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Gresham Blake has been styling weddings for ten years. In that time he has managed never to style two weddings the same. To Gresham every wedding is unique, as is the individual love of the couple getting married.
The Royal Pavilion’s annual wedding fair takes place on Sunday 17 February with nearly 30 exhibitors, including a wide range of bridal fashions, specialist caterers, florists, jewellers, photographers, stationery and car hire.
The Royal Pavilion, one of the most dazzling and exotic buildings in the British Isles, is a magical setting for weddings and civil partnerships. Ceremonies take place in the Red Drawing Room, which is decorated with ornate dragon wallpaper and palm tree pillars. The King William IV Room, with its handpainted wallpaper, makes a stylish reception venue and the gardens, now fully restored to their original beauty, are a superb setting for photographs.
Now in its 7th year, the 2008 Royal Pavilion Wedding Fair is a fantastic opportunity for anyone planning a wedding to see these stunning facilities. Brighton’s most historic landmark provides an ideal setting for couples seeking an imaginative wedding.
Exhibitors have been selected to represent the best wedding suppliers in the region. Each will show an excellent range of what they offer and talk in detail to individuals about their services.
The expert Royal Pavilion weddings’ team will be on hand in order to answer any questions and supply details on all aspects of the facilities and arrangements.
The wedding
I met my fiancé Dean back in 2002, when I was working part-time while I studied at college. We have been engaged since 2005 – a long time to some but we always had the 2008 date in mind. The two years have flown by and now we’re in the final stretch to our big day. It’s been two years of gradual planning and lots of saving. The average wedding is said to cost £16,000, but this takes into account a minimal no-fuss ceremony to an all-out extravagant do at the other end of the scale. Hopefully, ours will fall somewhere in the middle.
We’ve had the time to plan and think about what we want as the day needs to be special and memorable. At first, the costs involved did seem a bit crazy but on further research, this was simply the price of having a dream wedding. With this in mind, we embarked on the fun preparations to follow that would culminate in the big day.
Arundel Castle creates the perfect backdrop for the day
Venues
For me and Dean, there is no better backdrop for a wedding than Sussex. The thought of a beach abroad crossed our minds – who wouldn’t love the guaranteed perfect weather and tranquil setting? – but it would be difficult to point out the spot where you were wed 15 years later as you take a drive with the kids.
I always envisioned a sprawling country hotel with a gravel driveway and plenty of rooms for friends and family to stay over. Back in 2006, we visited venues around Sussex for inspiration. A quick internet search and chatting with friends had drawn up four possibilities within our budget and another few after that. One venue nestled in the South Downs nearly won us over. It was the perfect setting, modern yet homely. The problem was, it was too small. For weddings, they would erect a marquee for the guests, which would be great on a balmy summer’s evening but you can never tell with British summertime. A hundred guests huddled under a marquee protecting themselves from the rain and mud is not a look we were going for.
Our search continued, taking us west of Sussex, away from the seafront and busy city centre. We quickly decided on the picturesque town of Arundel. In terms of travel, it would take guests around 40 minutes to reach Arundel from the church in Hangleton. Realistically, we could spend just as long driving into central Brighton of a Saturday.
Dean and I went to Arundel when we first started going out, so the area has significant history to us. Set against the grounds of Arundel Castle, our chosen reception venue is the Norfolk Arms Hotel. Traditional and picturesque – set in the middle of the high street – this is exactly the venue we had in mind. There’s a large car park for guests (it’s the little things to think about) and there’s more parking available down by the river.
Arundel offers fantastic photo opportunities close to the hotel grounds with the stunning backdrop of the castle in the background. The back-up plan (weather wise) is the interior of the hotel where the grand staircase is perfect wedding party photos.
Inside, the reception room is traditional and inviting. Large windows run along the back wall, allowing plenty of light in, while the high ceilings make the room feel more spacious, despite only holding 100 guests. We will travel to the hotel from the ceremony. This takes place in the 17th century church that sits above a spacious green in Hangleton. The whole feel is quite traditional with some fun twists, including the primrose yellow vintage car we have hired for the day!
Now in its fifth year and gaining popularity every year, the Equality Walk is a chance to show solidarity with Stonewall and support their efforts for equality for everyone
Hundreds of lesbian and gay people and their friends are set to join Stonewall for the charity’s 5th annual Equality Walk in Brighton on bank holiday Sunday 4 May.
Walkers will be joined by this year’s celebrity supporters Sue Perkins, Amy Lamé and Dicky and Dolly (ex – Big Brother stars Richard and Lea, now hosts of Gaydar Radio). This year’s event is once again sponsored by American Express. All money raised will go towards Stonewall’s campaign to ensure hate crimes are reported with more confidence, and eventually stamped-out altogether.
The 10k walk begins from the Pavilion Gardens at 2pm and will follow a route set by BLAGGS, the Brighton-based lesbian and gay sports society, ending in a prize-giving party hosted by Legends Bar.
Registration is £10, for which participants will receive a Stonewall Equality Walk t-shirt and goodies.
Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: “The Brighton Equality Walk is one of the highlights of our year. Not only is it great fun on the day, but it also helps raise invaluable funds for our vital work around hate crime. Last year we raised over £40,000 for our campaign to introduce legislation criminalising incitement on the grounds of sexual orientation.
“Homophobic hate crime is still a sad reality in today’s society. Too many people are still afraid to report it. We’ll continue to work to raise awareness around the issue and hope all lesbians and gay men, their friends and families who also want to show their support will join us in Brighton on Bank Holiday Sunday.”
To register now, visit www.equalitywalk.org.uk or contact the equality team on 020 7593 1874. Once registered, please keep logging on to the website for regular news updates about the Brighton Walk.
Our new programme for thelatest.tv sees Juice FM presenter Guy Lloyd investigate all manner of things. He starts off with chart-topping band The Hoosiers who were mega-successful a couple of years ago, were dropped by their major label and have become fashionably independent. Their chart-topping album cost £1 million to record, their new album £100 and we reckon it's just as good. We have exclusive footage of this new record. Guy does crazy-golfing with them, checks out their sound-check and witnesses the fans' adoration of the band at Audio in Brighton. In future shows Guy will be doing waxing, Dot Cotton, air guitar and needs your suggestions for more crazy things (or people) to do. Send to bill@thelatest.co.uk
AOH Special: It’s Festival time in Brighton & Hove, which means the Artists Open Houses have opened their doors for another year! Maps of all the trails can be picked up across the city. We love nothing better than browsing and buying arts and crafts, and there is so much going on throughout May that we’ve made it easier by bringing the Artists Open Houses to you! We have 11 special programmes, featuring artists in their own houses. So here’s your chance to go ‘through the keyhole’ so to speak as we visit the artists in their own environment.
© 2011 Latest Homes Ltd. Latest 7 is a Latest magazine published by Latest Homes Ltd.
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