WEDDING GOSSIP Agyness Deyn & Albert Hammond Jr

CELEBRITY SNIPPETS
Agyness is said to be 'besotted' with Albert. The two certainly seem to be very much in love Do you think it will be marriage next? Read more to find out what we think and tell us your verdict.

WHO: Agyness Deyn and Albert Hammond Junior
BACKGROUND: Model of the moment and singer, Agyness has fallen in love again after her split from long-term boyfriend Josh Hubbard, with Strokes guitarist Albert. The Lancashire lass is said to be more than happy with her new man and looks the picture of contentment, as it seems that their relationship is going from strength to strength.
LOVE SIGNS: Although the couple are keeping quiet on their relationship they have been spotted with very public shows of affection with kisses on the sidewalks in New York to lunches in London. Even though the couple have been dating for only a couple of months they have already attended high glamour events together including Elton John’s prestigious White Tie and Tiara Ball, where she reportedly couldn’t keep her hands off her new beau. Think that their sartorial style proves that they’re a match made in heaven or is this just a young romance?
OUR VERDICT: Not Very Likely
Photo © PR Photos

click to read more celebrity snippets

Posted in category: Wedding Gossip

Read article or add your comment

HONEYMOON Twice the Romance

Treat yourself and your new husband to a fabulous twin-centre honeymoon to enjoy the best that Cyprus and Egypt has to offer...

Cyprus – also known as the ‘island of love’ – has long been a favourite with British honeymooners and offers the perfect place to unwind for a week after your wedding before heading to Egypt to explore ancient sites and experience some olde worlde glamour at a historic hotel.

In Cyprus one of hotels attracting a ‘hip’ crowd is the five-star Londa Hotel in Limassol – it boasts beautiful rooms decorated with white marble and contrasting black wood. The honeymoon suite offers a huge round bed, Jacuzzi and fabulous sea views, while the spa, health and fitness centre has more than 50 treatments to pamper you and your new husband. The vibrant Caprice at Londa restaurant is the place to be seen. The restaurant’s minimalist interiors are the perfect setting for the Mediterranean cuisine served with a twist. Enjoy dishes such as Marsala glazed lamb shank and seafood risotto.

After a week of sunning yourselves in Cyprus, why not transfer to Luxor for a stay at the majestic five-star Winter Palace Hotel. Built in 1886, the hotel offers a glamorous base for exploring the sights of Luxor. Set on the banks of the River Nile and close to the Luxor Temple, it offers a splendid ambience complete with great facilities, including the smart 1886 Restaurant. Its superb location means you can take a cruise down the Nile or visit the nearby Temple of Karnak and Valley of the Kings.

Prices for this two-centre holiday include flights, bed and breakfast accommodation and transfers. For reservations contact Planet Holidays on 0871 871 2234 or book online at Planet Holidays.

Posted in category: Honeymoon

Read article or add your comment

VENUE Up Close And Personal

For an intimate wedding that doesn’t scrimp on style, why not hold your reception at Richard Corrigan at Lindsay House in London’s trendy Soho.

With a capacity of just 33 guests, you can be guaranteed a cosy reception in this elegant Michelin-starred restaurant.

Richard Corrigan at Lindsay House specialises in small weddings and has five private dining rooms for you and your party ranging from six to 33 guests.

The inviting, cosy décor adds to the overall ambiance and the careful service sets just the right tone – friendly, not stuffy. Each room has an individual style, creating a warm and simple but effective atmosphere, down to original floorboards, panelling and fireplaces.

Richard Corrigan at Lindsay House offers a fabulous menu selection created using carefully sourced ingredients and includes Ceviche of stone bass with black olive and brandade, Terrine of foie gras, pressed with apple, celeriac and hazelnuts, and steamed fillet of sole, with razor clams, lettuce & peas.

For more information contact 020 7439 0450 or email richardcorrigan@lindsayhouse.co.uk

click to read more venue ideas >

Posted in category: Venues

Read article or add your comment

WEDDING GOSSIP Girl In a White Dress 20

Our resident bride and wedding expert, Cheryl, is back from her big day and floating on a wedding-induced cloud of loveliness, and will be talking weddings with you every week...

The personal touch (2)
I ran out of space a bit last week on my ramblings about personalising your big day - so here are some more ideas for adding an individual touch to your wedding...

There is an array of tasty treats on offer to give guests as favours, but if you’re a bit of a Nigella in the kitchen, why not wow your guests with these homemade cookie favours shaped like mini wedding cakes.

