Pink Wedding Days | Gay Marriage and Civil Partnerships Blog

Even the most over-inflated of wedding budgets often include  wedding favours , but are they necessary? The average wedding breakfast seats around 100 people , and the per-person cost of personalised fridge magnets or pouches of wildflower seeds can rise to hundreds of pounds.  And let's be honest... What do we do with them once the reception is over?  They stay in the bottom of our bags, in the back of our cupboards or they go in the bin (sorry, blissfully married couples, but it's true). Are you willing to put that money to better use?  Cancer Research UK is offering couples wedding favours with a difference: personalised cards and gifts with a charitable donation.  We think this is such a good idea.  This is a chance for couples to do something worthwhile with their wedding favours.   And what a lovely way to honour the memory of those who can't be present at the wedding. Perhaps, those wh...

Could there be anywhere more romantic than getting married in a castle ? Registry offices, hotels, country homes, beaches and churches are all lovely, but *gah* imagine saying "I do" in a castle . And we just happen to know of one midway between Swansea and Brecon : Craig Y Nos Castle. Surrounded by mountains and situated inside Brecon National Park, Craig Y Nos is ideal for couples looking for a r omantic rural escape .    And the stunning scenery surrounding it is equally matched by the beauty inside.  We LOVE the idea of having the ceremony in the Grade I listed theatre , and then moving into the newly refurbished conservatory (with stunning views) for the wedding breakfast.  And we think you will, too, once you visit the Craig Y Nos website  and take a look. There's a fab opportunity, too, to visit Craig Y Nos in the new year when it hosts a wedding fayre on Sunday 8th January between 11am and 4pm.  Loca...

Over 70,000 people have signed a petition calling on the government to offer civil partnerships to mixed-sex couples. Civil partnerships are only available to same-sex couples in the UK. In the Isle of Man, for example, they’re offered to everyone. The petition was presented to Minister for Women and Equalities, Justine Greening, after the Government suggested there was a lack of evidence to support civil partnerships for mixed-gender couples. Campaigners in favour are concerned that the Government could be getting ready to scrap civil partnerships entirely after barristers described the current situation as “untenable” . Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan are at the forefront of the campaign. They’ve been attempting to change the law since they were denied a civil partnership back in 2014. Left Foot Forward reported that on presenting the petition, Charles Keidan said:  “The government has everything to gain by opening civil...

Photo: Kevin Greenfield It's hard to imagine turning a blank space into THE wedding venue of your dreams .  It's probably why one-size-fits-all venues are so popular. You can pick them right out of the brochure.  If you're worried about what to do for your ceremony or reception space, then the fab people at Get Knotted have shared these top-tips with us.  Photo: Kevin Greenfield Glam your marquee with colour, flowers and props. Marquees are great for weddings, a complete blank canvas for you to create your dream wedding day . Whether you are using a marquee for the whole day, or just for the wedding reception, the styling and detail can turn a marquee from simply being a large tent to a glamorous venue . Lindsey Hunter , wedding stylist and detailing guru, shares how you can use colour, flowers and props to glam up your marquee.  Photo: Kevin Greenfield Be brave with colour – lift a white marquee and brea...

Gilwell Park in Chingford is a superb wedding venue . Set in 108 acres, the estate proudly boasts The White House : a 17 th -century Grade II listed building that we know you’re just going to love. With 40 bedrooms on site and enough space in the Main Hall to accommodate 150 guests at the wedding breakfast , this venue has to be a serious contender on anyone's wedding wish list. And it has to be IMPOSSIBLE to take a bad photograph of Gilwell Park .  Its 108-acre estate has so many romantic, gorgeous backdrops that your wedding album will look spectacular in whatever weather and in whichever season. We LOVE  Gilwell Park , and we know you will, too.  And we couldn't be more pleased to announce their Wedding Show taking place on January 22nd 2017 between 11am and 3pm. This is an ideal opportunity to experience this fantastic venue first hand and to meet the wedding suppliers, florists, dressmakers and jewellers - they'll all be the...

The lovely people at Elite Singles have been looking into all the weird and wonderful wedding traditions from around the world, (blackened bride, anyone?) and they’ve been kind enough to share them with us. You can find the original article here. 1. Germany: Baumstamm sägen (sawing the log) After the ceremony, the bride and groom have to use a two-person crosscut handsaw to cut a large log in half - while still in their bridal clothes! This symbolizes the ways in which they must work together in the future (although, to make it a bit quicker, the log has sometimes already been partially sawed through by the fathers of the bride and groom). 2. The southern USA: Burying the bourbon In some parts of the American South, the bride and groom bury a (full!) bottle of bourbon upside-down at or near the site where they’ll say their vows. This must be done one month before the wedding in order to ward off rain on the wedding day and, whether the weather plays ...

In this case, a plebiscite is a public vote on an issue that doesn't affect a country's constitution.  Despite o pinion polls suggesting that most Australians are in favour of same-sex marriage , the plebiscite was always unpopular with the  LGBT community . In July, one  poll found that a staggering 85% of gay people opposed a public vote.    Why? Firstly, the plebiscite would have been non-binding. MPs wouldn't have to respect the outcome, and with a price of around AUD $160 million , that's a lot of tax dollars for a glorified opinion poll.  Far cheaper and easier just to pass the bill through parliament, right?  The Hold-up Only Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull , is reluctant to introduce one.   Critics have accused him of being cowardly: too scared to offer a free-vote to his own MPs because some of them  oppose same-sex marriage. A plebiscite would have avoided direct confro...