I have to admit, when the invite to this event arrived in my inbox, I felt a little unsure. Myself and Mr GFB are old marrieds, we’ve been a couple for 12 years and in fact it’s our 7th anniversary next month.
But not everyone is, and I do have a few friends who have either recently tied the not, re-tied it with someone new, or are thinking about it. But there was an extra spanner in the works.
I was going to be off interviewing a lovely lady from Liverpool about supper clubs for an article. Thankfully Marie agreed to step in and help.
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Ok I need to paint a picture for you before I give you the lowdown and my honest opinion of the National Wedding Show.
I am admittedly what you would call ‘wedding-shy’. After enduring a pretty abysmal marriage which I mistakenly rushed into, you could say I’ve adopted the ‘once bitten, twice shy’ ethos. So when I was asked to cover this event, a small shiver crept up my spine. Some of you may not like me for saying this, but (and I AM blaming this on the influence of TV here) I imagined to be greeted by snooty wedding shop owners and screaming bridezillas dragging along their long-suffering boyfriends by their hair.
I know right now that some of you will be reading this hoping I confirm that the above is true, you sadistic little monkeys!
As I approached the entrance to the show, held at Manchester Central, I seemed to develop a hot flush… there were lots of parties of ladies outside waiting for the show to open, taking selfies and the usual ‘woop woop its party time’ pics for Social Media.
I arrived at the event early as I was advised that there was a press breakfast to be held at 10am. Unfortunately I was the only person in the press room until the first catwalk show of the day, and the breakfast hadn’t arrived so I had to make do with a brew. I got over this once I caught sight of all the goodie bags which were ready for those honored to receive a press pass (ie. me!)
The Wedding Catwalk
I took my seat for the wedding show (front row, darlings) to take in my surroundings and soak up the atmosphere before the show started. The audience consisted of who you would expect, mums and daughters (which made me wish my daughter was with me) and large groups of ladies. The odd guy here and there, surprisingly looking as excited as their fiancee!
The Wedding Catwalk itself was a spectacular affair with a great ‘mixed-up’ soundtrack including Haim and of course, Let it Go, with snow falling from the rafters. At that point…even I wanted to get married again!
I must say (and this may be me and my tiny brain) I struggled to know which dresses were by which designer, the catwalk was fast and furious – and there was no MC’ to talk you through the dresses, which I would have preferred if I am honest. The suppliers were mentioned in the top right hand corner of the screen however I struggled to keep up.
My Show highlights were:
Daisy Playsuit by Maria Senvo
This fabulous lil’ number would suit a summer wedding or an evening reception, where the bride can let loose and add some acrobatics into the wedding dance (Dirty Dancing, anyone?)
I must add, Maria Senvo’s creations won the Best Newcomer award at this event.
‘A Country Affair’
This is the point at when I started imagining that maybe having a wedding wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all…I love this dress and jacket combo, pretty but laid back and I LOVE that bike (I pleaded to give them £100 for it but they wouldn’t let it go!)
‘Man in Kilt’
Ok so most of you who read this post will not know me. If you do you will know exactly why I’ve popped this pic up. Since I was about ten I’ve had a lifelong crush of a former WWE wrestler, Roddy Piper, so I kinda go a bit giddy when I see a man in a kilt.
Anyway, I believe Moss Bros supplied most, if not all, of the menswear at this event and they did not disappoint. At this point, the bored boyfriends and dads in the audience perked up and one or two of them got their cameras out! Bravo, Moss Bros!
I could go on and on so I’ve put together a bit of a collage with the rest of my fave dresses of the Show. Designers & Suppliers included Zaeem Jamal, Because I Love You and Berketex Bride
Exhibitors
To me, this was the fun part – it reminded me of the Christmas markets without the freezing temperatures and gluhwein. It was bustling and everyone was in such a great mood, there were no sour faces (from the visitors anyway) and I really felt myself getting into it.
Earlier I mentioned that I expected to come across some snooty wedding shop owners. I did, but not to the extent I envisaged. On the whole everyone was downright lovely. I met lots of people, however, I’ll just talk about those who had plenty of time for everyone (and honestly its nothing to do with the fact that the majority of them were men….honest….maybe)
Jade @ Jade Doherty Photography
This lady was delightful. When I first approached her she confirmed that she was nervous about being there. Her passion is photography, that is what she excels at, and the whole ‘getting out there meeting the public’ face to face and via social media isn’t really her bag, but she understands that she needs to overcome her fears to help her business grow. She was quietly spoken but she was obviously full of ideas. The perfect wedding photographer if you ask me! Her stand was packed with examples of her exemplary work.
Her packages start at a modest £800, and she is also offering £200 off her gold package (£1500) if you book her services by the end of January 2015. Oh! and she also does family portraits and style packages!
You can have a peek at her fabulous work over at her website
Your Singing Waiters
I was excited about meeting Martin & Nathan after they tweeted me earlier in the day, promising a song! They sang MAGIC!’s ‘Rude’ to me. Ooh, it was lovely to be serenaded.
The premise of their service is as follows: They treat unsuspecting guests with ‘flash-mob’ style performances (for example, pretending to have an argument whilst dishing out people’s meals & suddenly bursting into song) Check out their site to see what I’m on about.
I’ve asked if I can book them for my divorce party and they said yes!
Music Wedding Videos
Kev and his colleague (I cannot remember his name eek!) aka Music Wedding Videos have worked alongside the Singing Waiters and many of the other stallholders. They come to your wedding, birthday, funeral, whatever (honestly they cater for ALL) and film a music video for you, giving you something unique to remember your special occasions (another great idea for my divorce party methinks).
After about 3 + hours of walking round speaking to as many people as I can I had to call it a day. I came home with lots of literature to read and some press packs, containing goodies such as Bvlgari and Elemis gift sets.
I honestly thought I would find this event overwhelming but I didn’t at all. This is perfect for those of you who are getting hitched and there are plenty of ideas and resources out there to cater for all budgets.
I believe the next wedding show will be in February 2015…maybe I should go along, dragging Andy by his hair of course!
Thanks to the National Wedding Show and Good Results PR for having me. I was kindly given the ticket with no cost to myself.