Or how about having personalised cake toppers? Michelle Sugar Art fashions lifelike models based on photos of you and your H2B to sit atop your wedding cake. She’ll create anything you want themed on your jobs, pets or hobbies to give a humorous touch to your cake.

You don’t need to have loads of imagination or creative skills to personalise your day – it can be anything from using the same flowers your mum had in her bouquet to just getting married on a date that’s special to you both. There’s no end of fun you can have making your day your own – and best of all, it can be a great way of saving a bit of cash to put towards something important. Like your shoes.

Let us know what you're planning to do to make your day even more special...

Posted in category: Wedding Gossip

Read article or add your comment

BEAUTY Revealing Moment

We’re all busy pampering and preening ourselves in time for the big day, but there’s one area that many brides don't pay attention to – the décolletage…

No matter what style of dress you’re planning to wear, your décolletage will no doubt be on show so make sure it looks its best with new Bio Satine Shimmering Bust Oil from Florame, France’s leading independent producer of organic aromatherapy.

Designed to tone and firm the bust and décolleté, this 100% natural oil contains a unique blend of organic essential oils, including orange blossom, patchouli and rosewood, which help tighten and regenerate the skin, creating a more youthful look to the décolleté.

Iridescent mother-of-pearl powder is added, which gives the décolleté a shimmering, satin appearance, and a natural vitamin-E compound helps to fight the ageing process. And best of all, it’s not tested on animals and doesn’t contain any synthetic colours or fragrances – and the packaging is recyclable too.

Apply daily using fingertips in gentle massaging strokes. Priced from £22.99 for 50ml, the Shimmering Bust Oil is available from Florame and independent retailers.

click to read more beauty ideas >

Posted in category: Beauty

Read article or add your comment

FASHION What a Gem!

Anyone looking for wedding day glitz and glamour will love brand new jewellery collection, Shefaly. Affordable and irresistibly sparkly, we take a look at some of the collection highlights.

If real diamonds and platinum are not in the wedding budget, Shefaly House of Jewels has a collection of bridal costume jewellery that is next best in the dazzledom ranks. Fine Swarovski crystal sits beside gorgeous Czech stones in a stunning collection of real statement costume jewellery. For the ultimate fairytale princess look, we love this Crystal Belle necklace set (£130). The set includes a necklace, made up of over 100 crystals, a bracelet and a pair of matching earrings.

You'll also find a fabulous collection of crystal hair accessories including tiaras, pins and chunky hair claws such as as this pretty Butterfly Hair Claw (£22).

And if your man want a slice of the glitz, check out the sparkly cufflinks, including these Moonbeam cufflinks (£35). Designed by Shefaly herself, crystal cufflinks are the ultimate in wedding day bling and will definitely make your man stand out from the crowd!

Shefaly is available online at shefaly.co.uk or by mail order on 0118 950 2398.

Click to read more ideas on accessories >

Posted in category: Fashion

Read article or add your comment

RECEPTION D.I.Y. Bride 2

Get in touch with your creative side with more fabulous ideas from Konnie Huq who gets clever with Kodak software.

Click on the link below to watch Konnie getting busy with wedding ideas from guest books to mood boards. Or for more inspiration and ideas, as well as a downloadable guide, visit kodak.com/go/creativelab.

We also like Kodak's Creative Wedding Photo Ideas. Put 'wedding' into the search box on kodak.com and you'll get a whole list of cute ideas, from save the date magnets to table centres and keepsakes.

Posted in category: Reception

Read article or add your comment

REAL WEDDING Better Together

Louise & Alan
4 May 2008

They Met The couple first came in contact when Alan messaged Louise on the website faceparty. As they were both living in Northampton, they met up! After three years together, Alan proposed in their favourite local restaurant Buddies. Louise says, 'the staff were so chuffed they presented us with a special dessert decorated with a sparkler!'

Wedding Venue
Alan and Louise started looking for a venue in their local area straight away. They both agreed The Atrium at Whittlebury Park was best. It was close to the church, had plenty of room, looked stunning and was right for the budget. It also offered a room for Louise's Dad to take a nap halfway through the day - which he did!

The Theme Lilac and silver set the colour theme for the day. As a special touch, the couple had a wishing well (the guests were informed beforehand). And the tables were named after the couple's favourite computer games. Top table was named The Sim's with a picture of the couple at Buddies on the night they got engaged.

