Editor loves and inspiration

Cynthia Green was born in Bolton and her illustrious 27-year-long career as a celebrant and registrar is peppered with firsts. She conducted the first same sex civil partnership ceremony in 2005 and made history by leading the UK's first opposite sex civil partnership at midnight in 2014. She has also conducted the first and only ever Scientology wedding. To date, Cynthia has married more than 20,000 couples.

Find out more: download the Jan/Feb25 issue of Your Cheshire & Merseyside Wedding free at www.yourcheshiremerseyside.wedding/free-download

Take the hard work out of sourcing your wedding entertainment. Alice from entertainment booking service Entertainment Nation says, “How you want your day to feel is the most n nailing your wedding entertainment. ne atmosphere with elegant musical backdrops, a string quartet, singing guitarist or instrumentalist would be ideal to keep the drinks and chatter flowing. However, if something quiet and understated isn't your vibe and you want everyone dancing and singing like no one's watching, a pop, indie or rock band is a no-brainer. Perhaps a funky soul and disco band would go down a treat with you soul music lovers! Want to make your wedding unforgettable? Alternative entertainment like singing waiters and DJ live bands, known for getting the whole crowd involved, are stand-out options for a memorable wedding celebration that's personal to you. For top advice, recommendations and a really friendly expert team, contact us at Entertainment Nation and we'll help make your wedding dream a reality!” Find out more at www.entertainment-nation.co.uk

For more entertainment ideas, download the Jan/Feb25 issue of Your Cheshire & Merseyside Wedding free at www.yourcheshiremerseyside.wedding/free-download

The Queen at Chester has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment with upgrades to 104 bedrooms and public spaces including its glorious wedding spaces. So, photographer Jaine Briscoe-Price and team wasted no time in putting together this lovely local shoot, to showcase the venue in all its shiny of the building with classic patterned wooden floors, panelled new glory!

Inside the magnificent brick and stucco Italianate building, located opposite Chester's railway station, and said to be the first skyscraper of it's time, you'll find a sleek and homely new look. The design was carefully conceived to honour the heritage and history walls and plush fabrics, complete with a fresh, modern finish.

Alice and Tom met in the pub on Christmas Eve 2013. Alice was trying to break up a fight between mutual friends at the time, and Tom swept in to pull her away. “He'll say it as my bright orange hair that attracted him, while I love the fact that he just wasn't fazed by the drama unfolding around him and fully focused on me,” Alice remembers. “I also thought he had great fashion sense, although his choice of socks really had me questioning that on our wedding day!”

Tom proposed on Christmas Eve 2020, exactly seven years after they met. Alice had had a busy morning at home, baking for the family, when Tom came home from work with a Christmas Eve box containing all of her favourite treats. At the bottom she found a photo from that night they met in the pub. “It wasn't until then I realised he was on one knee,” Alice remembers.

Little did they know at this point that Alice was already expecting twins. So, their wedding planning had to be put on hold for a while. After a tough pregnancy, a premature birth and a long hospital stay, their original plan of a Vegas wedding was off the cards.

Happily, now recovered and with two bouncing babies, Meols Hall was the first and only venue the couple visited. “I came across it while researching online and initially, the brickwork and layout ticked so many of our boxes, so we knew we had to go and see it,” Alice explains. From the moment they drove into the grounds they both knew they’d be booking their wedding that day! “We had complete goose bumps at how beautiful it was,” Alice continues.

Find out more about the big day - download the Jan/Feb25 issue of Your Cheshire & Merseyside Wedding HERE.

Lucy and Matt met at the MMA Academy in Liverpool where Lucy had joined the Muay Thai class and Matt was a coach and fighter. It wasn't love at first sight and they took a while to pluck up the (Dutch) courage to take things further on a night out in the City. “It was definitely a case of opposites attract,” Lucy says. “Neither of us was each other's type, but somehow it seems to work and within a few weeks we were living together!”

We fast forward a way into the couple's relationship. By this time Lucy and Matt had a number of holidays under their belts, although a trip to Menorca for a friend's wedding wasn't where Lucy was expecting to receive a proposal of marriage. After some stress hiding the ring in his golf bag, Matt overcame his nerves and got down on one knee within 10 minutes of arriving at their villa. “It was perfectly unplanned and spontaneous, just like Matt,” Lucy remembers.

The couple had in mind a secluded location for their big day, somewhere they could enjoy with family and friends in complete privacy. Talhenbont Hall was only their second viewing but they soon decided there was no reason to look anywhere else. They barely made it through the gate before Matt exclaimed: “This is it!” North Wales is one of their favourite places being close to March Loop where they love to camp with their dogs. “So, this felt like the perfect place for us to get married,” Lucy explains. “The whole place was stunning and we could see ourselves saying 'I do' outside in the pagoda. After that it was hard to envisage our wedding anywhere else.”

The date was set for 31st July 2024. To find out more download the Jan/Feb25 issue of Your Cheshire & Merseyside Wedding HERE.

The dark circles under my eyes always bother me and I never have managed to hide them to my satisfaction. My wedding day is the time to solve this! What can you recommend?

Make-up artist Hannah Carson (www.hannahcarsonmua.com) says: I have a really quick and easy fix for you! The first step is ensuring you're prepping by hydrating your under eyes. Hydration is so important. This helps your products to melt into the skin flawlessly. If you have drier skin under-eye products won't blend or smooth out as easily, so remember: hydration is key.

Once prepped, all you need is a dash of warm colour correction. It might sound complicated, but in three easy steps you can achieve it. If you apply concealer directly to dark circles it looks cloudy and grey. But adding a little of a peach or orange cream corrector, targeting the darker areas, counteracts the blue tones helping to conceal.

