Your South Wales Wedding news and ideas from around the area

Is keeping your maiden name at work right for you?

NameSwitch shares its advice on the dilemma that many women face in the workplace, and that's whether to keep your maiden name? Read on to find out more... The process of getting married comes with a million personal choices to be made along the way – do you want a big white dress or something more minimal? Do you want a DJ at your celebration or a live band? Do you want to keep your maiden name or embrace your married one? Each choice is personal and unique and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Even when it comes to something as momentous as what name you'll be known by for the rest of your life, there are different options and choices to be made. And just like decisions about what kind of dress to buy, the choices you make about your name will also be influenced by your personal preferences and life experiences.

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama is a striking venue situated in the heart of Cardiff

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, situated in the heart of Cardiff, is surrounded by white Portland-stone 19th-century civic buildings on one side and the grounds of the magnificent Cardiff Castle on the other. The college is made up of two buildings encompassing both historic and contemporary styles. The Anthony Hopkins Centre is the original Cardiff Castle Stables and boasts an historic open-air courtyard. While, the contemporary glass-walled entrance hall, overlooking the Grade I listed Bute Park, creates a stunning backdrop for photographs.

The Anthony Hopkins Centre has two elegant rooms that are available for ceremonies, one can seat 80 guests, and the other can hold 50.

Free Valentine's wedding with Frankie & Benny’s

Top Italian American restaurant Frankie & Benny's has been swamped with applications after offering a free wedding for Valentine's. The popular restaurant has launched the ultimate cost of living crisis busting wedding and they've already had thousands wanting to say 'I do'. The team at Frankie & Benny's have been astounded by the number of applicants, many of the lovebirds had their first date at one of the restaurants and want to celebrate their special day where they first met. You still have a chance to win, so long as you've just tied the knot, or about to, have a great love story, then you can apply for the free wedding. All applications need to be submitted via Facebook/Instagram by January 29, 2023.

New interactive feature to make hen and stag dos less stressful

A new randomised spinning wheel feature has been launched by Hen Weekends and Stag Weekends in an effort to make the planning process of hen and stag parties easier and less stressful. This comes as their recent study of hen and stag party bookings found that 30% of hen and stag party organisers have no idea which location to book, with so many different options on offer creating quite the predicament.

New honeymoon experiences for couples with a conscience

Hotelgift is the ideal way to share the joy of travel with a newlywed couple with a conscience; from uber luxury glamping to wellness journeys for two. For every Hotelgift bought and for every gift card that is redeemed for a new hotel stay, 1,000 litres of water are donated to support local communities in places that need it most through a partnership with Made Blue.

Venue Wales is hosting a wedding showcase on 26th February 2023

Venue Wales is hosting a wedding showcase on 26th February 2023. This is the perfect time to meet local companies, chat with wedding coordinators and find inspiration for your special day.

The showcase is taking place at The Lloyd Thomas Centre. This large, picturesque venue is situated in the middle of Lampeter town, nestled in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains of Ceredigion. Known for hosting prestigious annual events from conferences to the local Eisteddfodau, the venue has experienced, friendly staff on hand to offer you excellent service and planning throughout your wedding journey.

Average ages we are hitting life’s milestones

A new study from Confused.com has revealed the average ages we are hitting life's milestones in England & Wales, including getting married at age 35! So how does your milestone timeline compare? Typically, the first milestone people in the UK reach is moving out of their parent's home at age 20, followed by moving in with their partner at 27. The next life milestone those in the UK usually meet is having their first child, with couples seeming to have children before marriage. The average age for having children is 29, while the average age for getting married is 35. The data also suggests that on average, people are choosing to have children before purchasing a property. This could be a result of house prices continuing to rise making it harder to save for a deposit.

Couples looking for a charming wedding venue will adore Bryngarw House

Couples looking for a charming wedding venue will adore Bryngarw House. Easily accessible yet a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the property is just a few minutes from the M4 and sits within 113 acres of parkland.

In the grounds is an ornamental bridge, an oriental-style tea house, and an exquisite display of trees and flowers, and inside are 18 en-suite bedrooms, a sweeping staircase and dressing rooms for the wedding party to use on the morning of the wedding.

The Treharne Suite is a French antique-styled ceremony room that's flooded with natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows and chandeliers and is capable of holding up to 120 guests for the ceremony.

Couples are opting for eco-friendly weddings

One of the UK's leading waste and recycling management companies BusinessWaste.co.uk collected data, which shows how much attitudes to environmental and sustainable choices in regard to weddings are changing. According to the research searches for 'sustainable wedding' has skyrocketed by 75% over the last year, while 'sustainable wedding venues near me' saw an 80%+ increase along with 'sustainable engagement ring' which saw a staggering 96% search increase. What's more, us Brits came out on top overall for our eco-friendly mindfulness, with France and Greece also seeing the biggest increase in searches for sustainable wedding venues.

Keep your wedding guests warm this winter

Putting the chocolate back into drinking chocolate with their unique fine beads, Cocoa Canopy are making winter weddings super cosy with its sample-szie offering. Perfect for winter wedding favours, they offer the ultimate in comforting hot chocolates, guaranteed to put a smile on the receiver's face! Cocoa Canopy is the only UK drinking chocolate brand to craft unique fine chocolate beads for beautifully smooth, real chocolate drinks made from only a handful of sustainably sourced ingredients.

Perthyn Low Alcohol Spirit, made in Cardiff, is a great alternative to gin

If you're looking for a tasty gin alternative with far less alcohol, then Perthyn Low Alcohol Spirit is the ideal go-to. Perthyn is distilled at the Cardiff Distillery using locally and responsibly-sourced botanicals wherever possible.

