Beautiful Venues

There just doesn't seem to be anywhere that lists all the great venues in the UK, so I thought I would list some of the lesser known venues I have found on my google travels! Please contact the venues directly with any queries.

Friday Island www.fridayislandweddings.co.uk
This idyllic beach lagoon and private island offers a truly unique setting for you and your guests, especially since this particular Caribbean setting is actually in Gloucester! Friday Island is the perfect compromise to a destination beach wedding, surrounded by exotic plants and stunning scenery, you are also only about 20 miles off the M4 from Swindon. Expect to pay about £5,000 plus VAT for the basic package (up to 160 people) there are a number of approved caterers with BBQ menus starting at £30 pp. Drinks are fairly reasonable with a bottle of house white at £9.95 and Champagne starting at £24.95 a bottle (taken from their website 14.10.09) The basic package includes the following

Edwardian boat arrival for the Bride and Groom

Full use of Friday Island and James’s Point

Reception Marquee on James’s Point

Lunch/Dinner Marquee on Friday Island (includes seating and tables)

Thatched pavilion bar—cash or tab (normal pub prices and fully staffed)

Candle lit beach in the evening

Wedding manager on duty throughout

Full administrative back up and organisation

Toilets, showers and car parking

Garden games - giant jenga, giant chess, boules etc

Mapledurham Estate www.mapledurham.co.uk

Hire the grounds of this fantastic house for a marquee wedding, based in Reading with great travel links to motorways, airports & train stations it's stunning riverside location with fully functioning Mill makes for a truly unique setting. There's no corkage charge but you will need to bring in your own Marquee and Caterers, although they do offer help and advice on these.

Hire is from £1500 for up to 200 guest to £1750 for up to 300, POA for more than 300 guests

Dorchester Corn Exchange & Town Hall www.dorchestercornexchange.co.uk

A budget bride's dream, a stunning grade II listed building dating back to 1793, with room for up to 200 guests, a fully equiped kitchen and the possibility of bringing in your own food PLUS no corkage at an unbelievable price, hire from 8am to 11pm £327.00 plus Vat for the Corn Exchange, £135 plus VAT for the town hall and £102 plus VAT for the magistrates room. Similar private venues are charging over 10-15 times that! This is how you get a £50,000 wedding for £5000!

Springhead www.springheadtrust.org.uk

The words "too" and "cute" spring to mind when I discovered this little gem, Springhead describes itself as a "rural centre for creative and sustainable living" so if you are looking for an eco-friendly wedding site this may be the one for you, the gardens are just breathtaking and the Italian Rotunda and lake are a photographer's dream!

Weekend hire of the facilities includes the main mill building, the Springhead Trust’s gardens, a private car park and overnight accommodation (if applicable), plus: crockery, cutlery, tables and chairs, April to Sept £2,450.00, Oct -March £1,950.00, day/evening hire (Oct-March only) £1,500.00. The venue can hold 50 guests so it's perfect for a more intimate event.

This is another "no corkage" venue which will save you a fortune!, and if you aren't charging your guests for alcohol you don't need the Liquor licence (£160) either

Saucy Pin up Photography - The perfect gift

A while ago I wrote about my favourite Photographers in Southampton and mentioned the fabulously talented Julian Porter.

Jules and his wife Sue have a fantastic studio in Bassett in Southampton and invited me down for a photo shoot as part of the launch of their new venture www.saucypinups.com, a fresh take on their classic boudoir shoots, based on the 1940 and 1950s pinups. The shoot is perfect for those looking for something a little less daring than a boudoir shoot. I went along for what was a fantastic afternoon of fun and here are the results: -






















The studio is big enough for groups so if you fancy a fun day out with the girls (great hen do idea) this is a great option, they also do boudoir shoots with photo packages which make a perfect present idea for the partner who has everything.

Jules and Sue are just lovely and so much fun, the whole experience was an absolute hoot and the very talented Michelle of Opulence did a fantastic job of both my hair and make up. She also does bridal make up.

Cupcake Dolly at Sunnyfield's Farmers Market

Check out these beautiful creations from Cupcake Dolly. These could make a fantastic alternative to a standard Wedding Cake.

Their website is full of beautiful images of cupcakes to suit every wedding colour and theme, including personalised picture cupcakes, perfect for Weddings, anniversaries or birthdays.

Prices start at £1.99 each or £20 for 12.

Based in Hedge End in Southampton, find them at www.cupcakedolly.co.uk

For display ideas, why not scour ebay or charity shops for a vintage style cake stands, or check out the large range of acrylic cake stands available to buy on ebay and add a couple of coloured led lights to match in with your colour them. You can always sell the stand afterwards.