What They Wore
Louise wore an Ellis Bridal Dress in ivory crushed taffeta with hand made hair accessories and jewellery from Brides of Wellingborough. Her shoes were an eBay purchase, for just £20. Alan had a traditional grey morning suit with an ivory waistcoat and lilac cravat, hired from Warwicks in Wellingborough. The two bridesmaids, Helen (the bride's sister) and best friend Bethan wore lilac dresses. With Bethan being 22 weeks pregnant, it was lucky that Helen was a fashion graduate and was able to make their dresses. Although she was still finishing Bethan's at 1.20pm on the wedding day! To complete the entourage, young bridesmaid Harriet wore an ivory dress from Bhs and flowergirl Darcy wore an ivory dress from Next.

The Cake Louise’s Mum made the cake. it was a square white cake, with two tiers of sponge and on of fruit. 'We decorated the cake with lilac ribbon and lilac butterflies', says Louise.

The Flowers Louise carried a posy of purple tulips and white roses by Kiktas Kreations with the bridesmaids holding smaller versions. Alan's Mum and sisters decorated the church while at the reception, purple and cream tulips were placed in funky square vases bought from IKEA.

First Dance The newlyweds danced to Jack Johnson - Better Together. They were meant to be showered with an exploding balloon - but the 'popping device' (a stick with a pin on the end) was mislaid!

A Moment to Remember
'Saying our vows in the church and cherishing every moment!', says Louise.

Honeymoon The couple spent their first night in a luxurious suite with a Jacuzzi at the Whittlebury Hall Hotel. 'The room was bigger than our house', laughs Louise. And for the honeymoon, the couple headed to the Riviera Maya in Mexico - it was the perfect honeymoon choice.

Any Advice 'Do as much as possible at the start when are still excited and motivated. Don’t leave things til the last minute, get everything finished so you can enjoy the lead up to the wedding without panicking', says Louise. And Alan adds, 'Don’t worry about your speech, no matter what you say, everyone seems to love it!'


Louise & Alan’s Contact Book:
Venue: The Atrium, Whittlebury Park 01327 850 000 whittlebury.com
Photographer: Clare Louise Photography 01926 811270 clare-louise.co.uk
Dress: Brides of Wellingborough 01933 270 560 bridesofwellingborough.co.uk
Groomswear: Warwicks 01933 224981 warwicks.net

click to read more real weddings >

Posted in category: Real Weddings

Read article or add your comment

GROOMS Off the Cuff

Getting your wedding outfit to tie in with the rest of the wedding party is one of those little touches that make for extra stylish wedding photographs. For the ultimate in colour co-ordination, check out these fabulous ties and matching cufflinks by Marc Wallace.

Made from luxurious silk in a range of eleven totally covetable colours, Marc Wallace Boxsets (£65) are the perfect finishing touch for any groom-to-be. Whether the theme for the day is pink, green, gold, lilac or blue, you will find the perfect match. Each boxset contains a tie, or a tiewrap, along with cufflinks and a hanky for your top pocket. The Boxsets also make a great gift for the best man or other guys in the party.

Available online at marcwallace.com or from the Marc Wallace store on New King's Road in South London.

click to read more grooms' ideas >

Posted in category: Grooms

Read article or add your comment

Lucky Winners!

Thanks to everyone for entering our 27 Dresses Competition. We had a fantastic turn out and some really interesting comments on 'the impact of the credit crunch'. Most couples are getting some kind of help from their parents towards the expense of the big day. But a lot of you are footing the bills yourselves. Holidays and cars are being put on a back burner until after the wedding. And some of you are lucky enough to have parents who are just bending over backwards to make your day special by taking later retirement, getting part-time jobs and even cashing in some shares! Wow!

And now for the fun... The 10 lucky winners of 27 Dresses DVD are:
Gemma Hook, Shauna Hoey, Katie Wilson, Sarah Day, Ellen Cruise, Samantha Tolson, Nikki Robinson, Beverley Baird, Debbie Pool and Hollie Lander.
Congratulations! Due to a bit of a mix up over timings, you have probably already got your DVD in the post. If you have already seen it - post a comment - we'd love to know what you thought of the film.

And if anyone is feeling in need of a consolation prize, Lipcote lipstick sealer has recently launched a new website and is offering a free bottle of Glitzy until the end of August. Perfect for the wedding day, Lipcote (£3.35) seals in your lipstick colour while the little giveaway bottle of Glitzy will give you a glittery décolletage. Go to lipcote.com.

Posted in category: Wedding Gossip

Read article or add your comment