Your East Anglian Wedding news and ideas from around the region

How to make your engagement ring shine for wedding day

Between shampoo, hairspray, moisturiser and hand cream – we can all agree that our beautiful engagement rings go through a lot on a daily basis. After all, many of us wear them every day without ever taking them off! But if your big day is just around the corner, it's crucial to keep your ring looking its best for those all-important wedding photos and to ensure your nearest and dearest see it in all its glory. With this in mind, experts at family-owned jewellers and diamond merchants, Chisholm Hunter, offer their specialist advice on how to get your ring gleaming before your big day... Max Brown, Retail Director at Chisholm Hunter, shares their top tips for ensuring your engagement ring is sparkling ahead of your wedding day: "If you want your precious jewellery to look its best on the big day, we recommend taking your ring to a professional jewellers for both ultrasonic and steam cleaning and using fine emery paper followed by a full polish to remove any surface scratching.

Venues for the perfect autumnal ceremony

New research conducted by ethical jewellery brand Sacet has revealed the top country wedding venues across the UK that would make the perfect location for an autumnal ceremony. By analysing a number of factors (including guest capacity, number of reviews, professionalism, quality of service and value for money) of over 30 wedding venues that offer barn, country and forest-style weddings in the UK, the top 10 were revealed. Brinsop Court Manor House and Barn, in Hereford, has been crowned the overall winner, with top ratings across all factors (quality of service, response time, professionalism, value for money flexibility and average rating). It also had the most number of reviews and can hold between 30 to 250 guests.

L.A Brewery in Suffolk specialises in non-alcoholic drinks

L.A Brewery in Suffolk specialises in non-alcoholic drinks. The sustainably brewed non-alcoholic drinks use natural fermentation with innovative, seasonal blends of tea, wild plants, and botanicals.

Offering mindful and healthy options to provide balance, the drinks are perfect for guests who are driving or don't feel like drinking but still want to feel included in the party. L.A Brewery is offering couples who sign up to its newsletter a 10 per cent discount.

Are these popular 2023 wedding song cursed?

Research from wedding entertainment providers Function Central shows couples are taking risks choosing songs for their weddings with shockingly high divorce rates. Function Central used existing data on the songs most likely to end in divorce to see whether couples were still taking risks by adding these songs to their upcoming nuptials. This data was then cross-referenced against existing wedding playlists of engaged couples to see whether couples were still choosing these songs for their weddings. The results were concerning for any superstitious couples worried about whether certain tracks were deemed bad luck for long lasting marriages.

Hintlesham Hall is surrounded by peaceful gardens

Surrounded by peaceful gardens, Hintlesham Hall has an impressive Georgian frontage and an elegant Tudor feature at the back. This Suffolk gem is sure to wow your guests as they wind their way down the tree-lined drive and discover the impressive hall.

There's a choice of distinctive rooms where you can tie the knot, including the Georgian-style Salon, which has an impressive chandelier, an ornate gold-leaf ceiling, and space for up to 100 friends and family.

Intimate ceremonies take place in The Justice on the ground floor, which overlooks the back lawns.

5 reasons couples fail at sticking to their wedding budget

With the cost of living on everyone's minds, budget expert Isabel Smith, offers some insight into how couples can set (and stick to!) their wedding budget. The number of couples who are going overbudget on their wedding is dropping, from around 2/3 in 2018 to somewhere around 50% this year. This may be due to savvier couples setting more realistic budgets, or people simply refusing spend a penny more than planned owing to future financial uncertainty, but either way, I am all for it! I've never been an advocate for getting in debt over your big day, no matter how special you want it to be.

The perfect couples advent calendar

Couples looking for that x-factor idea to get them in the Christmassy mood this festive season need look no further than A Twist Of Date's personalised couples' advent calendar. This personalised QR-code collection of romantic, fun and creative couples' activities adds a spark of magic that is sure to make 2023 a December to remember. Perfect for long-term busy couples looking to reconnect through heart-warming moments, it's a no-brainer alternative to the typical chocolate-filled Christmas countdown. Whether it's an impromptu trip to your local ice rink, engaging in an act of kindness together or writing each other a romantic letter to be opened on Christmas, each day brings something new and exciting to share together.

