Your South Wales Wedding news and ideas from around the area

The most popular 2023 trends according to Pinterest

To provide insight on the most popular wedding trends for spring 2023, the experts at Aura Print compiled a list of 25 popular trends after scouring Pinterest to discover the number of Pins for each. And here are the top 15 most popular spring 2023 wedding trends to be insipired by...First place for the most popular wedding trend for spring 2023 goes to the floral-themed trend. This trend had 22,148 Pins on the image sharing platform. It can include things like floral arches, flower-themed cakes or flower crowns. With a total of 11,765 Pins, the blue-themed wedding trend places second in the study. The trend also appeared on 116 Pinterest boards from 2022 onwards, cementing its popularity for the upcoming season. What is more, there's been a great interest in navy blue wedding invites, which had a whopping 16,725 Pins.

Rhosygilwen is a wonderful choice for Pembrokeshire weddings

Offering a choice of locations for ceremonies and a glorious setting for receptions, Rhosygilwen is a wonderful choice for Pembrokeshire weddings. Rhosygilwen has been a special place to get married at for more than 20 years and the staff take great pride in providing a special service for couples.

There are plenty of standout features at Rhosygilwen, including the splendid driveway leading to Neuadd y Dderwen (The Oak Hall). With its oak beams on show and windows overlooking the glorious countryside, very little is required to decorate this space to suit the couple's style and requirements. A full bar is available and the room can easily cater up to 200 guests for the ceremony, 150 for the wedding breakfast and 250 for the evening party.

There are two delightful indoor wedding locations for couples to choose from: Neuadd y Dderwen (The Oak Hall) and The Orangery. For a more intimate affair, The Orangery, with its chequerboard floor, lantern roof light and chandeliers, is ideal.

Fancy a big-day cocktail bar? Check out Whitebox Cocktails

Whitebox Cocktails, the ready-to-serve cocktail specialists, have everything you need to create the ultimate in wedding cocktail offering. From classic cocktails like the Pocket Negroni and Squeezy's Margarita, to unique and refreshing long drinks like Hippy Fizz and Disco Baby, take the hassle out of the perfect pour on your big day with a wide range of ready-to-serve cocktails to suit every taste. Expertly mixed by the award-winning team of bartenders, Whitebox Cocktails' convenient single-serve cans mean there's no need to limit your cocktail menu, as there's no mixing, no mess and no long wait at the bar. For casual weddings, cocktails can be served in ice buckets for guests to help themselves and enjoy straight from the can. Alternately, for a more elevated occasion, simply chill and serve the cocktail in a glass with ice and a garnish of choice.

The best UK cities for a hen do

With Google search volume data revealing a 402% search increase for 'hen party ideas' since December and 2023 wedding season in touching distance, organising a pre-wedding celebration is already on the bridal party to-do list. Getting all of your nearest and dearest pals together for a hen party can be challenging - whether it's catering to availability, budget, activity preferences or dietary requirements. Hen party decoration supplier, Ginger Ray, has done a little digging to find the top 19 UK cities to host your pre-wedding celebrations.

New book launch: The modern couple's guide to wedding speeches

The Modern Couple's Guide to Wedding Speeches is for grooms and brides who want their wedding speeches to be memorable for the right reasons and to kick off their marriage with a bang. This book is intended to benefit you whether you are straight or gay, whatever your religious beliefs are, or where you live. Heidi encourages us to reconsider old traditions, and tear up the outdated rulebook to create a modern wedding guide. Because speeches are such an important part of the day, she encourages couples to think about who they want to give speeches and what they want from the speeches.

Pencoed House Estate has been awarded Best Wedding Venue in East Wales

Pencoed House Estate in Cardiff has been awarded Best Wedding Venue in East Wales at The Welsh National Wedding Awards 2022. Surrounded by 36 acres of grounds, well-groomed lawns, flowers and ancient woodland, Pencoed House Estate is a beautiful wedding venue full of charm. Dating back to 979AD, it was once home to ministers of the church, the King of Glamorgan and King Arthur and Queen Guinevere.

