The UK Wedding Shows are pleased to introduce two new venues for the forthcoming exhibition season.

We will be hosting an inspiring show for brides to be at the RICOH Arena, Coventry, on the 15^th & 16^th January 2011. Over 120 suppliers from Coventry, and the surrounding Midlands area will gather together under one roof to make it a truly magical day for visitors.

Tickets are £8 in advance and £9 on the door.

The Grandstand Galleria at Ascot Racecourse will house our second new show for the season, on 12^th & 13^th February 2011. Inside this stunning modern venue, more than 80 exhibitors will be showcasing their products and services to help you achieve your perfect day.

Tickets are £6 in advance and £7 on the door.

Brides can register free, for a complimentary ticket, with one paying guest.

We look forward to seeing you at our exciting new shows!

More and more couples are looking for ethical options for their big day and charity wedding lists are becoming a popular choice.

Give It, a not-for-profit organisation working with more than 50 charities, operate a series of charitable gift lists including The African Wedding List, a simple to use online wedding list service, where instead of toasters and kettles, marrying couples can sign-up to a list that contains gifts of donations to a variety of charities that work across Africa.

Give It offer a service that mirrors a traditional wedding list – donations are wrapped up like gifts so users can see what a particular donation could fund for each charity and a gift list is made up of donations to a variety of charities.

Charities participating in The African Wedding List include AfriKids, Save the Children, Sightsavers International, Street Child Africa, Tree Aid, War on Want and many others.

Couples select a group of charities so that guests can select a donation to the charity of their choice.

Everything’s been kept simple and online and it’s easy for couples to check up on donations made and messages left by guests.

There are no charges for couples, no minimum total expected and there are no hidden costs for guests. Every penny that guests spend goes to the charities, and all the costs of the service are covered by the Gift Aid reclaimed on donations made.

For more information, visit the website – The African Wedding List.

No Lippy Boot Camp (as featured in Vogue magazine) is a ladies only health and fitness outdoor programme. As a personal trainer and athlete for 15 years I decided to set up No Lippy Boot Camp to offer women the chance to train outdoors and receive the amazing benefits that come with training in a group and outdoor environment.

Specialising in women’s training we ensure all participants receive great results; inch loss, weight loss, tone up, get fit, strong and gain confidence. We design and deliver sessions to burn as much fat as possible while having so much fun. We do obstacle courses, races, games, tyre running, circuits, weights, boxing, hill training, core training and more. We also offer a very healthy diet which gives great results.

“My aim is to give all women in the North East of England the opportunity to participate in a fun and rewarding programme that is flexible and affordable. Flexible sessions are available; early morning before work, morning after dropping the children off at school, evening after work and weekends. I have ensured that no matter what their family or work commitments are, they can participate.  I am a mother of two so I know how busy life can be! I also receive referrals from domestic abuse organisations as one of our goals is to help women become strong, confident and improve their self esteem”
Participants can buy 4 (£30), 8 (£60) or 12 (£79) session cards to use at any venue within a 5 week period. Alternatively participants can join the No Lippy Boot Camp 6 month membership; this card gives you unlimited access to any session, any venue, any time for only £55 per month (saving £24 per month).

“Everyday participants tell me that they have been going to the gym for years but never change shape, after 2 weeks at No Lippy Boot Camp they can already see a physical and mental change. With all female participants and instructors, women can feel at ease immediately.” Some women are losing as much as 20inches in 6 weeks!!

No Lippy Boot Camp is available at the following venues; Jarrow, Gateshead, Roker Beach, Chester le Street Riverside complex and Rickleton. Newcastle, Whickham, Wallsend, Tynemouth, Gosforth, Newburn, Blyth ,Ashington, Seaham, Peterlee and Durham opening in 2 months.

For further information or to arrange a free trial session please contact Donna on 07954 604 684

email; info@nolippybootcamp.com or view the website; www.nolippybootcamp.com

Before : Bev the gran!!

6 month after: Bev, still a gran, but a fit gran!

Your wedding can help beat cancer

Cancer Research UK’s Give in Celebration website offers two unique ways to celebrate your wedding day while supporting our life-saving work. If you know someone affected by cancer, it is a great way to include them in your wedding day.

Say ‘I do’ to the Online Wedding list

At Give in Celebration, you can set up a page and request donations from your guests instead of, or as well as, a traditional gift list and support Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work.

Creating a page at Give in Celebration is quick and simple. You can customise your page by uploading photos and writing a personal message as well as selecting images and adding page colours to decorate it.

Say ‘I do’ to wedding favours

Donating to Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work on behalf of your guests is a unique way of thanking them for celebrating your wedding.

Our personalised favour cards and pin badges are a meaningful keepsake of your donation and the perfect finishing touch to your big day.

Say ‘I do’ now

Visit www.sayido.org or find us at the UK Wedding Show to find out how you can add an extra special element to your wedding day.

Together we will beat cancer.

