Archive for the ‘Essex Weddings’ Category

The Only Way is Essex

Sunday evening sees the start of a new ITV show called The Only way is Essex – ITV have dubbed it “a rocking new show” and a “huge idea” with gorgeous boys and girls.
I have no idea what the show is about, but I

am dreading that it will be another stereo typical look at people from Essex – which will achieve nothing but a barrage of abuse about Essex Girls and Boys.

To make it sound even worse, ITV have said this about the show on their website :

Get ready to be transported into a world where nail bars, nightclubs and tanning salons are a way of life. The Only Way is Essex is a brand new living soap opera which lets you delve into the lives of the county’s most glamorous and dramatic stars-in-the-making.

Sounds dreadful. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll still be watching the first episode tomorrow, if only to see how bad it actually is.
If you want to find out more about “The Only way is Essex” – here’s the ITV link – The Only way is Essex.

For those of you who have never heard of DJ Mike Porter then you probably aren’t really from Essex at all. Mike is a (now retired) wedding DJ and more well known for his shows on Southend Radio, Essex FM, Time FM and probably more radio shows around Essex that we can’t be bothered to research ourselves at the moment.

Anyway, Mike is now making movies, as well as holding down his day job on Southend Radio, and here is a recent clip from a Channel Five show called My Wedding Day Ruined my Life.

“Absolutely anything can go wrong at a wedding, from the groom getting caught with his pants down, to a bar room brawl, and whatever happens you can guarantee that the trusty wedding DJ will be there to witness it…”

Wedding in an Essex strip club anyone ?

We’ve long been saying that Essex is a fantastic place to get married, with over a hundred licensed wedding venues in Essex to choose from, coupled with some of the most historic and beautiful churches, we truly believe that getting married in Essex is the perfect start to your wedded life together.

Katz Gentleman’s Club in Basildon, Essex

And according to this week’s National press, Phil Warren and Lynfa Lawson also agree with our statement, however, they chose not to opt for one of our county’s magnificent Victorian Manors, or exquisite hotels for their wedding day, instead they got married in Katz Gentleman’s Club in Basildon, Essex.

According to reports, Katz applied for a wedding licence back in August, as Phil and Lynfa had met there, they decided it was the perfect place for them to exchange their vows.

Lap Dancing Weddings Venues

Dean Kayne, the general manager at Katz Gentleman’s Club in Basildon thinks they have found a niche in the wedding market “As far as I know we are the first strip club in the country with a licence to hold weddings.” he said.

The club use a registrar from Brentwood to marry the couples, and people can organise their own entertainment and caterers.

Sounds like an interesting prospect, but if you’re planning a slightly more traditional wedding, you may wish to browse our list of wedding venues in Essex, most of which are less likely to have poles from their ceilings.

Heart Radio Essex FM Wedding Fayre

The radio station may of changed it’s name from Essex FM to Heart Radio, but their wedding fayre at the Brentwood Centre in February 2010 maintains it’s usual format and same excellent standard of wedding fayre exhibitions.

Brentwood Centre Wedding Fayre 2010

Heart FM Essex Wedding Fayre

Entering it’s 23rd year, the Heart Radio Wedding Fayre comes to the Brentwood Centre in Doddinghurst Road, Brentwood, Essex on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21sy February 2010.

Last’s years Essex FM Wedding Fayre attracted over 4,000 people from all over the county, and included brides and grooms to be from London, Herts, Middlesex and Suffolk.

The main sponsor of the wedding fayre is the Orsett Hall, one of the best established wedding venues in Essex, and again this year there will be wedding fashion shows by Couture Bride and Groom.

Essex Wedding Fayre

With around 150 stands set for the wedding fayre, this will be a good way to meet potential wedding experts for your big day. However, with over 60 categories of wedding services listed here on Essex Wedding Services, why not just browse and contact them from the comfort of your own home. There will also be an entrance fee at the Brentwood Centre for the Heart Radio Wedding Fayre, but of course Essex Wedding Services is free to browse, so just click on the links to the right of this article.

Entrance to the wedding fayre is £5 on either Saturday or the Sunday and for more details on the Heart Radio Essex FM Wedding Fayre, please visit their website.

East Mersea Hall

East Mersea Hall

The beautiful East Mersea Hall opens its doors for future brides and grooms of Essex to take a look around their stunning new wedding venue with their Open Day set for Sunday 11th October 2009.

