Your Bristol and Somerset Wedding news and ideas from around the county

As Bristol marks its 650th anniversary of becoming a city, we've rounded up some events to look out for

As Bristol marks its 650th anniversary of becoming a city and county in 2023 with major celebrations in the pipeline, this year sees a whole host of vibrant, world-renowned festivals and events. Here are some of our highlights to look out for: We the Curious science museum and wedding venue was forced to close in April 2022 following a devastating fire on its roof. Repairs to resulting water damage are under way and the plan is to reopen in 2023. Brimming with exhibits to inspire and home to the UK's only 3D planetarium, this is the place to ask questions and get creative.

How to manage financial anxiety when planning a wedding

Anita Naik, Savings Expert at VoucherCodes.co.uk, provides her top tips on how to manage financial anxiety when planning a wedding: "Understanding and managing your finances is never an easy task at the best of the times, however, throwing in a big goal, such as saving for a wedding, can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. Wedding planning should be fun, not daunting, therefore this Stress Awareness Month, I've pulled together my top tips to help reduce financial anxiety and make the process as enjoyable as possible.

The Roman Baths & Pump Room is located at the heart of a World Heritage Site

Located at the heart of the World Heritage Site, the Roman Baths & Pump Room is without doubt one of the most distinctive buildings in the country. The award-winning complex is steeped in history, with its origins dating back 2,000 years. The hot baths, which yield around 1,200,000 litres of water daily at a constant 46 degrees are surrounded by the original ancient paving and it's here that sunrise and sunset ceremonies take place, overlooked by the beautiful Bath Abbey.

The Great Bath area is part of the vast ancient monument; while the adjoining Georgian Pump Room, an elegant building with tall windows and Corinthian columns, frequented by Jane Austen, is accessed from the Abbey churchyard.

The number one cause of wedding planning stress and how to reduce it!

What causes stress in wedding planning is something that is individual to each couple, but where does it mainly come from? Friends? Family? Finances? "A staggering 92% of our couples planning a wedding are feeling the pressure financially and it is causing overwhelm", says Rachel Allen, the CEO of The Wedding Party (TWP)." This was the reason that Rachel formulated The Overwhelm Button® to help couples to get good support. Rachel continues, "Being stressed over finances can take several different forms, the main three being as follows...

The Holcombe is a beautiful new wedding reception venue

Located in the heart of Somerset, just 30 minutes from Bath, The Holcombe is a beautiful new wedding reception venue, overlooking rolling countryside. The 17th-century restaurant with 11 contemporary guest rooms is set on the highest point of a small parish in the north east of the Mendip Hills with views across to Downside Abbey.

Hiring The Holcombe for a wedding celebration includes exclusive use of all 11 bedrooms, the bar, restaurant, snug and grounds – including the gorgeous new Mediterranean garden. The venue is now taking bookings for 2023 and offers a blank canvas for couples looking to tailor their special day from scratch.

Sustainable wedding table ideas from LIGA

Known for their love of nature's wonder material - cork, LIGA's sustainable tableware collections are a stylish and unique wedding dining-setting choice. With their extensive collection of placemats, coasters, trays and candle holders, all made from eco-frendly and recycled materials, LIGA create clean and contemporary pieces, bringing a naturally beautiful element to the tablescape. Each with a unique grain and pattern, the organic cork selected by LIGA is lightweight and soft to touch, a wonderful raw material which is naturally water resistant and easy to clean. Sourced from the Montado Forests in Portugal, LIGA's cork is hand harvested using age-old skills without damaging the trees or the delicate eco-systems which thrive in the forests. Once cork has been made into a LIGA product it continues to absorb CO2, so a living and breathing piece of homeware.

St Audries Park is a hidden gem near the glorious Somerset coastline

St Audries Park is a hidden gem nestled between the rolling Quantock Hills and the glorious Somerset coastline. An elegant retreat for those those wanting to tie the knot in Somerset, there's a 100-acre deer park enveloping the grounds, breath-taking views and well-manicured gardens maintained all year round. The panoramic views stretch as far as the Bristol Channel.

This exclusive-use wedding venue boasts a rich history, which is evident as you walk around, with a winding driveway that leads to the dramatic Gothic entrance. Inside, you'll fi nd an imposing feature fi replace, ornate solid-oak, hand-carved dining table, a gilded drawing room with baby grand piano and ornate ceiling.

