Wedding Reception Event
A large hotel in Hartlepool organised a wedding fair recently with a difference. In order to bring in new customers and allow couples to sample their wares, they hosted a free wedding reception over a Saturday and Sunday.
In an effort to overcome the credit crunch, the Grand Hotel located on Swainson Street in Hartlepool wanted to advertise its new wedding reception package and in order to promote their facilities, over a two day weekend they invited couples to come and sample their wide selection of services. They had a chocolate fountain, champagne and a drinks reception complete with canapés on offer during the tour around the hotel.
The Hotel have launched a new wedding package for up to seventy guests which includes a wedding breakfast, wine, entertainment and the hire of a bedroom for the newlyweds, all for just one thousand pounds.
The hotel was purchased in 2007 by Tavistock Leisure who have spent over three million pounds renovating the building, including a complete make over of the Great Room which was re-opened in March 2008. Couples are able to celebrate their civil ceremony and reception in this room in style.
Marriage Nearly Destroyed by Facebook
A couple almost had their marriage destroyed by the networking website Facebook.
After their wedding and a honeymoon spreading over six months, Gary and Jane Sherbrooke kept a record of their life on Facebook, a very popular social site where anyone could access their home page frequently. They added their honeymoon pictures and even pictures of themselves with their newborn son Sam.
Jane, a thirty one year old consultant, came across a message on their Facebook account from a woman called Jennifer May Phillips who was making a claim that she had slept with Gary and that he had given her Chlamydia. This woman stated that she did not want a response but felt that Jane should know and perhaps go and get tested herself. Thirty five year old Gary, a City insurance broker, denied any knowledge of this woman and was determined to get to the bottom of it.
The couple tried to contact Jennifer but there was no reply and the friends she had listed on her account denied knowledge of her. Jane was understandably upset and initially had doubts as to Gary’s faithfulness but now believes that this malicious message was just a cruel hoax and wants to ensure that others are aware of the dangers of this site. The couple have since closed their account.
Couple Postpone Wedding due to Freak Storm
A couple from Caerphilly may have to postpone their wedding due to freak storms at the beginning of June that caused damage to their property.
James MacDonald, a trainee accountant and Catherine Scone, a mobile hairdresser have been engaged since Christmas 2007 and hoped to be married in the next couple of years. Twenty eight year olds Catherine and James have been saving for their wedding since their engagement but now, they may have to use the money to rebuild a wall in their garden.
The twenty foot wall located at the back of their home buckled after a day of heavy rainfall and even though the couple are insured, they have been informed that they will not be able to claim for the repair work needed. As assessor for the insurance company claims that the wall fell down as a result of normal wear and tear but the couple is appealing against the decision.
James and Catherine had hoped to be able to begin booking venues and making other wedding arrangements as they have been pricing things up and looking around for a year and a half but now the disappointed couple feel that their wedding will never happen.
They are not the only family in Senghenydd to be affected by the rain as the village and nearby valleys around South Wales were all flooded.
Rachel Hunter’s Wedding Called Off
Having your fiancé call off your wedding is devastating enough but when you are a celebrity there is never a private moment to grieve. This is the situation that model Rachel Hunter has found her self in recently.
Thirty nine year old Rachel and twenty seven year old Jarret Stoll were due to be married on the 14th of August but just seven weeks before their big day, Jarret called it all off, without giving Rachel a reason as to why he no longer wants to marry her.
Jarret is a Canadian ice hockey player for Los Angeles Kings and it was he who emailed their guests informing them of the cancellation.
Rachel, a former model for Ultimo Lingerie, has been married before in 1990 to rock star Rod Stewart and they were together for nine years. She also had a short relationship with singer Robbie Williams.
The couple who had been together for a couple of years lived in their two million pound house in Hermosa Beach and it was believed that they had planned to start a family together once they were married.
Ms Hunter and her two children Renne seventeen and fourteen year old Liam have been left understandably devastated. A spokesperson for the family has asked that the public respect their privacy at this distressing time.
Shopping Trolley Dash for Wedding
Following an accident at Marks and Spencer, the parents of bride-to-be Valerie were madly rushing around ASDA at midnight, the night before the wedding, to try and buy as much food as possible for their daughter’s wedding day.
Valerie’s dad and step-mum, William and Margaret Hill, had originally organised the food with their local Marks and Spencer, paying them almost £150 to cater the buffet. At 8pm the night before the family received a call from M&S but William was not around and M&S said they would call back. They did not, so at 10pm the family called M&S who explained that there had been a fire at the suppliers and therefore M&S were unable to provide them with the complete order but that the family could go to their local shop the next morning for their shopping instead.
Everyone was understandably anxious and upset and after the mad shopping dash, friends and family were pulled in to help with the preparation through the night and even neighbours gave up some fridge space. After all their hard work, M&S called the next day to let them know that in fact they were able to supply the food after all. William, forty seven from Newcraighall was speechless and his wife, fifty two year old Margaret declined their offer.
M&S commented that after the fire they had contacted William and Margaret to give them the bad news but that they had then worked through the night to try and source the food from elsewhere. M&S did offer Mr & Mrs Hill a complete refund.
Bus drivers Valerie and Stewart Denholm were married in Musselburgh, East Lothian.
