Pink Wedding Days | Gay Marriage and Civil Partnerships Blog

Pink Wedding Days has now broken up for Christmas and New Year! Yesssssssss! We’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas.  We hope that 2019 brings health, wealth and happiness to you and your family. We’ll be back in the office in early January. Please feel free to drop us an email . We’ll pick it up once we’re back in the office (and two stone heavier!). 2018 saw the Pink Wedding Days blog nominated and then shortlisted for a UK Blog Award and we can’t wait to hit the ground running in 2019. We’d like to thank all our followers for their support as well as the gorgeous venues and service providers who advertise on the Pink Wedding Days directory. See you on the other side xx

by Barbara Stephens, Head of Private Client at Hethertons Solicitors Over the last decade, the number of people choosing to remarry in later life has risen significantly as attitudes towards divorce and marriage have changed. In fact, the latest available figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the number of weddings increased for men aged 50 and over and women aged 35 to 45 years and over in 2015 during a period where the number of marriages, in general, was the lowest on record. Whilst the ‘traditional’ stigma regarding divorce and remarriage may have changed a long time ago, the rules regarding how marriage affects a person’s will haven’t, which has led to increasing tensions between potential beneficiaries. For the purpose of simplicity, any reference in this article to ‘spouse’ also includes any person who is registered as civil partner, as defined in the Civil Partnership Act 2004 and any reference to marriage also includes the registr...

Sarah Chapman, Head of Hen, Stag & Sten at group travel expert Red7 explains how to create a celeb-inspired, on-trend ‘Zen Do’ that’s all about self-care and relaxation. It’s official – celebs and the public alike have had enough of Hen Dos that result in memory loss, disturbing flashbacks and waking up curled around a doner kebab. Tacky is out. Healthier, more sophisticated hen dos are on trend for 2019. The Zen Do is all about celebrating your nuptials with self-care and luxurious activities that leave you and your hens feeling fantastic – and you can make it completely your own. The trend has been championed by celebrities from Kate Middleton to Lilly Allen, who have opted for more private, elegant and indulgent affairs ahead of their weddings. Popular activities for rich and famous brides-to-be include yoga classes, lounging on a private beach or by the pool, heading to a villa or chalet and taking private cookery classes from top chefs. “Wai...

Take  £2,000 off  the price of  hiring Bank Barn  on selected  spring 2019 dates! Askham Hall near Penrith in Cumbria is one of our favourite wedding venues and within its gorgeous grounds is a Grade II listed barn with bare stone walls, an open beamed oak ceiling and a very warm welcome.  It’s pure wedding aesthetic. The capacity of the barn is 156 seated with up to 200 guests for the evening. Included in the fee for the barn are circular tables each seating 10 people. A trestle top table, chairs, linen tablecloths, napkins, crockery, cutlery and glasses are included, too. There are 18 individually styled bedrooms available and the rate includes breakfast.   Use of the Scandinavian spa with heated outdoor pool, hot tub, sauna, treatment room and private gardens are also available for guests staying over. Askham Hall has an amazing offer on right now: Take £2,000 off the price of hiring Bank Barn on these spring 20...

Photo by  Jeremy Bishop  on  Unsplash No one said that planning a wedding would be easy. Certainly, planning a gay wedding is no walk in the park. There’s a lot to consider. There’s a hell of a lot to arrange and organise, too. It’s enough to make anyone want to elope. What makes planning a wedding harder for gay couples is that the wedding industry in the UK (and in many places abroad, too) has remained very hetero-normative despite same-sex marriage being legalised in 2013. Things take time to change. Weddings have been exclusively the domain of opposite-sex couples for so long that much of the terminology and expectation is still heavily influenced by ideas of man and wife . It can be frustrating but inevitable to see bridal boutiques, bridal suites etc. Gay men, in particular , will quickly realise how traditionally, wedding planning was the domain of the woman. Same-sex couples are nothing if not adaptable because they’ve had to be.  What’s...

