Your Cheshire and Merseyside Wedding - January/February 2021 (Issue 55)

NEW VENUE ALERT! Fenscamins Oden Village, a creative Barcelona-based venue operator of bespoke weddings, events and ceremonies, is to open a new concept wedding venue in Aigburth, South Liverpool. Set to officially open its doors in April 2021, Floralia is aptly named in honour of the ancient Roman spring festival celebrating Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, vegetables, nature and fertility. Nacho Alemany, co-founder of Floralia says, “We’ve been looking or a UK location for some time and Liverpool feels like the perfect fit. We love the people, energy and attitude here and our new riverside site is ideal for the new concept.” Weddings will be held in eco-friendly tipis and decorated with a vast array of fresh organic flowers creating what promises to be a spectacle of colour. What’s more, delicious menus will be created by a top Michelin- star team from Barcelona, designed to bring Mediterranean flair to the whole experience. Wines and cocktails are also carefully chosen, with floral undertones to complement and make the most of the flavourful menus. Floralia will be able to accommodate up to 200 guests from April until the end of October. It has already received a lot of enquiries confirming dates for 2021 and 2022. For more information check out www.floraliaweddings.co.uk 5 MINUTES WITH… Celebrant Sarah Nelson of Merseyside-based Moments To Please tell us about yourself. I began my career as an English teacher, and while there were a lot of brilliant days, most of them were taken up marking. I wanted to use my knowledge of English literature in a more creative way, and that’s when I heard about becoming a celebrant. There are no second chances when it comes to conducting a wedding ceremony, so I made sure I trained fully. Now, I get to meet amazing couples and create joyous and fun ceremonies for them. Why should couples opt for a celebrant over a registrar? Registrars have a specific job to do and a tight schedule to do it in. They also have to use a specific ceremony script, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that your ceremony will sound pretty much like everyone else’s. You may well be fine with that, but if something more unique is for you, given you’ve hand- picked everything else for your day, then a celebrant is the way to go. We use information about how you met, your hopes and dreams, your quirks, hobbies, favourite songs and even pets to write a ceremony just for you. As an added bonus, we’re not constrained by time or venue, so if you want to say “I do” at dawn on a mountaintop or in a forest at midnight a celebrant can do that for you. What advice would you give to couples uncertain about the future of their wedding in light of the ever-changing Covid situation? ❤ Remember why you’re getting married. It’s about the two of you first and foremost. ❤ If you can still have your venue and ceremony, albeit with a reduced guest list – do it. ❤ If you’ve culled several large forests sending and resending save-the-date cards, stop. Get an appointment for a simple ceremony with a registrar and get married. Plan the real showstopper with all the trimmings and a celebrant-led ceremony once the vaccine is rolled out. For further information on Moments To, check out www.momentsto.co.uk THINK BIG Q Hotels is launching its Little Big Wedding concept, appealing to couples to enjoy their nuptials in early 2021 and make the celebration a wow experience with help from the hotel group. Participating hotels, which include Crewe Hall and The Park Royal, both in Cheshire, will gift their happy couples with plenty of add-ons making celebrations more exciting and memorable. Sarah Harvey, head of events at the QHotels Group says, “Every wedding is big to us. Who says size matters?” She continues, “Our Little Big Wedding concept is extra special and gives everyone who books with us the chance to go a bit bigger on their plans at no extra cost.” So what does this all mean? Well, those choosing a traditional four- course wedding breakfast will enjoy a complimentary half bottle of wine per table; reception celebrations with afternoon tea will be gifted unlimited scones and tea; and all packages will receive free arrival drinks, as well as for the speeches with canapés throughout. “This is us being little on costs and big on ideas. Give us your intimate wedding, and we’ll give you back the big event you always dreamed of with so much love and care,” Sarah concludes. To discover more, head over to www.crewehallcheshire.co.uk an d www.theparkroyal.co.uk Dan Bold Photography 10