The Hall is an Elizabethan Grade II listed country family home which dates back to the 16th Century, beautifully set amongst 36 acres of woodland and gardens.
The wedding venue is a newly appointed venue for Colchester and Mersea Island and is available to hold civil ceremonies, and wedding receptions.
Previously known as “The Hall” the new wedding venue was once a fortified settlement and was surrounded by a moat.

Weddings at East Mersea Hall

The lake and gardens around the property now provide a certain unique character and a romantic setting for bridal parties to capture their wedding day with a stunning backdrop for the wedding photographs.

Getting married at East Mersea Hall

To take in the beautiful scenery yourself, then visit the wedding venue on their Open Day on Sunday 11th October 2009, entrance is free and the day runs from 11am to 4.30pm and the first 30 brides to register via e-mail will receive a bottle of bubbly upon arrival. For full details read our wedding fayres in Essex page, or drop an email to sarahmaydays@aol.com or call 01206 383499.

Weddings at the Kursaal in Southend

We’re delighted to hear that the first wedding has taken place at the iconic Kursaal complex on Southend’s seafront.

Having originally opened in 1901 as the Kursaal Ballroom, the Essex building expanded into an amusement complex in the 1930′s. By the 1980′s the Kursaal said farewell to Southend’s entertainment reportedly for the last time leaving the building to rot away.
However with huge financial support in 1998 the Kursaal reopened it’s doors with ten pin bowling being the main attraction and maintaining it’s distinctive dome.

Now, the Kursaal has re-invented itself again as a wedding venue for brides and grooms of Essex looking for a historic building in Southend to marry, having become a fully licensed and approved wedding venue by Southend Borough Council.
The Kursaal have 2 rooms available for wedding ceremonies, and civil partnerships and have a whole string of weddings planned for the summer.

Getting Married in Southend

The first couple to take advantage of the licence being granted are Westcliff residents Louise and Tony Nicholls who tied the knot in front of around 50 family and friends.
According to our source, Louise said: “I had always loved the building as a child, and the room itself has a beautiful glass ceiling.
“Also, we wanted somewhere very different, but even some of our friends and family were a tiny bit apprehensive at first.
“However, when they saw it they were won over. Now even my sister is thinking of holding her 40th birthday there.”

Southend wedding, but not honeymoon

Rather then choosing to remain in Sunny Southend Seafront for their honeymoon, the newly weds headed to Italy.

Kursaal Functions spokesman Matthew Chambers said: “We have already got several more weddings booked for this year”

The Kursaal sounds to us like another fantastic place to get married in Essex.
Visit our main page if you’re looking for plenty of wedding venues in Essex.

Having announced their engagement back in February (read our Denise Van Outen engagement article) we’re delighted to hear that our Essex Girl Denise has just celebrated her wedding to Lee Mead on a beach in the Seychelles.

We were hoping that Denise may of stayed true to her roots and enjoyed the finest Essex beaches in Southend or Clacton, however the happy couple opted for perhaps a slightly more sun kissed and romantic option.

Friends of Van Outen were beginning to worry that her long-cherished dream of settling down and starting a family may not come true, that was until TV’s “Any Dream will Do” star Lee Mead swept her off her feet when Denise was a judge on the show.
27 year old Lee went on win the talent show, and earned the lead role in the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

According to a source, Denise, 35, just told people they were going on a holiday, the only wedding guests in the Seychelles were both sets of parents, and a small group of best friends.

The Bride opted for a strapless white wedding dress with her hair tied back at the Labriz silhouette luxury resort.
After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds were happily seen kissing on a boat. – For pictures please see the Daily Mail.

Denise and Lee stayed in the hotel for ten nights, reportedly in the Presidential villa, being the most expensive room at the hotel, with it’s own private pool.

Denise’s long awaited dream white wedding comes 8 years after splitting from her on / off boyfriend Jay Kay, lead singer of Jamiroquai. Once labelled a “ladette” Denise has always been a traditional girl at heart.

She and Lee say they started dating in November 2007, a claim disputed by Mead’s ex-girlfriend who states that their relationship was a secret for months.

Lee previously said: “Denise and I clicked instantly. We had the same sense of humour”.
“I knew at once it was right. She is very down to earth.”

Congratulations to both Denise and Lee from everyone here at Essex Wedding Services.

Feel free to share your thoughts or comments on their wedding below.