Soul Diva Joins Love Soul Choir....

I am very excited to have joined Love Soul Choir... it's a new venture between Jack White & Steve Giles involving talented singers from across Hampshire. The choir is an off shoot of the extremely successful "En Masse" choir based in Salisbury. As it's name suggests the style is Soul, mixed with a bit of Gospel and Pop for good measure, it's a choir for the younger generation. My first rehearsal involved an inpromtu performance on the streets of Southampton to a load of people camping outside the Guildhall, waiting for £10 tickets to Australia, I'm looking forward to our next rehearsal!

No doubt there will be a lot of interest for booking Love Soul Choir and details will be released soon for special offers to book Love Soul and Soul Diva together! A whole wedding full of Love and Soul!

Eco Weddings in Southampton

The newest trend in Weddings seems to be the "eco" wedding, which can cover pretty much every aspect of your wedding from using unbleached, recycled paper for your invites, organic food & drink for your reception, vintage clothing & accessories as well as limiting travel for your guests.

Whilst not every bride is an "eco warrior" it does make a lot of sense to support local businesses. I was pondering this whilst walking around Sunnfyfields Organic Farm in Marchwood

Their farmers market (every Saturday) boasts an array of Organic Vegetables and Meats, as well as a Hog Roast, Cafe, Cake stands (the most beautiful cupcakes you have ever seen) and a farmers shop that has an array of organic produce including Organic wines for under £10 a bottle.

For details of all the farmers markets going on across Hampshire visit Hampshire Farmer's Markets official website

Another favourite local business of mine is Upton's Butchers. Interesting to note that 3 out of the 4 contestants on Southampton's Come Dine With Me used them, not only is the choice fantastic, the meat is absolutely the best quality you will find and their service is second to none. They also offer hog roast and BBQ catering for Weddings & Celebrations, pop in and see them.

My Favourite Photographers

Julian Porter www.julianporter.com
I recently sang at the Wedding of Steve and Vicky, a really lovely couple who dance divinely and were such a joy to work with. Vicky is a friend of a good friend of mine who I got the chance to meet a couple of times before the wedding, so I wasn't surprised when she spent the whole evening on the dancefloor! They started the evening with "Moondance" as their first dance which they did a quick step to.

Their photographers were Julian Porter, a Southampton based company whose style can only be described as exquisite, see their images here.
http://julesporter.com/blog/2009/07/steve-and-vicky-get-married/

Their style reminds me of my favourite Photographer ever Anne Ruthmann, she's based in the states so unless you're planning a destination wedding you won't be able to book her but if you are looking for wedding inspiration check out her blog

Wizard Photography www.wizardphotography.co.uk
I met Roger at the Wedding of Caroline and Graham at the Sandbanks Hotel in Poole, and instantly thought "what a really lovely guy", nothing was too much trouble for him all evening and he captured the fun of their day perfectly, with a whole set of fun beach photos as well as great coverage of the evening's festivities (see below)
I'm looking forward to working with him in the future, both with my singing and marketing consultancy (ah yes I have many strings to my bow!)

Tara Louisa Photography www.tara-louisaphotography.com
Tara did my promo shots for me when she was working at Double Take Studios, I remember her being so excited when I rocked up in my wig carrying a disco ball and asked the make-up artist to make me up like a drag queen! She has since branched out and started her own Photography company specialising in travel and wedding photography
Solent Studios www.solentstudios.com
Rob at Solent Studios photographed my Cousin's Wedding at Winchester Guildhall , and the results were breathtaking (see my favourite pic below). To add to his fantastic coverage of the day he also provided entertainment in the evening by way of his Funky Photo Booth which provided hours of fun for everyone, as well as a guest book full of hilarious photos and great memories. I would recommend hiring a photobooth to anyone considering it - even our Nan got involved in the action!
Check out his blog for details and photos of Lydia and her amazing dress....

Mitzi de Margary www.mitzidemargary.com
I saw Mitzi de Margary at a friends wedding and was very impressed by their coverage of the day and the quality of the photos, I would describe their style as Classic, Modern and Stylish. Definately worth looking at their site.

About turn.... South Coast Weddings lacking something

I have noticed that there is a serious lack of information for anyone planning to get married along the South Coast. Especially in Southampton, it seems all the websites that should hold the information don't (probably because they're charging extortionate advertising rates) so I thought I'd share some of my local knowledge as well as knowledge I've gain as a Wedding singer.

Be assured any places I mention here aren't paying for advertising. So feel free to browse and hopefully it may help you...