The resulting liquid is a zesty 10% ABV low alcohol spirit with notes of citrus, cardamom and thyme. It's a great substitute for those who want a low-calorie, low ABV spirit, without compromising on taste.

With no and low alcoholic alternatives becoming more popular than ever, now is the perfect time to try something new and where better to start than with Perthyn Low Alcohol Spirit.

Here are two Perthyn & Tonic recipes to mix up and try at home with friends and family:

How to throw an insta-worthy engagement party

You never have to scroll too far to stumble upon a celebrity engagement party on instagram and if you've recently got engaged yourself, you're probably thinking - should I throw one too? The short answer is yes, absolutely. While planning the wedding is always top priority, there's no reason why you shouldn't have a party to get all your loved ones together and celebrate the big news straight away - particularly when most weddings take place a good 12 to 18 months post-proposal. However, hosting an engagement party of your dreams can still be quite a daunting task. To help, wedding jewellery experts, Queensmith have pulled together 11 tips for taking your celebratory soirée to the next level.

Pencoed House Estate is surrounded by 36 acres of beautiful grounds

Dating back to 979AD, Pencoed House Estate is a beautiful wedding venue surrounded by 36 acres of grounds, well-groomed lawns, flowers and ancient woodland, with plenty of places to explore and take those all-important photographs. The property has a rich history and was once home to ministers of the church, the King of Glamorgan and King Arthur and Queen Guinevere.

Made from original stone walls, the stately Old Hall has a striking vaulted ceiling, wooden beams, a roaring log fire and room for 120 guests.

Spotify data reveals the most popular wedding songs

Luxury engagement ring retailer, Diamonds Factory, has scraped Spotify to find the top 100 most popular wedding songs to include in your playlists. To do this, Diamonds Factory analysed over 100 Spotify playlists containing the word 'wedding' and found the most featured songs across all playlists. These playlists included 3500 unique songs, and the data scrape also used additional keywords to reveal the top wedding ceremony songs, wedding party songs and top wedding artists, too.

New planner reveals when you can afford to tie the knot

With wedding costs rising by 3,000% since the 1950s, and set to reach an all-time high in the 2020s, making and sticking to a wedding budget can be a real headache for couples. To help would-be newlyweds with the complex task of budget planning their big day, the wedding finance team at money.co.uk have created a new wedding budget planner, to help couples account for all their costs for each stage of their dream wedding. The new planning tool also helps you calculate the earliest date you should set for your big day, based on how long it will take you to save up enough money to pay for your dream wedding. The wedding budget planner page also has lot of tips to help couples save cash, including:

Win a ‘One Night Luxury Four Poster Hotel Break for Two’ in Essex

County Weddings Magazine has teamed up with The Rose and Crown Hotel to give our readers the chance to win a 'One Night Luxury Four Poster Hotel Break for Two' in their 700 year old hotel. The lucky winner will receive a voucher which can be redeemed any time in the next 18 months. Also included is a bottle of champagne waiting in your room on arrival, breakfast in the morning, early check-in and late checkout, and a delicious three course dinner in their onsite restaurant

The latest events from CJ Wedding Fayres taking place across South Wales

Looking for the perfect suppliers for your big day? CJ Wedding Fayres are the go-to events for everything and anything for your nuptials. Each show is full of tips, ideas and inspiration from companies covering bridalwear, cakes, flowers, photography, jewellery, stationery and much more.

There are eight events taking place from January to March that have everything you need for your wedding:

Sunday 8th January, 2023. Swansea.com Stadium, Plasmarl, SA1 2FA. Opens from 11am to 3pm. Free goody bag for every bride. Get your free tickets here

The most popular wedding foliage 2022 revealed

Wow, 2022 was quite the year for weddings with a bumper amount taking place. Looking back at what was trending last year, perhaps inspiration for those tying the knot in 2023, wedding insurance specialists Protectivity have researched the most popular wedding flowers, based on UK Google Search Volume. The most popular wedding bouquet foliage was Eucalyptus, with 585,000 searches! Followed by, Ivy 495,000, Jasmine 458,200, Rosemary 374,600, Ferns 351,200, Monstera 319,500, Silver Birch 219,600, Philodendrons 219,400, Olive branches 143,000 and Myrtle 133,300.

Gileston Manor Estate is situated within nine acres of lovingly kept gardens

Tucked away off the beaten track is five-star wedding venue, Gileston Manor Estate. Situated within nine acres of lovingly kept gardens and grounds, this Grade II* listed manor house is situated in the award-winning village of Gileston in the Vale of Glamorgan and boasts sweeping front lawns and impressive sea views. The Queen Anne property has recently been renovated and includes original panelling, mirrors and crystal chandeliers.

The estate houses the pretty church of St Giles, which is perfect for couples planning a religious ceremony.

Civil ceremonies can be hosted in a variety of settings, including the manor house and numerous spaces within the gardens.

Honeymooning in your married name

If you are dreaming of jetting off to sandy shores with your sparkling new ring, spouse and matching passports...then this guide from NameSwitch will tell you how to make your dreams come true. Please do have a proper think about whether having matching passports straight away is really that important to you because, trust us when we say, it's not an easy thing to pull off! With recent changes to how processes work, effects of the Pandemic, and added complications like not being handed your marriage certificate on your wedding day, or needing the name on your NHS records to be the same as the one on your passport, an already stressful undertaking just got even more nail-biting! Now it's not mission impossible, but you do need 3 key things to be aligned (and nerves of steel) if this is going to work...