The Bristol and Somerset Wedding Awards are here!

Well, today’s the day! After months of planning, nominating, voting, and collating points, the second annual Bristol and Somerset Wedding Awards is here! Featuring The Wedding Wishing Well Appreciation Awards, the event will kick off this evening at The Bristol Hotel.

Keep an eye out on the blog; we’ll be updating you on the proceedings, and winners, as soon as possible!

In the meantime…

We have had some fantastic prizes added for tonight’s raffle and auction, including a cookbook signed by its author, none other than Bristolian chef Dean Edwards, himself. How much would you pay for a treat like that?

Also added to the prize pot is a Kindle Fire HD, and an authentic football boot worn by Cristiano Ronaldo – wow!

We are also thrilled to introduce Cossington Park, which is a beautiful cottage set in the Somerset Countryside. They have donated a two night stay, which could be shared by up to twelve of your best friends, and family. We will be splitting the amount raised by this lot 50/50 with Macmillan, so please dig deep.

There’s another name to add into the mix; Oli Johns, videographer, will be on hand to capture the proceedings – thank you, Oli!

Thank you to everybody that has made this evening’s celebrations possible; we really couldn’t have done it without you. And, with that, we’re off to powder our noses – and that’s just the boys! See you in a few hours, it’s going to be epic!

Naomi’s BIG Announcement

If you follow Naomi and The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation on Twitter and Facebook, you’ll no doubt have been wondering all about the HUGE news that we have to reveal to you today. Well, your wait is over, and we can FINALLY reveal that Naomi has won yet another award – and once again we couldn’t be prouder.

Recognising the achievements of “outstanding individual volunteers”, the Points of Light Award aims to celebrate those who have made contributions to their community, and changed things for the better. The awards have been developed in partnership with the Point of Light programme in America, which was established by President George W.H. Bush (and has since recognised 5,000 individuals), and are presented by our own Prime Minister David Cameron.

Of the awards Mr. Cameron says, “We should do more as a country to recognise volunteering. In America they have Points of Light. President George H W Bush spoke about 1,000 Points of Light shining out in difficult times. Britain is going to have its own Points of Light scheme.”

We are so excited to be able to support Naomi as she accepts yet another award – another testament to her fantastic achievements, endless hard work, and continued kindness.

To find out more, and to view other deserving winners of this fantastic award, please click here.

It’s time to get colourful for TWWWF!

Do you fancy a little more colour in your life? Have you decided to do  more fundraising this year, but are unsure what you’d like to do? We may have the answer to both of these dilemmas! Taking place up and down the country, there are a number of Colour Running Events this year, including Run or Dye, Color Me Rad UK, and The Color Run UK; with so many runs happening, you’re sure to find one near you!

Run or Dye

Coming to a city near you (quite literally; there are numerous dates for Run or Dye this year!), Run or Dye is a fantastic event for those who want to take their fundraising a little less seriously. Suitable for children and adults of all ages (children under six run free), the run is designed to make fundraising as fun, and colourful, as possible.

Find out more, including running costs, here.

Color Me Rad UK

Similarly bright and engaging, Color Me Rad UK is another 5km run set to take a town near you by storm. If you want to see the event in action, take a look here.

Color Me Rad’s website has heaps more info, including entry costs.

Color Run UK

Billed as the planet’s “Happiest 5km Run” Color Run UK celebrates health, happiness, and individuality, as well as ensuring you raise bags of cash for your chosen charity (could that be us?!).

A video of one of last year’s events can be found here – we dare you not to smile! Conor Run’s UK website has more information here.

If you would like further information about these events please email info@weddingwishingwell.org.uk, including the event, and destination, you wish to take part in. We will endeavour to send you an information pack as soon as possible, and support you in your fundraising efforts.

Other running events

It’s that time of year again when we ask you to get involved, and enter an event in your area. If you live in the West Country, here are some of the running events that may interest you:

Plymouth Half Marathon:  13.1 Miles on 19th April £34.00 to enter
Colour Me Rad Bath & West Showground: 5km on 20th June £20 to enter
Colour me Rad Exeter: 5km on 21st June £20 to enter
Torbay Half Marathon: 13.1 Miles on 28th June £24.00 to enter
Torbay Fun Run: 1 Mile on 28th June £3.00 to enter

We also have the Rock Solid Race, a 5km, 10km, and 15km, obstacle course and mud run; bags of fun, but not for the faint hearted! Exeter’s event takes place on Saturday 21st March, and Sunday 22nd March, while those travelling further afield can enter in Milton Keynes on 19th September. More information can be found here, including a list of obstacles and some photos of previous events.

For more infortmation about these events, or to enter, please email graham@weddingwishingwell.org.uk. Similarly, please feel free to tell us about an event near you and we will send an information pack out to you.

Ride for Brides!

