Wonderful Cheshire Weddings

Author: Paula Brown

Planning A Destination Wedding
You’ve found your dream destination and you can almost feel the sand between your toes. For many couples, combining their wedding and honeymoon in one is the dream option for their big day.
With UK weddings coming in at an average of £25k +, travelling abroad with the promise of guaranteed weather, beautiful sunsets and that full-on holiday feeling makes financial sense as well as being a lovely treat for your guests.
Follow our top ten tips to make sure you plan your destination wedding to perfection!
1. Choose the perfect location
As well as being a dreamy destination with wonderful views and amazing Instagram credentials your venue needs to deliver on a whole host of practicalities.
That gorgeous, Mamma Mia. Style beach town where you spent all your childhood summers just won’t work if it only has one hotel that can’t accommodate all your guests.
2. Get your ‘Save The Dates’ out early
This is one of the most important destination wedding tips. It’s important to give your nearest and dearest have plenty of time to calculate if they can afford the cost of travelling to your ceremony and reception and give them a flavour of what’s to come.
3. Think Local, Save Big
Embrace the local scenery, food and foliage and slash your budget significantly. Using local blooms, booze and food options can really save the pennies and will make your big day much more authentic.
4. Offer your guests options
Do your research and offer your guests a range of price options when it comes to accommodation. Sticking everyone in one reasonably priced hotel is not the best move – guests like different types of accommodation from villas and apartments to luxury hotels; let them make the decision of where to stay and what to spend
5. Hire a planner
Although only about 20% of UK couples normally appoint a planner its an essential role for a destination wedding. Using someone with local connections who can negotiate, organise and make decisions on your behalf – without any language barrier issues is an absolute must.
6. Visit in advance
Ideally, you’d see your venue once before booking and again three to four months before the wedding to finalise details. If a second trip’s not possible, arrive at least five days early to make those last minute decisions and ideally have a hair and make-up trial!
7. Pick your suppliers in person
In advance of your first site visit, set up meetings with the better-known florists and rental companies in your destination. But also ask for referrals from your venue and planner on the ground; you might uncover local talent you didn’t know about.
8. Stuff that suitcase
If you are not shipping items ahead of the big day, booking an extra (couple) of cases on to your trip is a great idea. You can stuff these will all your personal touches from guest books to linen and just about everything in between.
9. DO NOT CHECK YOUR DRESS IN!
Keep it as cabin baggage so it is with you all the time, even if that means getting it steamed at destination.
10. Choose the right dress
Think about the theme, the backdrop and most of all the likely weather on your big day. Being trussed up in super-sweaty fabric or drowning in underskirts has the potential to spoil a wedding in the sun – and don’t get too sunburnt beforehand!
March 3, 2019
Leverhulme Hotel
Nestled in Lord Leverhulme’s picturesque model village Port Sunlight, Leverhulme Hotel is an art deco masterpiece.
A truly stunning venue which effortlessly combines contemporary glamour with art deco flair, Leverhulme has been magnificently restored into the region’s highest rated four star hotels.
Wrapped in gorgeous gardens (complete with a miniature lake) the hotel boasts a range of beautiful spaces for your celebration and has been especially designed to provide a slick, airy blank canvas to bring your wedding dreams to reality.
The sublime ballroom and lower ballroom are full of light and can be dressed to suit any style, whilst the stylish conservatory is the perfect spot to say your ‘I Do’s’ or enjoy a more intimate private wedding breakfast.
Superb photo opportunities abound; from the sweeping staircase with its stunning ceiling detail to the gorgeous outdoor pagoda you we be spoilt for choice when it comes to capturing those perfect wedding day moments.
The highly-experienced wedding team are on hand to add their personal expertise and the overall service will ensure that you and your guests enjoy a magical day to remember.
Viewing is absolutely essential for this venue as it’s difficult to envisage the true beauty and rich history of the building and its surroundings without actually seeing it for yourself.
Leverhulme Hotel is licensed for Civil Ceremonies and Civil Partnerships. To find out more about the variety of spaces available or to book a private show round of the venue, please or call the team on 0151 644 6655.
Find Us
Lodge Lane
Port Sunlight Village
Wirral
CH62 5EZ
Phone: 0151 644 6655
Web: www.leverhulmehotel.co.uk/
March 3, 2019
5 Of The Best – Flawless Foundations
If there is ever day you need to ‘go for the glow’ and rely on a flawless finish it has to be your wedding day!
We have been road testing some of the best foundations on the market and come up with our top 5 to suit all skin types and budgets…
Nars all Day Luminous Weightless Foundation (£35)
Don’t be fooled by the slightly runny texture, this ultra-dewy formula gives long lasting coverage and a gorgeous glow.
Top Tip – the Nars girls stressed that this is best applied with your fingertips so ditch the brushes and sponge.
Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation – Editors Choice (£16)
Our foundation-fanatic editor absolutely loved this super-affordable Body Shop offering. Normally a designer brand stalwart, she loved the light-hydrating texture which gives a beautiful fresh-faced look with lasting coverage. Available in 16 semi-matte shades its our top recommendation for budget conscious brides.
Estee Lauder Doublewear Foundation (£32.50)
The Duchess of all foundation brands, Doublewear has always been famed for its total coverage and is rightly hailed as the UK’s No1 foundation.
Although its texture appears quite heavy it means you only need a tiny bit to ensure maximum coverage for up to 15 hours.
We recommend going for a slightly lighter shade than normal and building colour with powder and blush.
Maybelline Dream Satin (£7.99)
The bargain option, this liquid make up sensation still gives an air-brush, radiant finish.
This air-whipped formula contains hyaluronic acid and gives the lightness of a mousse in a smooth, liquid foundation.
This foundation gives a medium coverage that is flawless, seamless, smooth and subtly luminous.
And the downside? Be prepared for regular ‘touch-ups’ as its staying power is quite poor, however if a natural look is your thing this would be an excellent shout.
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra Long Wear Foundation (£35)
Another firm favourite with the team, its ‘shine free’ texture means this is an excellent choice for those who have an oily complexion.
A heavy duty, long lasting super-foundation we would recommend teaming it with a luminous primer to get that all important bridal glow.
That said the overall texture really does give this designer potion a real ‘no make-up’ feel.
March 1, 2019
Maid In Heaven
They are your greatest support, your number one fans and often your very best organisers. They listen, advise, don’t get bored when you talk about your flowers for the umpteenth time and are as happy as you are that you are about to become a Mrs. They are your childhood friends, your favourite cousin, your beloved sister. They are your bridesmaids…
Although it is undoubtedly an honour to be asked to be part of ‘team bride’, it’s still crucial that your gorgeous girls look and feel as fabulous as you do on the big day.
With that in mind we’ve gathered together some of the top looks for this season’s most beautiful bridesmaids. Think big bold statement colours and subtle twists on tradition. Thanks for shaking things up 2019 – it’s going to be a wonderful year!
Beautiful – Burnt Orange
Marvellous – Mustard
Stunning – Sage
Dreamy – Dusty Rose
Magical – Mist
February 25, 2019
Introducing – Mr & Mrs Weddings!
Show-stopping street food, terrific tipis and the coolest camper vans in town – Matt and Lou Hardy are Wirral’s very own Mr & Mrs Weddings! From a love affair with food and festivals to a full-on wedding day empire, our loved-up pair are now creating extraordinary events for cool couples from across the land
We caught up with Mr & Mrs H to find out what fabulousness they have in store this season…
When you first meet Matt and Lou it’s easy to see why this partnership works. Matt the easy going (and super-talented chef) and his bubbly wife are the perfect match in life as well as in business.
When they started their first foodie venture, a gorgeous neighbourhood café, back in 2014 their beloved camper van affectionately known as the ‘Big Dub’ was left parked up and sad on the driveway.
Eventually, inspired by their three great loves, food, festivals and camping the pair hit upon the idea of combining their passions into a business and The Big Dub of Love was born.

