Interflora is one of the biggest names in floristry and many brides choose to use an Interflora florist for their wedding flowers, as they have confidence in the brand and the service that they can expect. With the nights drawing in and winter around the corner, why not look to Interflora’s newly launched Wedding Service for inspiration to make that seasonal nuptial celebration all the more spectacular! Using its network of expert florists, Interflora now offers a complete service for all floral aspects of the wedding day – from venue dressing, to the all important bridal bouquet.

The Collection showcases just a small number of stunning style and design options which can be created and hand delivered by Interflora’s local florists. For those wanting to achieve a different look, or perhaps follow a specific theme for the occasion, Interflora florists can work with the bride to develop beautiful bespoke pieces.

For a bride that’s seeking a simple, stress free approach, look no further than Interflora’s Wedding Collection. Comprising 26 bridal bouquets, bridesmaids posies, buttonholes and corsages, this offers a stunning selection of ready made creations. With over half of the Collection designs featuring vibrant reds and crisp creams, it’s just perfect for a winter wedding.

Brides always want to look their best on their wedding day, and for some of them this will mean spending more time on their health and beauty regime in the run up to their big day. Will Tuffin has these tips to offer brides who want to shape up before their wedding, and draws on his experience as an ex army and personal trainer, and founder of www.keepfitbootcamp.com  His organisation offers group fitness training in London’s parks and weekend fitness retreats in Northampton, giving city dwellers the opportunity to train in the fresh air in London’s beautiful green spaces.  

1.  Go Green Research shows that just five minutes of exercise in a ‘green space’ such as a park can boost mental wellbeing.  With the clocks going back soon, it’s more important than ever to get outside and get active.  If you’re a little gym phobic, starting a fitness regime in the great outdoors can not only make you feel happier but it can make you fitter faster too – exercising outdoors burns 20 percent more calories than indoor training. Training outside releases natural endorphins, helping to relieve stress and boost your immune system. 

2.  Set a Goal Setting yourself a goal is a great way to get motivated. Whether it’s training for a charity fun run or losing those extra pounds ready to slip into that party dress, setting a goal can help you stay focused and reminds you why exercising is good for you. Having someone to work out with whether a personal trainer or a friend will help get you there!

3.  Make it Fun Exercise needs to be fun so training with friends, in a small group or with family helps you stay motivated.  Learning something new is always good fun and a great way to exercise new muscles.  Try a make sure your exercise routine is varied, mix up short spurts of cardio with core strengthening exercises, followed by weight resistance. Circuit training and shadow training where you copy your partner’s moves is great for testing the mind as well as the body.

4. Think Holistic There’s no point putting all that hard work in on your exercise regime, if you just go home and eat all the wrong things. Make sure you get some advice on nutrition and lifestyle.  It’s easy to enjoy a work out and then reward yourself with all the wrong foods.  Eating and sleeping well are vital for optimum health and wellbeing and should be part of your fitness programme. 

5. Relax and Rejuvenate Having a balanced lifestyle is crucial to your health and wellbeing.  Make sure you stretch well after a work out, especially running and jogging.  Allow at least 30 seconds for each stretch – It’s important to remember that the goal of stretching is to develop and maintain an appropriate range of motion around specific joints.   Taking complete time out to rest is crucial for wellbeing too.  Treat yourself to a spa break and go somewhere where you are fit to do nothing!

Katy, our blogging bride has crossed some more things off her wedding to-do list since her last post and has been to the Liverpool wedding show in September looking for ideas for her wedding day. The May wedding is only seven months away and there are lots of things to get organised before then….

“The invites are out lol – after many proofs we finally got there! A big Thank You to Prontaprint http://www.prontaprint.com/southport/Pages/welcome.aspx and my Aunt who made all 240 two toned daisies for the invites. I found my ribbon on line (ebay), and once we had decided on colour, size and type it was fine. The wedding invitations also included a lovely verse so that guests know we want a honeymoon gift list. As we have been together for a long time we have all of the housie things and intend to use any monetary gifts towards a trip to New York the October after the wedding. It took most the night to do the ribbons on the wedding invitations and to stick the daisies on but was well worth it, as lots of people have commented on how lovely they are. Sometimes the personal touch goes a long way.

I am on the hunt for bridesmaid dresses, but think we will wait until the New Year once the spring collections are out. The suits are booked for the Groom, Best Man, Father of the Groom, Ushers and Pageboys – the Father of the Bride is wearing a Kilt all from Moss Bros Hire. I’m looking into getting a long, long wedding veil as they are lovely, and I think I will hire all accessories just like my dress – another way to save money when you are on a budget.

As for my shoes, well I’m not a fan of high heels, so I want a very low heel in ivory and could very well pop a few diamante crystals on myself (once I have found the shoes ha! ha!) Not sure about a tiara, but I’m heading over to the ManchesterCentral Wedding Show http://www.theukweddingshows.co.uk/wedding-shows/manchester/central.html as a Bride instead of an organiser this year – which will be exciting!”