As some of you may know Graham Thomas, our beautiful founder’s wonderful husband, has recently discovered a love of cycling, and is endeavouring to turn his new sport into a means of raise huge amounts for The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation – Rides 4 Brides was born. Whether you’re an avid cycler like Graham, recently new to the sport, or simply like to cycle for fun, we’re sure there’s an event to fulfil your fancy. Keep up to date with Ride for Brides via Facebook, or visit The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation’s fundraising events pages. Similarly, if you hear about a cycling event please do let us know; we’ll be more than happy to send you a fundraising pack and support you during your training if you’d like to raise money for us. Email info@weddingwishingwell.org.uk with any ideas.

 Ride London

Congratulations to all of those with a space for Ride London. Graham, unfortunately, was unsuccessful in his application this year, but we’d love to hear from any of you who are hoping to ride for charity. Your support is most welcome.

Calling all ladies!

Naomi will be taking part in this year’s Macmillan Cycletta, a 50km cycle around Surrey, on 6th September. As many of you will know, cycling is both mentally and physically demanding on Naomi, due to the effects of her cancer. We are incredibly proud that she is choosing to challenge herself to such an extent, and hope you’d like to join her. If you would like more information, or would love to commit to taking one of the spaces alongside Naomi, please email info@weddingwishingwell.org.uk. Find out more here, too.

Come on everybody, get on yer bikes this year for The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation.

February Fundraising

It’s that time again – we’d like to say yet another massive, ‘Thank you’, to some fabulous fundraisers!

This time it’s independent department store, Fields of Sidmouth, that we’d like to show a little (okay, a lot) of gratitude to. Thanks to their bountiful efforts and hard work, the staff have raised a fantastic£1,206. 19, which was presented to Naomi very recently. Thank you for making us your charity of choice for last year, it has made such a huge difference to us.

This is why we do what we do…

We would just like to take a moment to share these videos with you. Filmed by the talented Lucy Anstead Davies, this is the story of Paul and Abbey’s wedding, which took place last September. Abbey is one of our brides, and approached the charity suffering from secondary breast cancer – just like our founder Naomi. We endeavoured to give the couple, and their son Oliver, a day to remember, as there was no telling how long Abbey had left.

It broke our hearts when Abbey passed away, just two short months after her wedding. However, Naomi and her team took immense comfort from the fact they had been able to make her dreams come true.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three.

 

It’s open! The Little Wedding Space returns to great aplomb

Launched last Friday, 6th February, The Little Wedding Space is already receiving rave reviews from suppliers and couples alike, and it’s hard not to see why – there are so many amazing suppliers under one roof! The brainchild of Kirsten Butler (The Little Wedding Helper), and Ruth Garner (Ruth Garner Photography), The Little Wedding Space is, in essence, a pop-up wedding fair, enabling local suppliers to showcase the very best of their talents. The relaxed and stylish environment provided at The Little Wedding Space is utterly perfect for planning your wedding, and you will come away feeling inspired, rather than pressured into any decision-making. This is an opportunity to get to know your wedding suppliers, rather than be whisked from stall to stand with no time for questions.

This year’s suppliers include, Ruth Garner Photography , The Little Wedding Helper, Emma Norton Wedding Flowers, Biba & Rose, Ido Wedding Films, Lizzy-May Design, Daisy Lane Floral, Vintage Button Bridal Design, Jo & Co, Anna Tyler Cakes, Sweet and Pretty, Bristol Bridal Boutique, Mens Hire, Harriet de Winton, Grace Kingsley, Stephanie Saunders, Pudding Bridge, Saunders Creative, Cocktail Natives, JP Crooner, Pat McIntyre, Papadeli, Sewn by Rachael, LightHaus Events. From bridal wear to event planning, and flowers to cakes, your whole wedding could be catered for under one roof.

The Little Wedding Space is open for just three weeks, until February 28th, so be sure to pop down and say, ‘hello’. You never know what you might find…

The Little Wedding Space, Unit SU10 (next door to Carluccio’s), Quakers Friars, Bristol, BS1 3BU.

Follow The Little Wedding Space on Twitter here. They have some truly stunning photos of the event to share with you, as well as bags of inspiration.

 

Donate your dress – we still accept them!

Did you know that we’re still accepting wedding dresses, bridesmaid and groomsmen outfits, jewellery, and accessories? Your donations can help to fund, or complete, a very special wedding, as well as making so many other bridal dreams come true.

Simply take your items to your nearest branch of Johnsons the Cleaners, and they shall do the hard work for you – there isn’t even any need to have your items dry cleaned beforehand. You may be holding on to your wedding dress for sentimental reasons, and we really do understand how difficult it can be to give it away. However, your donation means everything to our brides, and to our mission to help as many couples as possible.

Thank you time!

We would like to say a big thanks to Emma and her team from Frothimoon Beauty and Bridal in Cumbria, who have donated 8 brand new, and very beautiful, wedding dresses. If you own, or manage, a bridal shop and would like to do something similar, please do get in touch.

We have also recently taken delivery of a beautiful lace dress, which was donated by the lovely ladies at Curves and Couture.