The team at Pencoed House Estate added: "A huge thank you to every person that voted for us, we are over the moon and so grateful."

County Wedding Magazines' competition winner!

Here at County Wedding Magazines HQ, we love nothing more than to hear from the winners of our competitions. In the crazy world of wedding planning, it's exciting for us to be able to offer our lovely readers some exciting giveaways and competitions which will hopefully give you a much-needed pick-me-up during on the countdown to your wedding day.

In the Autumn of 2022, CWM ran a competition, 'Win a two-night stay in the heart of The Lakes!' and the winners were nearlyweds Steph and Michael! The lucky pair enjoyed a stay, with dinner, bed and breakfast at The Wild Boar Inn a traditional Lakeland inn with oak beams, log fires, an in-house microbrewery and smokehouse all in the rolling countryside of the Gilpin Valley.

Holm House Hotel is a perfect example of ornate early 19th-century architecture

Built in 1926 by JS Neale, Holm House Hotel is a perfect example of ornate early 19th-century architecture fused with modern touches. Just a stone's throw from Penarth's restored Art Deco pier, the property offers expansive views over the Bristol Channel and the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm. This luxury four-star boutique hotel has a 1AA Rosette restaurant, an award-winning spa, a private garden and a stylish purpose-built outdoor bar, which is perfect for drinks in the sun and evening parties.

Holm House Hotel caters to ceremonies of all sizes, with the most intimate space seating 12 friends and family.

10 Most Instagrammed UK Wedding Venues

With over 278,000 UK weddings expected to take place in 2023, there's no doubt that couples across the country are already scrolling through Instagram in search of inspiration! With this in mind, Aura Print has discovered the most Insta-worthy and beautiful wedding venues of the UK. Analysing over 200 venues around the UK, they searched Instagram to discover which venue was being talked about most, narrowing it down to the 10 most desirable wedding venue locations in the UK.

How to save money on your next wedding gift

Receiving an invitation to a wedding is always an exciting time. However, deciding what gift to buy the couple, and especially how much to spend, can be daunting - now more so than ever due to the increased cost of living. Data from VoucherCodes.co.uk reveals guests will spend an average of £113.39 for each gift they buy when attending a wedding which, for many of us, is a hefty amount. Anita Naik, Savings Expert at the UK's most trusted savings site VoucherCodes.co.uk, has some great tips on how to save money on your upcoming wedding gifts without skimping on the sentiment:

Baroque Boutique has won the Best Occasionwear Award in East Wales

Baroque Boutique has won the Best Occasionwear Award in East Wales for the sixth time at The Welsh National Wedding Awards 2022. The boutique is run by mother and daughter team, Marion and Coryn, who specialises in designer wear, accessories, hats and shoes for the mother-of-the-bride and groom and outfits for wedding guests.

Marion and Coryn tell us: "A big thank you to everyone who voted for us. The awards ceremony took place at Brangwyn Hall in Swansea. It was wonderful to be surrounded by the best wedding businesses in Wales."

Unique theatre venues for your vows and and bows!

Finding the wedding venue of your dreams can be a difficult task, especially if you're looking for something with a little less traditional with a little more drama. According to Google trend data, searches for 'unique wedding venues' have seen an uplift of 769% in the last month, and more specifically, searches for 'theatre weddings' have risen by an enormous 1250%. SeatPlan reveal the most unique, musical, dramatic, and theatrical wedding venues around the UK, so you can be centre stage and in the spotlight on your big day.

King Arthur Hotel is a hidden gem in the spectacular Gower peninsula

The family-run King Arthur Hotel is a hidden gem in the spectacular Gower peninsula. The award-winning property comprises of 18 en-suite bedrooms, a charming 18th-century cottage and luxury self-catering cottage apartments.

Rich in history, the King Arthur Hotel's wedding venue, Avalon, boasts a high-pitched ceiling with exposed French oak beams, Welsh slate floors and arched windows overlooking the surrounding landscaped gardens. The venue is licensed for civil ceremonies and can comfortably accommodate 140 seated guests for the wedding breakfast and 200 for the evening celebration.