Concept Shed in Cornwall are the inventors of  AutoWed – the wedding vending machine. The team at Concept Shed are product designers who develop unique ideas, build prototypes in their lab and develop interactive products. With the price of weddings soaring a Vegas style vending machine is a quirky alternative, and one that can be built to order. 

AutoWed is a novelty wedding machine offering a quick hitch, a couple of rings and a personalised certificate for just £1/$1. Audio prompts, specially produced music, a bespoke retro keyboard and VFD display, ring vending and ticket printer all wrapped up in a Cadillac-pink cabinet with shiny aluminium fittings. We came up with the idea last year and built the unit shown here especially for Marvin’s Marvellous Mechanical Museum in Detroit, USA (marvin3m.com).

It is difficult to imagine a more romantic place than Armathwaite Hall, a Country House Hotel & Spa, set in the secluded splendour of 400 acres of deer park and woodland, bordered by the calming waters of Bassenthwaite Lake and framed by the dramatic Skiddaw Mountain and Lake District Fells. 

Set in a nearby field, the churchof St Begas is the most intimate of venues for a wedding of close families and friends. Whatever the season whether a budding spring, the full glory of an English summer, the rich auburns and gold of autumn or the snow capped fells of winter, a dreamier setting would be hard to find.  As a finishing touch to ensure that love grows, Armathwaite Hall can even plant a native tree with a plaque to commemorate your wedding day!

To make sure you are looking your best and feel completely relaxed for your big day, the contemporary new Spa at Armathwaite Hall offers a variety of treatments for the bridal party and the Spa is also the perfect place for guests staying over to relax and socialise. 

The Spa has extensive facilities for fitness and pampering including a 16 metre infinity swimming pool with indoor waterfall, tranquility room with a veranda overlooking the gardens and a private spa lounge with a central fireplace and dining area.  There is also an outdoor hydrotherapy pool which is deliciously warm all year round.

The hotel has four approved venues for weddings and civil ceremonies, each is individual in design and offers flexibility when it comes to numbers.

For further help and information on planning your wedding please contact Armathwaite Hall on 01768 776 551  email: reservations@armathwaite-hall.com

Few things are as instantly recognisable as a F1 car and visitors will be able to have the ultimate experience at the Manchester Central show 29^th and 30^th October. The show sponsors, Bluff House Beach Resort and Marina will have a F1 car on their stand, complete with simulator. The car, provided by Formula One Events, is a full specification 2011 season model, built by qualified technicians based at Silverstone race circuit using genuine components right down to the carbon fibre and Kevlar skirts. The only thing that the car does not have is the engine, but visitors will be able to try out the state of the art F1 simulator, and experience the adrenalin rush of the Formula 1 arena and the spectacle that surrounds it. With a choice of race circuits replicated in detail, the software provides an experience so realistic that F1 drivers use it for practice.

For any bride thinking of visiting one of our wedding exhibitions it is great to get some firsthand feedback from someone who has been to a show, and hear about their experience. This report was written by Stacie who visited the Manchester show in 2010.

I knew about the show as I had visited it a few years back with my cousin when she was getting married, so I decided to find out when the next one was. I would definitely recommend a visit to any bride and I would go again myself…
I contacted a few of the exhibitors since I was interested in their products for our wedding and we have now arranged the suit hire, headpieces and jewellery. There was an exhibitor who decorates shoes/accessories etc.. with Swarovski crystals whom I have contacted about my shoes and those for the bridesmaids; and I have ordered my wedding rings from one of the exhibitors too. Everything else has already been booked and organised, but I did get a lot of ideas from the decorations and flowers and I have spoken to my florist about this.
I enjoyed the whole day; the catwalk show was really good and a lot more fun with all the dancing etc.. as other wedding fayres I have been to were very serious with a lot of posing and pouting. The best bit of the day was trying the dresses on and finding that the dress I really loved was one I would never have thought to try on in the first place. I was quite nervous about trying dresses and tried to avoid it but the lady at Berketex encouraged me to try a few styles and I found one that loved so will be going to visit a Berketex store in the new year.
The one thing I didn’t see that I was hoping to, were the casino tables for hire. I had seen these at another fayre but didn’t get the contact details so I was hoping there would be a company that I could chat with to see what they offered. I also wanted to speak to the people from the vintage bus hire company with a view to hiring them, but each time I went there was nobody free to speak to as they were already dealing with people.
The only downside of the day really is that it just gets so busy with visitors it can be difficult to have a really good look at all of the stands, but its understandable as its only on for two days.
It was a brilliant day and I would recommend it to any bride or bridal party regardless of how organised they are. I thought I was pretty much organised, but still came back with lots of ideas. I would definitely go to a show again and I know my friend is thinking of going next year in preparation for her wedding in 2012 so I will be tagging along.