So close we can almost smell them…

It’s almost time…

The Bristol and Somerset Wedding Awards are now so close we can almost smell them. The final judge has submitted their reviews on the votes that have been cast, the theme is getting some finishing touches, scores and votes are being collated, and the time is running out to buy tickets… Will we see you there?!

If you need a little inspiration to purchase your tickets, have a little look at some of the AMAZING prizes and entertainment that have been announced so far…

This beautiful set, worth £190, has been donated for auction by the lovely ladies at Bridezillas.

The Penny Lane River Cruiser has offered a prize with a choice of two options for auction on the night. The first is for those who wish to hold a family get together, with up to 15 guests on board for a two course buffet lunch.  The second is for those who wish to host a corporate event, with up to 40 guests, Prosecco and canapés. Due to the high value of this prize, a reserve will be set on the evening.

A big ‘Thank you’ to Camellia McQueen, who will be providing bow ties to our male judges, Graham and Lee, on the night. How can you miss the sight of such dapper gentlemen?!

Ensure a night not to be forgotten, and have your photo taken inside our fab photo booth, very kindly donated by Bristol Photo Booths.

Brighten your walls with this absolutely stunning, limited edition framed artwork by David Renshaw, which will be available to bid upon on the night.

Richard Parsons, a.k.a. The Gloucestershire Magician, will be performing on the night.

If you were present at last year’s event, you may well remember the spellbinding talents of Darren Campbell, who will be returning to entertain guests this February.

Make Up, in keeping with the surprise theme, will be provided by the fabulous Grace Kinglsey.

As the evening unfolds, events will be captured by Eve Dunlop, the talented photographer.

Samantha Jane Photography, a similarly talented lady, will also be on hand to capture every moment.

Of course, we’d also like to thank our stunning venue, The Bristol Hotel. We are so looking forward to being hosted by this fabulous venue.

The hashtag for this year’s event will be ‪#‎BnSwedawards2015‬ – we can’t wait to share your stories, pictures, and updates.

As ever, a huge, ‘Thank you’ to the team at Strawberry Fields Catering Ltd for their continued support, and also for the bubbly that you’ll be providing for the evening! We would also like to thank Essential Events Hire, who have greatly assisted with the theme and venue decoration.

The Bristol and Somerset Wedding Awards will be held on Friday 27th February, at The Bristol Hotel. Don’t miss this fantastic event, or the opportunity to raise funds for The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation. Tickets can be bought here – you never know, you could even win a dazzling prize on the night. Tickets will only be available until 20th February, or until they’ve all gone. There’s no time like the present!

Need one last, final, reminder of why you should be going? Have a little watch of this video... See you there!

A fabulous photography competition for you!

Photo courtesy of Ikonworks.

If you’re getting married this year, or know someone who is, then we have a fantastic competition to tell you about – courtesy of fabulous photographer Tasha of Ikonworks Photography. Tasha has been a supporter of The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation for a long time now, and we’d like to express our gratitude by sharing a little of what she does…

What could I win?

Your prize will include all-day wedding photography, an engagement shoot, a consultation meeting, digital re-touching of images (including black and white conversion), and a file transfer of all your finished images. This package is worth a massive £1,990.

All entrants will receive 30% off any photography package booked between February and December 2015 – it’s worth entering even if you don’t win overall! To receive your discount, simply get in touch via Tasha’s contact form here and quote #ikonworkscomp2015 within your email.

What do I have to do to enter?

It’s simple! All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize is create a Pinterest board following these simple instructions:

~ Follow Ikonworks on Pinterest here
~ Create your own board titled, ‘Ikonworks Wedding Competition’
~ Pin your favourite wedding images, including at least one from the Ikonworks Wedding Competition Board (here). You must include the hashtag, #ikonworksweddingcompetition in the description of your images
~ Include the tag @ikonworks in the description of all of your images, too
~ Post a link to your board in the comments field on this blog post on ‘The Skinny’, including the date of your wedding and your name
~ Sign up to the Ikonworks newsletter here
~ All entrants must be sure to ‘like’ the Ikonworks Facebook page here.

This competition will be judged independently by Tasha and her good friend Helen, a blogger on The Wedding Bazaar.

What else do I need to know?

The competition is open to readers of the ‘Bride’ blog, newsletter, and magazines, published by Archant; readers of Tasha’s blog, ‘The Skinny‘, and any brides or grooms who are alerted to details of the competition via social media, or in any boutique adverts; we’d love to know how you found out about it!

The winner will be required to co-write two posts for the ikonworks blog, ‘The Skinny‘, with support from Tasha herself. The first should cover the planning and build up to your wedding, while the second one will cover the details of your wedding, after the event, and your favourite pictures of the day.

Important deadlines

This competition is open for submissions from Wednesday 4th February at 7am, until Saturday 28th February at midnight – there’s not long to go, everybody! It is important to note that entries submitted after midnight on the 28th February WILL not be counted; only one submission per person/couple, please.

Tasha and Helen’s favourite entrant will be chosen on Saturday 7th March, and notified shortly thereafter.

Please click here to find out more, to see the Ts&Cs, and to explore this talented photographer’s website.