Your Devon and Cornwall Wedding news and ideas from around the area

UK wedding catering trends 2023

Restaurant Associates reveals new data shows a definitive shift in style and substance at UK weddings post-Covid. Now that the dust has settled, and government mandated guest list limits are all but a thing of the past, the UK wedding scene has seen a definitive shift. New data from Restaurant Associates shows a preference to an informal style, plant-forward menus and reception only guests - so what does a 'normal' wedding look like, post-covid?

Enjoy the new Luscombe Rhubarb Crush this spring

Crafted to be enjoyed as a soft drink or mixer, the new Luscombe Rhubarb Crush is a lightly sparkling blend of organic rhubarb, Madagascan vanilla and soft Devon spring water. Luscombe Rhubarb Crush is fresh and bright, with the tartness of the rhubarb tempered by the soft sweetness of vanilla. As well as organic rhubarb juice, the ingredients of this gently sparkling drink include organic blueberry juice, organic Madagascan vanilla extract and organic lemon oil. With a calorie count of fewer than 60 calories per bottle, it's one for all to savour. To be enjoyed in many ways, Luscombe Rhubarb Crush is delightful over ice and the perfect serve for celebrating in style at upcoming street parties, tea parties and picnics in celebration of His Majesty King Charles III's coronation.

Wedding favours that make a difference

Parkinson's UK has launched a new collection of wedding and celebration favours and place cards, meaning couples can rest assured with their ethical wedding choices. From old favourites to stunning new designs, there's something for everyone, and even better, with every purchase they're helping someone living with Parkinson's and their family, friends and carers. Parkinson's is the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world, and currently there is no cure. It affects around 145,000 people in the UK and every hour two more people are diagnosed with more than 40 symptoms, from tremor and pain to anxiety.

How to announce your wedding and involve your WIPs (Wedding Important People)

There are various levels of Wedding Important People (WIPs), which Rachel from The Wedding Party (TWP) says should govern how you tell them. "Significant WIPs, such as parents or guardians, should be face-to-face wherever possible. Getting families together to announce can kill two birds with one stone, but if your families have not met yet this can produce more nerves. If there are likely to be any reservations, then perhaps speak to your WIPs separately to allow for this. In the same breath, if parents are separated (yours or your partners), arrange to visit them separately but on the same day if possible. Finally, remember that using the video software available to you can ensure that you do this face-to-face no matter the circumstances.

The Scarlet Hotel offers lunch with a spring view

The new spring lunch menu at The Scarlet Hotel in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall celebrates bright and fresh tastes, partnered perfectly with local award-winning Polgoon vineyard and their latest delicious 2022 Vintage release. Enjoy two courses from The Scarlet's lunch menu, Monday to Friday for £30 per person. Think fresh and locally caught seafood, perfectly picked and prepared, vibrant plant-based dishes and no end of sweet sensations to finish with. The Scarlet is delighted to partner their lunchtime offering with an inclusive glass of wine from Polgoon Vineyard which are located further down the coast in Penzance.

How to manage financial anxiety when planning a wedding

Anita Naik, Savings Expert at VoucherCodes.co.uk, provides her top tips on how to manage financial anxiety when planning a wedding: "Understanding and managing your finances is never an easy task at the best of the times, however, throwing in a big goal, such as saving for a wedding, can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. Wedding planning should be fun, not daunting, therefore this Stress Awareness Month, I've pulled together my top tips to help reduce financial anxiety and make the process as enjoyable as possible.

New restaurant opening in Plymouth, Devon

Popeyes®, the famous American fried chicken restaurant, is opening its doors in Plymouth. The new restaurant will officially open at 11 am on Thursday 6th April 2023 at 10 New George St, in the heart of the city centre. Fried chicken fans are advised to come along early, as queues for the famed chicken restaurant, the ideal place to celebrate a hen or stag gathering are expected from the early hours. Early queuers will even have the chance to win a year's supply of Popeyes'® legendary Chicken Sandwich, awarded to the first three people in the queue on opening day (Thursday 6th April 2023). To celebrate the landmark launch, the first 25 in the queue will all be given a signature Popeyes® Chicken Sandwich as well as exclusive Popeyes® merch. A Mardi Gras-style band will get toes tapping as the doors open, bringing with it the magic of the restaurant's home city of New Orleans in Louisiana.



To further applaud this significant new opening for Plymouth, Popeyes has launched a competition to design a mural for the new restaurant in return for a £1,000 cash prize, as well as Free Chicken Sandwiches for a year. The winner's work will be featured in the restaurant for the first two months after opening, providing the opportunity for the winner to have their work showcased locally and to bring the spirit of New Orleans to life through their piece. Applications are welcomed from both established and aspiring artists over the ages of 18. More information is available at popeyesuk.com/plymouth-mural-competition

The number one cause of wedding planning stress and how to reduce it!