How to master taking the perfect engagement ring photo

Proposals are often one of the most memorable, special and magical moments in a couples life, so it's only natural they want to share this joyous news with their friends, family and colleagues. In 2023, one of the most common ways for couples to share the news of their engagement is through social media. Couples often post gorgeous pictures in real time of themselves along with the dazzling engagement ring. Sharing the news via social media is a quick and easy way of telling your loved ones the news without having to individually call everyone, which can be overwhelming and time consuming. However, taking the perfect photo can be a bit of a challenge. Whilst it's not a competition to see who has the biggest ring and whose ring sparkles the most, a lot of people want their ring to look as desirable and shimmering as possible.

Oaktree Ceremonies is offering a new service

Once you have tied the knot and officially become newlyweds, there is so much to think about. Firstly, you may very well have your honeymoon booked and are planning to spend time together at your favourite destination. You will be waiting for the amazing photographs from your special day to drop into your inbox, and you may also be thinking about getting your dress professionally cleaned and a plethora of other jobs that may need doing. However, one topic that is often not talked about is wills. It's not widely known, but if you currently have a will, then once you get married, this is revoked and would not legally stand.

Sober hen parties are on the rise

While hen parties are often characterised by celebratory cocktails, drinking games and wild night outs, the hen-do could soon be shrugging off its booze-fueled persona. Global searches for 'sober hen do ideas' have doubled over the past year while 'sober bachelorette party games' has also seen a 50% increase. On TikTok, #soberliving has seen a surge in popularity, with videos including the hashtag boasting over 650 million views. If you're a bride-to-be looking to celebrate your 'last night of freedom' tee-total-style, party planning expert, Amy Greenshields at cardfactory has shared her four top tips.

Christchurch Mansion is a magnificent building with a Tudor façade

Step inside this magnificent building with its red Tudor façade and be prepared to be wowed by its high ceiling, black and white marble- checkered floor, and ornate fireplace. The venue is a treasure trove of historic features, with numerous period rooms and furniture.

Set within the stunning Christchurch Park, the iconic Ipswich landmark boasts expansive, picturesque grounds with rolling lawns, ponds, and scenic woodland, providing a wealth of wonderful backdrops for those all-important photographs.

Is lasting love magic, logic or luck?

Does it matter how a couple met? Contented Couples, a new guide to long-term relationships, features candid, intimate interviews with eighteen couples, based in the UK and USA. Each pair tell of how they met, how they formed a relationship and how they've thrived to become a truly happy union. One couple met and married within a month, whilst another two were thrown together repeatedly by a matchmaker who refused to give up - and it is not only guy meets girl either. The couples speak from an array of circumstance, culture and sexual orientations, including arranged marriage, friends-to-lovers and dating apps.

The five best weather apps to keep your eye on it leading up to the big day

Wedding jewellery experts Austen & Blake have listed some of the best weather apps to keep an eye on in the lead-up to your big day. The UK weather has been anything but predictable lately, with September set to be a particularly rainy and unsettled month, according to The Met Office. Top-rated apps help to track and plan your wedding day accordingly. Weather apps are invaluable when it comes to planning your nuptials, but sometimes there's no avoiding the inevitable. That's why, along with listing the best apps for tracking grey skies, the jewellery experts have teamed up with a professional wedding photographer to provide tips on how to get the best rainy snaps.

Even when the weather's a washout, it doesn't mean your wedding photos have to be! Here are some of the best weather apps to keep an eye on and how to strike the perfect pose if rain is predicted:

Be the first to book the new Wellness Retreat at the Bedford Lodge Hotel and Spa

The Bedford Lodge Hotel and Spa in Newmarket, Suffolk, has launched a new wellness retreat on Friday 10th – Sunday 12th November. This uplifting and mindful weekend is packed with self-care and includes four wellbeing classes, from restorative yoga and energising Pilates to a tranquil and immersive sound bath experience. Access to the award-winning spa with two incredible treatments, the ESPA Modern Alchemy Ritual and Active Nutrients Facial, is also included. All this is combined with a relaxing two-night stay in the luxury four-red-star hotel and an indulgent dinner at Squires Restaurant.