Food, Festivals & Fabulous Events
Now transformed into an all-singing-and-dancing street food truck; once the Big Dub hit the road there was no stopping them.
Having quickly gained a reputation for excellence, Matt channelled his passion for globally inspired street food into an eclectic offering which was perfect for couple’s looking for a full-on festival theme or just a cool food-slam vibe for their night time nibbles.
Although the guys do offer a range of foodie packages from more traditional wedding breakfasts to gourmet style themed feasts and perfect picnics, its been the street food offering that has really captured couple’s imaginations (and taste buds!)
‘The Big Dub burger has become a bit of a signature dish,’ commented Matt, ‘They are so instagrammable and really do taste as good as they look – but we do offer a crazy range of dishes inspired by cuisines from the four corners of the globe.’
Couples can choose from delicious dishes including Tandoori & Garlic Infused Stir Fried Vegetables with Couscous; Harissa & Coriander Falafel; Panko Crumbed Cod with Asian Slaw; Halloumi Bites with Sweet Chilli Sauce & Crispy Onions; Salt & Pepper Fries… The list is endless!

The Big Tipi of Love
Not content with being the region’s street food supremos, the duo have now expanded their loved-up empire to include uber-fabulous Big Tipi of Love.
‘Having worked on over fifty weddings housed in tipis over the last couple of years we got to experience the highs and lows of weddings under canvas,’ commented Lou. ‘We always work so closely with our couples, inevitably we ended up helping out with planning and sourcing advice that went way beyond food. We found that couples’ experiences with tipi companies varied wildly from really good to agonisingly frustrating, so taking the leap with our very own tipi seemed like the next logical step.’
‘We can now help couples with their entire day from finding a suitable location to sourcing lighting, dressing, entertainment and of course the food!’
‘Having complete control of the day means we can eliminate a multitude of problems and take away the stress for our couples so they are just free to enjoy their day.’

So What Is Next For The ‘Big Love’ Empire?
‘We are in talks with Wirral Council about hosting a major Big Tipi of Love Easter Event at a totally iconic Wirral location. If the event gets the green light we will be running our cool street food offering alongside showcasing some of the Wirral’s best wedding and event specialists – so watch this space!’
You can find out more about the Bid Dub and Big Tipi of love by visiting their website at www.hardyscatering.co.uk or follow them on social at @bigduboflove @hardyscatering
February 20, 2019