An Essex Wedding - Mar/Apr 2019 (Issue 85)

Annie Cannock brings you the latest news from around the country Check it out... It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a stationery fiend, so I just had to share Paperchase’s new wedding collection. It includes gorgeous new stationery designs, planners, and bride and groom llama plushes. To see the full range, visit paperchase.com Keeping it civil The UK may be tying the knot more than ever but church weddings are undoubtedly on the decline, with many Brits opting for civil ceremonies instead. The information was collected by wedding planning company Scarlet Events, it obtained the data by the Freedom of Information act, which requested statistics from councils across the country on how many religious and civil weddings were held between 1 st June 2017 and 31 st May, 2018. Of the 431 councils contacted, there were 96 that held the data and were able to provide exact figures for the survey. Within those regions, there was a total of only 30,032 religious ceremonies during the time period, as opposed to a staggeringly larger number of 87,686 civil weddings, showing just how popular non-religious ceremonies are becoming. For more information, visit scarletevents.com PASS IT ON Millennials and Gen Zs are more likely to sell a family member’s hand-me- down wedding dress than they are to keep or rework it into their own gown, according to a new survey of 2,000 people aged 18 to 35. The survey, ran by jewellers Hancocks, found that less than a tenth of the younger generations would keep a relative’s wedding dress if it was gifted or passed down to them, and an even smaller 3.45 per cent would keep wedding china. However, 68 per cent do want jewellery passed down to them, specifically engagement rings and wedding bands. The survey also showed that less than a third would want treasured family photo albums, less than a tenth would keep letters or diaries and less than one per cent would be happy to receive furniture. For more information, visit hancocks-london.com THE BLING RING With proposal season upon us Lorna Haddon, head of diamond rings and jewellery at Beaverbrooks reveals 2019’s biggest trends; ❤ HALO DESIGNS Halo rings aren’t going anywhere – these will always be a classic. They’ve been created to attract attention, with a single central diamond encased by smaller stones, giving an extra serve of sparkle and creating a style that is reminiscent of vintage eras. ❤ COLOURED GEMS This year we expect to continue seeing brides-to-be turning to different hues for a more personalised piece. ❤ PEAR-CUT DIAMONDS While they might have once been considered unusual, they’re rapidly gaining in popularity. ❤ BESPOKE TWISTS In recent years it’s been all about the bling but in 2019 we’ll see this take a twist – quite literally. This could be a simple twisted, polished platinum band or a central diamond enhanced by row of smaller diamonds entwined with the band. For more information, visit beaverbrooks.co.uk The wonderful world OF WEDDINGS 14