Step 1: Simply using your finger will warm up the product helping it to blend. Use light patting motions until all the dark areas are covered and leave for 30 to 40 seconds.

Step 2: Apply your regular concealer on top using a sponge or brush to get a good coverage using patting motions again to achieve a good coverage.

Step 3: Set. A translucent setting powder will help to lock the other products in.

So, only three products are needed and you won't need to break the bank. Try Makeup Revolution Eye Bright Under Eye Corrector, which comes in two shades: light-medium and medium-deep. I also recommend Superdrug Vitamin E Eye Cream and Collection Hydrating Full Coverage Concealer.

For more beauty tips, download the latest issue of Your Cheshire & Merseyside Wedding free at www.yourcheshiremerseyside.wedding/free-download

Diane Barker from Butterfly Road Floral Design (www.butterflyroad.co.uk) says: Autumn is the most glorious season: it's the sunset of the year and a beautiful time to get married. Timing your wedding with the turning of the leaves means you'll be reminded of the best day of your life with a spectacular month of colour every year of your happily ever after.

Autumn florals are abundant, colourful, warm and joyful. They can also be exquisitely soft, subtle and complex. Autumn colours can be reds and oranges, but can also be dusky pinks with berry shades – think blackberries and chocolate cosmos next to the softest petals of a perfect Menta rose. I find the best way to explore a colour palette is to pick a favourite leaf or flower and look carefully at all the tones and shades that are already there using nature as the artist. The soft, warm sunlight of autumn makes for the most stunning photography and the potential for a beautiful outdoor ceremony is strong.

The abundance of autumn lends itself to vibrant arrangements that are just a little wild and free. Imagine walking down an aisle of gorgeous meadow-style flowers to a seasonal floral installation as the beautiful backdrop to your ceremony. That floral backdrop will frame you and your love as you exchange your vows and your ever so exciting first kiss as a married couple.

September's hero flowers are dahlias; I adore their incredible shape, stunning colours and romantic scent. I also love lightly dancing cosmos, frothy hydrangeas in every colour and the prettiest foliage to bring it all together. Grasses in installations and meadow designs reflect the season and, if used outside, will filter the sunlight for the prettiest effect. Tiny pumpkins in soft white can highlight your autumn theme beautifully too.

For a dreamy autumn reception, bud vases of the prettiest blooms are always on my favourites list and pin frog designs of dainty flowers such as cosmos and nerines look amazing. Consider adding some candlelight for a gorgeous glow as your day turns into the most romantic evening. Reflecting your autumn theme in your wedding flowers sounds glorious; it's my favourite floral season with an abundance of wonderful flowers to suit every taste. Happy planning!

For more stellar advice on planning an autumn wedding, download the latest issue of Your Cheshire & Merseyside Wedding free at www.yourcheshiremerseyside.wedding/free-download

Having graced our screens since 1960, during the 60-plus years Coronation Street has been running the soap has seen no fewer than 110 weddings, even though some of them barely made it past the “I dos!” Set in the fictional Salford suburb of Weatherfield, in our neighbouring historic county of Lancashire, even if you're not a fan, you could use it as your inspiration for celebrating the best of the North West.

Look for an iconic venue such as the Royal Liver Building to truly reflect your roots, and serve a wedding breakfast packed with fresh locally sourced produce. You could also source wine from a Cheshire-based vineyard such as Carden park. Offer guests a locally-themed favour from a nearby gin distillery or apiary, and be sure to head out into the city or countryside to capture the best of the region's backdrops with your photographer.

Classic Wedding Cars Cheshire’s (https://classicweddingcarscheshire.com) Triumph Vitesse appeared on Corrie as Daniel and Shinead’s wedding car.

For more silver and small screen transport ideas, download the latest issue of Your Cheshire & Merseyside Wedding free at www.yourcheshiremerseyside.wedding/free-download

Rachel Peers, founder and principal floral stylist at La Beau Fleurs, Warrington (www.labeaufleurs.co.uk) has plenty of valuable advice to offer when it comes to styling your al fresco space with flowers. “Planning floral arrangements for an outdoor wedding is a delightful experience. I love to get super-creative with ceremony styling and create a truly special space to remember. It's important to work closely with your florist who'll suggest the types of flowers that work best with the season's weather.

“I recently worked with a beautiful couple who chose to have their wedding in their garden at home. We incorporated exquisite white florals against a backdrop of fresh foliage to design statement pieces, including two show-stopping arches and a magnificent meadow runner.

"The weather for this two-day event was eclectic to say the least! We had sunshine, rain, wind and clouds, and back to beautiful sunshine just at the right time. The carefully chosen florals we picked for this event loved the varying conditions and we had very happy flowers! That's why it's important to choose correctly with the help of your floral stylist.”

For more tips on tying the knot al fresco download the latest issue at www.yourcheshiremerseyside.wedding/free-download

Chris proposed to Alexandra at Charingworth Manor in the Cotswolds just before sunset in the September of 2020. “We'd gone away to celebrate Chris' birthday and he surprised me by proposing with a speech about our time together on a hillside with a glorious view of the countryside,” Alexandra remembers. The couple had met as students while studying at the University of Manchester.

The pair chose to tie the knot at Arley Hall and Gardens. “It's a beautiful venue with amazing grounds,” Alexandra explains. “When we visited, Ashley and the team were very friendly and helpful in explaining everything to us.” So, the date was set for 3rd June 2023.

Download the latest issue at www.yourcheshiremerseyside.wedding/free-download to find out more.