What causes stress in wedding planning is something that is individual to each couple, but where does it mainly come from? Friends? Family? Finances? "A staggering 92% of our couples planning a wedding are feeling the pressure financially and it is causing overwhelm", says Rachel Allen, the CEO of The Wedding Party (TWP)." This was the reason that Rachel formulated The Overwhelm Button® to help couples to get good support. Rachel continues, "Being stressed over finances can take several different forms, the main three being as follows...

Celebrate King Charles III Coronation with Mainbrace Rum

Mainbrace, an award-winning, family-owned spirits company based in Helford Passage in Cornwall is running a competition for Mainbrace fans to win a trip to London over the weekend of the coronation of King Charles III. They want to encourage rum and gin drinkers to 'splice the Mainbrace' in celebration of the new king. 'Splice the mainbrace' is a naval term for an important celebration or victory and was always accompanied by the toast 'The King – God Bless Him' or 'The Queen – God Bless Her'. Entrants can only participate with a purchase of Mainbrace. Customers can do so by either purchasing a Mainbrace drink at an eligible Cornish pub or retailer, filming themselves drinking Mainbrace or 'splicing the Mainbrace' in a local pub or at home and uploading it to the page to be entered. Alternatively, a bottle of Mainbrace can be purchased from the Mainbrace website and a link will be sent to the competition page where entries can be uploaded.

Sustainable wedding table ideas from LIGA

Known for their love of nature's wonder material - cork, LIGA's sustainable tableware collections are a stylish and unique wedding dining-setting choice. With their extensive collection of placemats, coasters, trays and candle holders, all made from eco-frendly and recycled materials, LIGA create clean and contemporary pieces, bringing a naturally beautiful element to the tablescape. Each with a unique grain and pattern, the organic cork selected by LIGA is lightweight and soft to touch, a wonderful raw material which is naturally water resistant and easy to clean. Sourced from the Montado Forests in Portugal, LIGA's cork is hand harvested using age-old skills without damaging the trees or the delicate eco-systems which thrive in the forests. Once cork has been made into a LIGA product it continues to absorb CO2, so a living and breathing piece of homeware.

Enjoy Easter at The Mole Resort in Devon

This Easter, burrow down for fun and frolics at The Mole Resort in North Devon for a one-of-a-kind springtime break experience. With the promise of fabulous stays and active days, the new resort destination is offering the ultimate Easter escape to the Devonshire countryside, with stunning eco-conscious lodges available from £273 per night. The Mole Resort offers all you need for an unforgettable Easter break - including great food and active fun; delicious seasonally-inspired dishes with locally-sourced ingredients, and a myriad of activities to keep mini moles engaged and entertained throughout the retreat. What's more, from Monday 3rd to Sunday 9th of April, an onsite petting zoo and an Easter trail (with its own fun and educational activity pack) will be running at the resort*. These Easter experiences are in addition to the 125-acre countryside 'playground' which offers everything from swimming (indoor), croquet and foot golf, to woodland walking trails and a kids' play area.

Team Hen's new Jelly Bag has landed

Meet the jelly bag that every bride tribe wants their hen party favours to arrive in 2023. Landing in three gram-worthy hues (off-white for the bride, dusky pink for the bridesmaids and maid-of-honour and pink for the hens). These reusable beauties are perfect for filling with Team Hen's latest array of coveted hen party favours and gifts whilst flaunting a cool, retro vibe. Plus, each comes tied with a matching ribbon, professionally printed in a luxe puffed design to create a slightly raised font effect. Not only are they the gift that keeps on giving (post-hen recipients can use them from beach to bar) but at £3.99 they're a steal!

Wolsey Lodges offer 10% Coronation Voucher Offer

Celebrate spring with a stay at a Wolsey Lodge. The Wolsey Lodge gift vouchers are the perfect present for friends and relatives, and with 10% off, they're a clever way of reducing the cost of your next Wolsey Lodge stay by buying vouchers now. Vouchers can be redeemed for accommodation and food at any Wolsey Lodge and are valid for two years. So, if you take advantage of this discounted offer - available until the end of the Coronation Weekend on the 8th of May - there's plenty of time to plan your stay.