Wedding venues are often a couple’s biggest expense.  In the UK, the average cost of hiring a ceremony and/or reception space is £4,354. Some couples choose their wedding venue solely based on a feeling when they walk in.  Others have an eye on the budget.  Perhaps you prefer to have a check-list of non-negotiables, allowing you to weed out the unsuitable and the ugly.  If you’re choosing a destination wedding , then the venue might need to be part of a package. No one said planning nuptials was easy, but it’s worth spending time and effort to find the right place: one that works for you , your partner and your guests .  Fortunately, we’ve had a little think for you and are on hand to offer our top-five tips for securing the wedding venue of your dreams. Crunch Your Numbers We’ve always said that wedding planning is a marathon not a sprint. Initially, it’s important to keep an open mind and to plan in broad strokes gaining a general idea o...

What’s the most romantic city in the world? Most people will say Paris even if they’ve never been there. They’ll say it even if they’re single or if they despise romance because it’s an opinion transformed into fact by its re-telling.   Whether or not you think that Paris is THE city of love, it’s believed to be true by the countless couples who add their padlocks to the railings on the Pont Des Arts. And isn’t French known as the language of love? The cuisine is often the first port-of-call for those looking for a romantic meal and what of the cosy cobblestone streets of Montmartre? Paris is a city made for handholding, for sunset cruises, for champagne and croissants by the river and for proposals and for love. Of course, we couldn’t possibly comment on the reputation of the French as exception lovers; we’ll leave that one to your imaginations (or experience). There’s no doubt that Paris is a popular honeymoon destination but how safe and how suitable is it ...

The only constant in life is change . Seasons change, fashion evolves, and even the most traditional of societal conventions adapt and develop. With this in mind, Newbury Racecourse, which recently launched new wedding packages , set out to understand modern ideals regarding the age-old institution of marriage. By analysing results from a survey of over 2,000 Brits , the venue reveals which factors the British public see as bang on trend for the big day. To have and to hold my beer Nearly one-third of Brits see a free bar as the ultimate requirement for the big day. In fact, ‘an unlimited bar’ was the most popular answer when respondents were asked what their perfect wedding would consist of. Guests and newlyweds may kick themselves the morning after, but adequate drinks are top of the list for an on-trend wedding. Flight of fancy There was a period when fancy dress weddings were all the rage. Alice in Wonderland, Disney and even Shrek have all served as...

Bartle Hall is a superb wedding venue set in the Lancashire countryside in 16 acres of landscaped gardens .  This family-run country period mansion offers 15 bedrooms and 4 ceremony spaces for couples to choose from. Located in Bartle, near Preston , Bartle Hall has some gorgeous outside space: the patio and BBQ area shine under twinkling fairy lights and lanterns. There's even a private garden and a pagoda . Wedding photographers will have a field day at this venue; it’s hard to imagine anyone being able to take a bad picture of this gorgeous building and surroundings. But the beauty isn’t all on the outside because there’s plenty to see inside: roaring fires, a staircase, wooden beams and rooms with a contemporary twist . Bartle Hall is able to welcome up to 120 guests . Couples can choose between the Windsor Suite for up to 90 guests for the wedding breakfast and 200 for the evening and the larger Balmoral Suite accommodating 120 guests for the brea...

There aren’t many wedding venues that can command views over the River Forth like the DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh Queensferry Crossing does.  Okay, so the name might be a little bit of a mouthful but you’ll be open-mouthed when you take a peek at this gorgeous hotel.  If you’re looking for a wedding venue in Edinburgh , then this could easily be THE ONE .  With space for up to 140 guests at the wedding breakfast and up to 150 in the evening , This hotel allows you and your guests to celebrate in style. The backdrop to your wedding photography will be absolutely stunning as the hotel commands excellent views of the River Forth and three bridges.  We’d certainly encourage you to download the hotel’s wedding brochure as it not only contains all the pertinent information you might need but it also shows one of the superb views from the hotel: a view that you and your guest could enjoy throughout the day.  The building has also be...