobs that may need doing. However, one topic that is often not talked about is wills. It's not widely known, but if you currently have a will, then once you get married, this is revoked and would not legally stand.