Team Hen's new Jelly Bag has landed

Meet the jelly bag that every bride tribe wants their hen party favours to arrive in 2023. Landing in three gram-worthy hues (off-white for the bride, dusky pink for the bridesmaids and maid-of-honour and pink for the hens). These reusable beauties are perfect for filling with Team Hen's latest array of coveted hen party favours and gifts whilst flaunting a cool, retro vibe. Plus, each comes tied with a matching ribbon, professionally printed in a luxe puffed design to create a slightly raised font effect. Not only are they the gift that keeps on giving (post-hen recipients can use them from beach to bar) but at £3.99 they're a steal!

Bailbrook House in Bath has announced the 2023 prices for its Royal Package

The wonderful Bailbrook House in Bath has announced the 2023 prices for its Royal Package. It promises an occasion like no other, with every part of your wedding held at the beautiful, historical mansion house.

The package includes a wedding suite on the night of the wedding plus 12 bedrooms for your guests, a dedicated wedding coordinator, a master of ceremonies, two arrival reception drinks per person following the "I dos," six canapés per person during the reception drinks, five course wedding breakfast in the Cloisters Restaurant, half a bottle of house wine per person or the equivalent value towards a wine of your choosing, a glass of champagne per person to toast, and evening food served to a private lounge.

Quantock Lakes is an exclusive-use barn wedding venue in Somerset

Quantock Lakes is an exclusive-use barn wedding venue in Somerset, hidden on a 200-acre farm in Nether Stowey close to the Quantock Hills. A family-run, multi award-winning venue with accommodation like no other, it offers a wonderful location for your dream wedding.

As you drive down the tree-lined driveway, you start to feel a whole world away from the hustle and bustle of normal life. Arrive, relax and celebrate with loved ones and take the time over two nights to see everyone who's important to you.

Involving your family pet on the big day? Check out this personalised offering

Involving your four-legged friend on your wedding day? Are they taking a staring role walking down the aisle? If so, then you have to take a look at these smart and stylish personalised leather dog ring bearer pouches (£24) from Create Gift Love. Create Gift Love design and make personalised keepsake gifts and accessories to celebrate all of life's special moments, all handmade to order in its UK workshop from sustainable natural materials.

Angel’s Kitchen recently took part in a Food Network competition

Did you catch Kerry from Cheddar-based Angel's Kitchen on TV recently? She went over to Canada to take part in a Food Network competition, which involved building a 5ft by 4ft cake with dynamic moving elements. She competed with two other talented cake makers from the South West, Dusica Roberts and Verity Malinowska. To see how she and her team got on, head over to www.itv.com for the ITVx player and search: The Big Bake. The episode you're looking for is number seven, Bone Appetit.

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.

Crowcombe Court is a Grade I listed squire’s mansion located in Crowcombe

Crowcombe Court is a Grade I listed squire's mansion located in the village of Crowcombe, around eight miles west of Taunton. The magnificent English Baroque-style house was built in the 1730s from beautiful amber-coloured bricks with Bath stone for the pilasters and frontispiece. Set in the foothills of the Quantock Hills, the beautiful grounds boast many a stunning photographic backdrop from the lake to the croquet lawn. There's also a wild woodland and guests are welcome to explore throughout the wedding celebrations.

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.

Sarah’s Sugarcraft is offering readers who book 24 free wedding cupcakes

Based in Wick, near Bristol, Sarah Churchill at Sarah's Sugarcraft has been creating beautiful, handmade wedding cakes for more than 20 years. For her, baking started as a hobby, but 12 years ago she decided to turn her passion into a business and has never looked back.

"I'm extremely passionate about what I do, and understand that a beautiful cake can make all the difference to a wedding. It's for this reason that I take great care with every one I create, ensuring it not only looks fantastic, but is the perfect consistency throughout, even before it's delivered," Sarah says. She has spent many years learning her craft and is now experienced in many different techniques as well as being a member of the British Sugarcraft Guild. So, you can certainly be sure your big-day bake will taste as amazing as it looks.

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.

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.

Orchardleigh Estate is a family-owned country estate in Somerset

Nestled amidst 500 acres of parkland and lakes, Orchardleigh is a family-owned country estate in Somerset. The estate boasts a beautiful 19th-century stately home, romantic island church, 18-hole golf course and plenty of luxurious accommodation. Orchardleigh House and grounds will be exclusively yours for the duration of your day complete with plenty of stunning backdrops for your photographs.

Ceremonies can be held in The Ballroom (up to 100 guests), The Great Hall (up to 144 guests), The Belvedere (up to 144 guests, or The Pergola (unlimited numbers). Alternatively, the estate's island church is a super-romantic place to exchange your vows. Lit purely by candlelight, St Mary's Church is situated on an island at the heart of the estate.