Bikengroom is a new and extremely unique wedding transport business. Now more than ever there are numerous unique wedding products to choose from and it’s great to be able to do something different and memorable on your wedding day. A chauffeur ridden fleet of Harley Davidson V-Rods are sure to get your guests talking. A lot of the planning of the day is focussed on the Bride but what is the Groom to get excited about apart from his lovely life partner. The cake? A huge proportion of the bookings for Bikengroom are from Brides who want to provide a surprise to their Groom on their wedding day when they contact this family run business owned by husband and wife team Michael and Sarah.

Michael has been a biker all his life and has owned and ridden a large selection of  motorcycles from off road to on road sports bikes, track racing and  touring internationally so he draws on a wealth of biking experience. “I have certainly owned more bikes than Sarah would wish to remember!” laughs Michael. “We started to provide a motorcycle transport service for family and friends which was great fun and we saw the idea take off as a business when we realised there was a demand for something different. We now operate with the fantastic Harley Davidson V-Rods which are in a league of their own, dripping with chrome and fitted with the ‘Screaming Eagle’ exhausts, so the guests certainly won’t miss the Grooms arrival! We do not limit the service to the Groom, anyone can ride and we always have the safety of our clients paramount when we plan their bespoke package. We are happy to accommodate special requests and photographs and were even asked to provide a Harley especially for a brides photograph entitled ‘Trash the Dress’ which was great fun”

For any function in the UK a gleaming motorcycle could be the perfect finishing touch so make an entrance and make a statement, contact Michael and Sarah now at www.bikengroom.co.uk

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              UK Wedding Shows Exhibitor Jason Isaacs is appearing on the Alan Titchmarsh Show on ITV on Monday 18th January at 5pm. Jason was chosen from thousands of applicants to be one of the 12 Finalists to appear on the live shows over the next six weeks. If Jason makes it through to the final on March 8th, the winner will be decided by a public vote.

Jason has appeared on the Stage at many of the UK Wedding Shows exhibitions, showcasing his talent and charisma for all of the brides and visitors. The prize for the winner is a recording contract with Decca records, with the winning single to be recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Follow Jasons progress on TV and meet him in person at the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena Exhibition on 30th and 31st January.

Jason will be taking bookings at the exhibition to bring his touch of magic to all kinds of special events.

Storm provide a personalised, professional entertainment package for weddings and all manner of other functions and is operated by husband and wife partnership Chris and Sara Walton. With an incredible passion and drive for their work, the team are constantly looking to implement new, exciting and innovative ideas. Using state of the art technology, highly accomplished musicians and providing a truly bespoke service, Storm offers everything from an eighteen piece live band to a black LED dancefloor and more.

Sara says “We love what we do and put a lot of hard work in to ensure that our clients get a service that is personalised to their requirements. We tailor the whole entertainment experience and can tie in everything from the costume colours to the songs we sing into the couples chosen theme. Our team is like a big family and we are all striving to improve and update Storm’s services”

Boasting an impressive lighting rig for the band, Storm also install ambient room and effects lighting to transform any venue according to client tastes.  From elegance and sophistication to all-out party, Storm create the perfect vibe every time.

Based in the North East, Storm travel across the length and breadth of the UK to perform. With no distance too far and no challenge too big you can contact Storm, the hottest sound around on 07899 808 454 and meet them at the Newcastle Show at Metro Radio Arena on 30th and 31st January 2010.

When choosing your wedding dress you must remember one key point, buy it for YOU not anyone else. There are so many thousands of styles to choose from at a whole range of prices so you will be sure to find one within your budget.

It’s very easy to imagine what kind of dress you have always dreamed of, but it’s crucial to try the different styles as some will compliment you much more than others and so be prepared to accept this fact.  It may be disappointing but if you choose the design that’s right for you it will be more beneficial in the long run.

Tradition says that white is the best option; however there is a large variety of colours on today’s market and so you have the choice to have the right colour for you.

Remember it’s your big day so you want to stand out, however often less really is more. More simplistic designs give you the opportunity to add accessories and perhaps jewellery, whilst if you add too much you may end up looking like a Barbie doll, unless of course that’s what you want.

Take in to consideration that you will have your wedding photos for life and so the more you go with today’s fashion, the more you will look dated in years to come, this of course depends on your personal taste. It’s recommended to choose something tasteful and classy however as mentioned before, it really is your choice.

There are a variety of things to consider when planning a wedding reception, for example, who to invite, where to seat the guests and how to decorate the venue. It’s your special day so you need to make sure you get things just perfect and that the staff at the venue are ready to put in 100% to make your reception great. Many people like to have additional extras such as fireworks, exciting themes, candy floss vans and much more. There are a variety of exciting ideas to choose from, often weird or wonderful.

In order to get your venue spot on, you need to plan it with great detail taking in to account every aspect. Start with simple notes on things like the number of guests, seating arrangements and location. You can then move on to decoration, food and floral arrangements and finally the goodies and extras like what you want to be on the each table and what novelties you want.

Often at the venue there will be a wedding co-ordinator who can help you with such details and remind you of anything you have forgotten. It is great to have a good relationship with this person and let them know exactly what you need on the day so your plan runs smoothly.