We’ve had a few requests lately to provide more information about the legal side of getting married in Essex, to help engaged couples plan their wedding in Essex county.

So, we used our knowledge, researched a little more and wrote this guide to getting married in Essex.

There’s plenty of useful information to help you get started when you’ve just become engaged, with links to the Essex county website too.

Hopefully if you’re a newly engaged couple in Essex and are starting your wedding planning process, you’ll read through our information and find it useful.

So, now that you’ve found us, ensure you bookmark our website and keep coming back whenever you’re looking for ideas for your wedding in Essex.

Happy Wedding Planning !

We’ve spent plenty of time lately talking about weddings in Essex, but not much about having a honeymoon in Essex, so today we thought we’d look at taking a few nights honeymoon at the fantastic looking Maison Talbooth hotel in Colchester, Essex.

The Maison Talbooth, Colchester, Essex.

The Maison Talbooth opened around 40 years ago, and is widely regarded as one of the finest hotels Essex has to offer, making it a great option for a wedding night, using one of their suites as your honeymoon suite. Tranquility is the essence of the 4 star Maison Talbooth hotel, a Victorian country house in a stunning setting near Dedham, Constable Country. So peaceful and romantic, a perfect choice to relax and unwind after your wedding day.

In fact the Maison Talbooth now has 12 fantastic suites to offer, all with King size beds, and look a perfect place to start your matrimony together.

Perfect Honeymoon Hotel

Alongside the comfortable suites, the hotel also has plenty of features to keep newly weds entertained, in a very relaxing way – exactly what you need after your wedding day and months of wedding planning. The hotel features a swimming pool with outside hot tub, pool house and tennis court.

During your honeymoon visit you can also step back, relax and indulge yourself with a relaxing massage, facial, manicure, or range of other treatments, in their new treatment rooms.
The hotel’s tennis courts are also available for the more sporty brides and grooms, with delightful views around the courts.

Maison Talbooth weddings

The hotel’s main restaurant, Le Talbooth will be one of the the highlights of your honeymoon, in an idyllic setting beside the River Stour, the restaurant is a short walk away from the main hotel, or a courtesy one minute care ride.
In the Summer, newly weds can enjoy Al fresco dining on the terrace with fine wines and a very relaxing atmosphere.

Lunches are served in the Garden Room, with the emphasis on healthy light salads and snacks.
Maison Talbooth also offer the fine English tradition of afternoon tea, for you to start your married life in a delightful fashion. You’ll need to book as it’s very popular with local business types, but it’s a fine selection and very relaxing – perfect for sitting back and reflecting on your wedding day together.

For more details on staying at the Maison Talbooth, or to enquire about a wedding at the venue, see their details below, or email milsoms@milsomhotels.com

Maison Talbooth
Stratford Road, Dedham
Colchester, Essex
CO7 6HN

As we’ve mentioned on numerous occasions before, getting married in Essex can be the best decision you’ve ever made, as wedding venues in Essex are amongst the best in the entire country, and today we look at weddings at Hedingham Castle.

Hedingham Castle in Essex, half a mile from the A1017 between Cambridge and Colchester, is a Norman motte and bailey castle.
The castle may occupy a site of an earlier castle believed to have been built in the later eleventh or early twelfth century by Aubrey de Vere I, a Norman baron. Hedingham was one of the largest manors among those acquired by Aubrey I by circa 1080 and it became the head of the Vere barony by the later twelfth century. The castle is still owned by one of his descendants, The Honourable Thomas Lindsay and his wife Virginia.

For more details on the historic castle visit Wikipedia

Getting married at the wonderful old castle is simply a dream come true for every bride, the ceremony takes place by candle-light in the magnificent Banqueting Hall which holds up to 100 seated guests and around 30 more can watch from the Minstrels’ Gallery above. Brides and Grooms have the choice of a traditional ceremony or may opt for a medieval theme wedding with authentic costumes.

The castle is closed to the public during wedding days and the grounds of the castle make a sensational backdrop for your photographs. After the ceremony the guests can enjoy the wedding reception within their marquee on the Tulip lawn.

Hedingham Castle has on open day for weddings on 1st February 2009 from 11am to 4pm – visit our main website for other wedding fayres in Essex.

Contact Hedingham Castle :
Hedingham Castle, Bayley Street, Castle Hedingham, Essex. CO9 3DJ
Tel 01787 460261