Don’t like your engagement ring? Relationship experts reveal what you need to do!

A marriage proposal is filled with an overwhelming amount of emotion and is a moment both you and your partner will remember forever. But once the initial rush fades, what if you come to terms with the fact that the ring placed on your finger isn't what you envisioned it to look like? Leading diamond jewellers, Diamonds Factory, teamed up with relationship experts Georgia Sturmer and Sharin Shafer, who have shared their top 3 tips on how to handle this delicate situation in the best way possible.

Shire Hall is a 16th-century property in Woodbridge

Located in the heart of Woodbridge and surrounded by traditional inns, restaurants, and quirky historic buildings, is the magnificent 16th-century Shire Hall. Built in 1575 by Thomas Seckford, the property has been the focal point of Woodbridge for almost 450 years and stands proudly in the centre of Market Hill.

Displaying its iconic 17th-century Flemish gabling and stone capping, with an elegant long iron staircase either side of the large, impressive arched doors, Shire Hall is the perfect venue for photographs and creating special memories.

Fraser Hart launches its stunning lab-grown diamond collection

Fraser Hart, one of the UK's leading purveyors of fine jewellery, is redefining affordable luxury with the launch of its Born Lab Grown Diamonds collection in 10 new stores nationwide. Optically, physically and chemically identical to an earth-grown diamond, here cutting-edge technology is used to create timeless diamonds in a laboratory setting. Blending craftsmanship with innovation, Born Lab Grown Diamonds are breathtaking in their clarity, delivering the same sparkling wow-factor as traditionally mined gems, but with a more accessible price tag. The Born collection includes a stunning choice of "buy now, treasure forever" heirloom jewellery pieces. With exquisite diamond rings starting at just £799, diamond and white gold stud earrings from £799, classic diamond encrusted tennis bracelets from £5,250, and diamond pendant necklaces from £850, investing in luxurious, exceptional quality and utterly timeless diamond jewellery pieces has never been more attractive.

The wellness journals from Lovendu you need in your life

With Mental Health Awareness day falling in October, and as we approach the end of the year, take positive steps to improve your wellbeing in 2024 through journaling. The benefits of daily journaling are huge, from reducing stress and improving your mental health to boosting productivity and providing an opportunity to get in sync with your emotions. It's the ultimate act of self-care – and Lovendu makes it easy to take control of your life and truly thrive.

Bedford Lodge Hotel is offering our readers an exclusive discount

The multi-award-winning Spa at Bedford Lodge Hotel is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. For a decade, The Spa has been a sanctuary of tranquillity, providing relaxation and rejuvenation experiences for both Suffolk locals and the wider county's visitors.

Couples can enjoy spa breaks, spa days, and spa evenings, including 10 beautiful treatment rooms with one couple's suite, along with extensive facilities such as a hydrotherapy pool, relaxation room, steam room, sauna, dry flotation, experiential showers, and rooftop hot tub. There is particular importance placed on inclusivity at The Spa, ensuring a luxurious, pampering treatment menu for all guests, with Wellness for Cancer treatments available as well as gold-standard treatments from ESPA and manicures and pedicures.

Getting married? Alcohol-free menu is the new must-have

Samantha Gilchrist, CEO of the UK's largest wedding venue collection, The Gilchrist Collection, conducted a survey of 2,000 UK adults to find out their wedding drinking habits. The study comes as the collection launches its new alcohol-free drinks menu, created in partnership with First Dates star bartender, Merlin Griffiths. The survey revealed that almost half (47%) of those who had attended a wedding in the last five years didn't drink alcohol during at least one of the events they had been to. Sober guests said they were often left feeling uncomfortable at weddings sipping an un-festive soft drink, as 35% of respondents said they are questioned on why they aren't having alcohol. Sadly, a quarter admitted to drinking alcohol at a wedding just to avoid awkward questions or having to share personal or medical information as an excuse.