Weddings don't need to cost the earth

With nearlyweds looking to opt for more sustainable choices when planning their nuptials, Talking Tables' new wedding rental scheme ensures this special occasion will look beautiful, without costing the earth. Would be spouses can choose from its best-selling tall glass candle holders in a variety of colours to suit every theme, both clear and brightly coloured bud vases, and handmade silver stainless steel plates and bowls. Tables can be exquisitely dressed for a fraction of the cost to buy and be happy knowing the items will bring more joy to others rather than sitting in the back of your cupboard - a sustainable solution!

5 songs to avoid on your big day

On top of organising flowers, dresses, venues and speeches, choosing the music for your wedding is yet another decision to make. But where do you even begin? The options are seemingly endless and the song you do pick will be the one that you define as 'yours' for the rest of your lives together. Wedding decor specialists Ginger Ray have crunched the numbers to reveal which songs and artists have made it onto the most Spotify wedding playlists and could be, dare we say it... overdone. So, whether you want to embrace the most popular choices (they are favourites for good reason after all) or whether you want to know which songs to avoid if you are looking to create a more unique soundtrack for your big day, here is Wedding Spotify, Wrapped.

Craig Y Nos Castle has won the My Wedding Hero Award

Craig Y Nos Castle, a fairytale venue located on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, has won the My Wedding Hero award at The Welsh National Wedding Awards 2022.

Boasting 36 en suite bedrooms, an on-site gym with high-quality apparatus, a private lounge and a hot tub, the property is surrounded by breathtaking grounds with plenty of places for guests to explore and take photographs. Once home to Adelina Patti, the world-famous opera singer, Craig Y Nos Castle has a long and interesting history with a stunning décor throughout.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s disco tour coming to a local venue near you!

Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Christmas Kitchen Disco UK Tour begins in November and here at County Wedding Magazines HQ we think it will make a great night out for your hen/stag or sten do! Tickets for shows are on-sale now The shows will feature hits from throughout Sophie's career, as well as some very festive classics, all in Sophie's own seasonal disco style. The tour follows on from the huge success of her 2022 Kitchen Disco Tour in which she brought her lockdown online sensation from her kitchen to sold-out stages across the country, including a sold-out finale at the London Palladium.

The Vale Resort has nine deluxe suites available for weddings

The Vale Resort is home to 143 on-site bedrooms, two championship golf courses, an award-winning restaurant, sports facilities and Wales' largest spa. Located within 650 acres of countryside, the hotel boasts landscaped gardens, sweeping staircases, classic terraces and a light, contemporary interior with large windows that offer stunning views of the surrounding grounds.

There are nine deluxe suites available for weddings. The Castle Suite is ideal for large celebrations, with high ceilings, grand windows, a private bar and space for 400 loved ones throughout the day.

Top tips for having a low waste wedding

Getting married is one of the most exciting days of your life, and you'll want it to be as special as possible. But you might also want your wedding to be kinder to the planet than the usual nuptials — indeed, a study found that British weddings create 18kg of plastic waste per event, adding up to 4,910 tonnes of plastic waste every year. Even for the biggest event of your life, this is a lot of waste to produce during a single day, and many people are increasingly looking to find ways of reducing it and have more sustainable nuptials. If you want to enjoy the big day but also make it more of an eco-friendly event, suppliers of catering equipment Alliance Online have put together some tips for you to take forward in your wedding planning. Even though getting married is a big event, you can still keep the carbon footprint small.

Proposing a prenup? A guide to practical romance this February

Some consider February to be one of the most romantic months of the year. With January finally over, we can start to look forward to Spring, and the warmer months ahead. Each leap year, the 29th of February is traditionally held as a day when the tables can turn and women are supposed to propose marriage to men, instead of the other way around. However, most obviously, February contains Valentine's Day and the celebrations of lovers up and down the country who look to St Valentine for inspiration for their friendships and romantic relationships.