Enjoy a last-minute March getaway at St Moritz Hotel & Cowshed Spa

Those seeking a quick hop-away as we spring into spring need to look no further than the wonderful St Moritz Hotel and Cowshed spa, located close to 'Posh Rock' in Trebetherick, Cornwall. The St Moritz's Discounted Decadence offer includes a two-night stay for two people sharing from just £360. The price includes two-course dinners each evening, two full Cornish breakfasts both mornings, two pre-dinner mocktails or cocktails and two half-hours Signature Cowshed Massages or Facials in the Cowshed Spa (the only one you'll find outside of a Soho House property).

Involving your family pet on the big day? Check out this personalised offering

Involving your four-legged friend on your wedding day? Are they taking a staring role walking down the aisle? If so, then you have to take a look at these smart and stylish personalised leather dog ring bearer pouches (£24) from Create Gift Love. Create Gift Love design and make personalised keepsake gifts and accessories to celebrate all of life's special moments, all handmade to order in its UK workshop from sustainable natural materials.

Happy Mother's Day from Devon-based Flapjackery

Mother's Day is almost upon us and it's time to spoil those motherly figures in your life with fabulous, delectable gluten-free flapjacks from Flapjackery. Spoil her in the comfort of her own home with a box of the most delicious treats that are handmade on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon using the very best British ingredients and presented in 100% recyclable packaging. These boxes of treats are the perfect accompaniment for a special afternoon tea. The Happy Mother's Day Message Box (£35) contains delicious flapjacks that have just enough crunch and not too much crumble. The star of the box is a giant piece of Millionaires Flapjack with the message Happy Mother's Day handwritten in white chocolate. Packed around it are eight half pieces of flapjack in the mouth-watering flavours of the ruby millionaire, raspberry and white chocolate, ginger and dark chocolate, cherry Bakewell, golden salted caramel, double chocolate Brownie, lemon drizzle and clotted cream.

The most popular 2023 trends according to Pinterest

To provide insight on the most popular wedding trends for spring 2023, the experts at Aura Print compiled a list of 25 popular trends after scouring Pinterest to discover the number of Pins for each. And here are the top 15 most popular spring 2023 wedding trends to be insipired by...First place for the most popular wedding trend for spring 2023 goes to the floral-themed trend. This trend had 22,148 Pins on the image sharing platform. It can include things like floral arches, flower-themed cakes or flower crowns. With a total of 11,765 Pins, the blue-themed wedding trend places second in the study. The trend also appeared on 116 Pinterest boards from 2022 onwards, cementing its popularity for the upcoming season. What is more, there's been a great interest in navy blue wedding invites, which had a whopping 16,725 Pins.

Winners of the Trencherman's Awards 2023 announced

The winners of the Trencherman's Awards 2023 were recently revealed at a spectacular ceremony by the sea at Salcombe Harbour Hotel. Broadcaster and food critic William Sitwell and Dorset's TV chef and restaurateur Mark Hix of The Oyster and Fish House joined Trencherman's Guide editorial director Jo Rees to present this year's awards – the most prestigious dining accolades in the South West. The event was attended by the region's leading chefs, restaurateurs and hoteliers, among other influential foodies. Host William Sitwell said: "Very few areas of the country have a guide that rivals Hardens or Michelin in terms of how it's put together – the Trencherman's Guide has really experienced food writers bringing their know-how and knowledge to it – but also for the fact that the South West food scene has the most extraordinary talent." He added, "The Trencherman's Awards event showcases the incredible talent, innovation, a lot of energy, a lot of young people who have come into the hospitality business – and of course a few true stalwarts like my co-host Mark Hix."

Fancy a big-day cocktail bar? Check out Whitebox Cocktails

Whitebox Cocktails, the ready-to-serve cocktail specialists, have everything you need to create the ultimate in wedding cocktail offering. From classic cocktails like the Pocket Negroni and Squeezy's Margarita, to unique and refreshing long drinks like Hippy Fizz and Disco Baby, take the hassle out of the perfect pour on your big day with a wide range of ready-to-serve cocktails to suit every taste. Expertly mixed by the award-winning team of bartenders, Whitebox Cocktails' convenient single-serve cans mean there's no need to limit your cocktail menu, as there's no mixing, no mess and no long wait at the bar. For casual weddings, cocktails can be served in ice buckets for guests to help themselves and enjoy straight from the can. Alternately, for a more elevated occasion, simply chill and serve the cocktail in a glass with ice and a garnish of choice.

The best UK cities for a hen do

With Google search volume data revealing a 402% search increase for 'hen party ideas' since December and 2023 wedding season in touching distance, organising a pre-wedding celebration is already on the bridal party to-do list. Getting all of your nearest and dearest pals together for a hen party can be challenging - whether it's catering to availability, budget, activity preferences or dietary requirements. Hen party decoration supplier, Ginger Ray, has done a little digging to find the top 19 UK cities to host your pre-wedding celebrations.