Mixed Cowboy and Indian Themed Wedding
Spending your wedding night in an Indian tepee is not the most romantic of venues for a lot of people but for Doug Stanley and his fiancée Suzanne Gaia, it was a perfect way to celebrate their wedding day.
Suzanne is a fifty one year old chartered accountant who also spends part of her time in India where she learns therapies to enable her with her work. Her love for the country has rubbed off on her new husband Doug who is also fifty one and works in a Laundromat.
The couple, who were wearing their Indian outfits, wanted a themed wedding with a difference and they decided on an almost cowboy and Indian themed celebration. They arrived at Marlborough Town Hall for their civil wedding service adorned with traditional Indian trousers, tops and shoes. Their reception was held at the Barge Inn in a marquee at the edge of the Kennet and Avon Canal. The couple resided in a cottage nearby at the canal’s edge.
This was the second marriage for both of them.
Elvis Tribute Wedding
To have your music idol as a guest at your wedding would be a dream come true for a lot of people, this dream almost came true for one groom when he, and his friends, paid tribute to Elvis Presley by dressing like him on the day he renewed his vows.
The replica wedding took place in Porthcawl near Bridgend in South Wales and followed the famous Hawaiian wedding in Elvis’s 1961 Blue Hawaii film. Originally from Beverley in East Yorkshire, Steve Caprice is a church minister who has the nickname ‘Rockin’ Reverend’ as he is known as an Elvis impersonator. He and his wife Barbara were married fifteen years ago in America.
The groom wore the recognisable flared trousers and his best man, Paul Malloy dressed as GI Elvis. Also in keeping with the Elvis theme, Craig Jefferson, known as Vegas Elvis, gave Barbara away and nine year old Rhys Berry, the ring bearer was also dressed as The King.
Porthcawl is a well known venue for an Elvis Presley Festival which is held every year, because of this, Steve felt that it was a fitting location for their renewal.
After the vows were renewed, a reception was held for about two hundred guests, forty of which were dressed as Elvis while others preferred to wear garlands or even grass skirts.
Newlyweds on the Run
Police in Jersey are looking for a couple who did a runner after their wedding because they hadn’t paid the bill.
Alan Bennett, a local business man and his fiancée Lorraine Vickery are from Exeter in Devon. They were married in church on 5th February 2009 in Jersey after which they celebrated at a wedding reception in a marquee at Bleu Soleil campsite where their fifteen guests were provided with a three course meal, champagne and a local band played. Owner of the campsite, David Bridges, stated that everyone seemed to enjoy themselves but was angry about the lack of payment. The couple didn’t even pay the church fees.
The newlyweds disappeared after the reception without settling the costs and suppliers received cheques that bounced. Up to six businesses that provided accommodation, the wedding cake, suit hire and flowers, have not been paid for their services. The champagne alone cost seventy pounds a bottle and the local band who entertained the guests has been left with an unpaid bill of two thousand pounds. Overall, the total cost left unpaid amounted to ten thousand pounds.
The Criminal Investigation Department in Jersey received their first complaints in early March and Detective Inspector Kevin Molloy has confirmed that a criminal investigation is underway.
What a way to start married life with always having to look over your shoulder!!
Wedding Film from 1965 Found
In February, a couple from Radcliffe who were having a clear out in order to raise some funds accidently sold their wedding video along with the christening video of their first born son. Unbeknown to them, the films were left inside the box containing a cine projector which they sold.
Mike and Kay Edwards, both aged sixty six, were married at the Longsight Methodist Church on 19th April 1965 and their wedding was filmed by Mike’s father Alf who was an amateur cinematographer. Their eldest son, Paul was christened in 1967.
The projector was sold for four pounds to Ian McDonald, aged seventy six, and on discovering the films he contacted his local paper, The Bolton News who ran an article to try and locate the owners, his son also advertised on YouTube. Mike and Kay were told about the article in the paper by friends and Kay travelled to Harwood to meet up with Ian who handed the precious films back.
While sorting through the various items, Mike admits that he did see the films in the box but had assumed they were old holiday films. He went on to say that he was properly reprimanded by his wife but they were both very pleased to have them back.
Bride-To-Be Finds out Groom is a Porn Star
Women like to think that they know everything there is to know about their partner and at the beginning of a new life together couples learn more about each other by living and spending time together. That’s how they find out that their partner leaves the toothpaste lid off or that he squeezes it from the bottom. After a year together, one bride-to-be shockingly found out that her fiancé is a secret porn star!
Twenty seven year old Haylie Hocking from Bristol works in a garage. Jason Blake, who is thirty years old, became a customer there and before long the couple had starting going out. Jason had told Haylie that he was a personal trainer which accounted for his weekends away while he was supposedly training his clients. The couple’s relationship progressed quickly and after six months they moved into together and two months after that, Jason proposed.
The church and the venue for the reception at a local country house was booked but just a few weeks before the wedding, while organising the hen night, Haylie’s friend Lisa was searching for a male stripper and she came across Jason in an online porn film clip. Haylie viewed the clip and confirmed it was indeed her Jason.
After being confronted Jason admitted to making porn films for money. Haylie, obviously devastated by this revelation has set about cancelling her wedding. She stated that she could not marry someone who stars in these types of films and that the experience has left her distrustful of men.
I guess this is the one time a bride does not want her groom to look better than she does in the pictures!