Pink Wedding Days | Gay Marriage and Civil Partnerships Blog

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued a travel advisory for LGBT citizens travelling to North Carolina and Mississippi.   Following new laws, business owners in both states now have the right to discriminate against LGBT customers. This will affect same-sex couples requiring wedding venues and service providers. There have been a number of “religious liberty” laws passed in other states, too.    All are a response to the US Supreme Court decision to legalise same-sex marriage. The BBC also reported that in North Carolina transgender people  ‘must use public bathrooms according to the gender on their birth certificates’.  Mississippi has a similar law. This latest round of legislation seems better suited to foreign despotism than the self-proclaimed ‘land of the free.’   The laws are a cause of embarrassment to the Obama administration. The move could, however, prove costly for both states with companies threa...

We have some stunning wedding venues in the Pink Wedding Days directory , but there's one that, for us, really does stand out: Somerleyton Hall on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Somerleyton Hall isn't just any old country pile;  it’s a stately home owned by a real-life Lord. Victorian splendour at its absolute finest.  S et amid a 500-acre estate, Somerleyton Hall is the perfect place to begin life as husband and husband or wife and wife .  Venues like this make photographers very, very happy.  Guests will arrive with wide eyes and even wider smiles .  It's the perfect place for a wedding.  And did we mention the maze? It has a maze .  Whether you have 25 guests or 250 , Somerleyton Hall can cater to your requirements. Couples have the choice of 4 different reception locations and the option to hire the hall for 2 days.  Both the happy couple and their guests will be in safe hands with the hall's exp...

                              We love weddings.  We hate picking wedding presents. When a wedding invitation drops through the letterbox we're always excited.  Then comes the flash of panic: what present to get? There was a time when couples didn’t live together until after they were married, and wedding gifts were a way of furnishing a new home.  Times have changed.  Now, couples almost always live together before they get married. They furnish their own homes; they already have the essentials.  Do people still need  toasters and tea sets ? Gift registries are now more likely to include luxury items like  coffee makers, spa weekends and tablets. Couples will ask for money, too.  Traditionally considered crude, this is now both a reasonable and practical request. Other couples might not ask for anything in particular...

The UK Blog Awards are just around the corner.  Literally, around the corner... They're a week on Friday . We’re so excited to have been nominated and then shortlisted in the wedding category . We honestly didn’t expect to make it to the finals in London, and we know that everyone says that, but it’s true.  This blog is but one tiny corner of Pink Wedding Days , and we’re just pleased to have been noticed, let alone shortlisted. For us this is kind of a big deal, so THANK YOU for your continued support and for all the interactions across our Facebook and Twitter accounts.  You guys are fab.  Our blogger, Susan , will be flying solo at the event, so please feel free to say hello . If you see her hanging around the food, then give her a little nudge and remind her she has a wedding to go to on the Sunday. And a dress to fit into. 

A new study has revealed how much guests should spend on wedding gifts – and anything below £25 makes you a cheapskate. Brits have long-wondered what to fork out on pressies for the bride and groom and results reveal what’s deemed acceptable when forking out for friends and relatives. Siblings receive the highest value gifts – at least £80 – while work colleagues are lucky to get anything above £20 for their nuptials. Anne Marie-Jenkins, Managing Director of  weddingshop.com , which commissioned the study of 2,000 people, said:  “Shopping for a wedding present can be tricky, and knowing how much to spend requires careful consideration.  The majority of guests want to spend enough money to look generous, but don’t always have the funds readily available. ” “When a couple asks for money instead of a gift it’s often perceived that this will be an easier option for guests struggling to decide what to buy, however this can make it even harder for guests as...

The first dance is always an unnerving prospect.  It used to be that a slow, circling shuffle to a Bryan Adam’s song was enough. One verse, a bit of the chorus – invite everyone else onto the dance floor.  Job done. The only evidence of someone’s two left feet was a crackly VHS shoved at the back of a wardrobe.  Now, we’re all screwed. “ John and Dom’s first dance” is quickly immortalised on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram , made into a Vine , uploaded to  YouTube  and (if you’re really unlucky) made into a GIF .  #AwBless   #DancesLikeMyDad   #HeresEdSheeranAgain #RoundAndRoundUntilTheMusicStops  Welcome to the modern age, folks.  There is help, however. Kevin and Karen Clifton are one of Strictly Come Dancing’s most popular couples.  As professionals, they know exactly what works in a first dance , and they’ve put together a video to help. Let us know what yo...

We love a good origin story, but some wedding traditions are ridiculous  . There are so many of them. Deviate from convention, and you just know that someone from the last century will be on hand to tell you that 'you have to do it this way, dear. ' Tradition connects us with our shared history. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it shouldn’t dominate a ceremony if you don’t want it to.  Tradition has some uncomfortable roots.  It's strange that women, especially, are so eager to honour certain traditions. What exactly is romantic about being treated like property?  The LGBTI community has a chance to break away and start their own traditions.  There’s now  less social segregation  between genders. It’s very possible that your best friend or closest friends are the opposite sex to you.  Traditionally, the groom’s wedding party is made up of men, and the bride’s entourage  are  ...

The superb East Sussex National Hotel in Uckfield will hold its wedding open evening on Thursday April 14 th between 18:00 and 20:00 . This is a fantastic opportunity to see the venue dressed for a wedding , and it gives couples the chance to chat to the hotel’s talented and experienced wedding team. Guests can view the function rooms ,  the wedding suites and grounds . If you're planning a few pre-wedding celebrations , then it's worth knowing that the East Sussex boasts spa facilities and a golf course, too.  We'd highly recommend this venue to anybody in the Uckfield area.  You can find out more about the venue by visiting their website.

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