Your North East Wedding - Mar/Apr 2019 (Issue 31)

A musical homecoming He’s performed for Madonna, Stevie Wonder and the Royal Family – he’s even tinkled the ivories with Jools Holland. Better still, now this Durham-based pianist could be playing at your wedding! Lee Mathews is a homegrown virtuoso who’s become one of the most respected residency pianists in the UK. He’s now returned to his hometown after a glamorous few years performing at the world’s most iconic venues to play at his favourite kind of gig: weddings! “I’ve had a blast,” says Lee, referring to his residencies at Harrods, The Savoy and The Dorchester. “But that kind of performance doesn’t come close to sharing a couple’s wedding day.” With a wide repertoire of hits and an elegant grand piano shell, Lee can perform a range of styles for your wedding. “I especially like tailoring music to the couple, learning special songs and adding a magical ambiance,” he continues. Lee’s knowledge of piano tracks also means he can take on-the-spot requests. “That’s always a hit with guests!” Visit leemathewspianist.co.uk for more info. READER OFFER! Book Lee through Alive Network (alivenetwork.co.uk ), and you’ll receive 10 per cent off when quoting Your North East Wedding – simply mention our magazine when booking. ASK THE EDITOR “We want to get married in Newcastle, but so far the venues we’ve seen haven’t been right for us. Are there any unusual or new locations we’re overlooking?” Jon and Gav, by email Editor Claire says: “You’re in luck – Dawn Marie Wedding & Event Design has announced a brand- new venue will be opening its barn doors later this year. Located just 20 minutes from Newcastle, it will be available to view from summer 2019. More details are coming soon, but any couple interested in viewing should send an email to Dawn@DawnMarieWED.co.uk – and look out for more info in Your North East Wedding later on this year! NEW! DIARY OF A NEWCASTLE BRIDE Say hello to bride-to-be Lindsay, 35, who’s sharing her wedding plans with us in the run-up to her June 2019 big day… As the founder of newcastlefamilylife.co.uk , I like to think I’m pretty knowledgeable about the wonders of the North East, but I never knew how many fantastic wedding suppliers we have until my fiancé, Lee, popped the question. We’ve been planning the wedding for 18 months, starting with booking our venue a week after we got engaged! I’ve lived in the North East all my life, so marrying anywhere else wasn’t an option, and when we saw Backworth Hall (backworthminers.co.uk ), we knew it was perfect. We’ve also booked wedding photography with Paul Flannigan (paulflanniganphotography.co.uk ), as well as Melanie Hedley (melaniehedley.co.uk ) for my make-up. Then there’s our DJ, Chris Smith (chrissmithweddingdj.co.uk ), love letter lighting from MN Events and Occasions (facebook.com/mneventsandoccasions) , videography by Unveil Films (facebook.com/unveilfilmsnortheast ) and flowers from Fleurt (fleurtinmonkseaton.com ). We found our cake maker in Your North East Wedding , using Vanilla Teas (facebook.com/vanillateas ) after I discovered them in the magazine! The easiest part of planning has been booking suppliers to create the wedding we want, and we’ve been so lucky the ones we wanted were available on our date. However, there’s still so much to do! We don’t have a first dance song, I’ve no idea what centrepieces or chair sashes I want and we haven’t ordered any stationery or even finalised our guest list! NEXT ISSUE: Lindsay spills the beans on her dream dress, and we find out how she’s getting on now the wedding’s just a couple of weeks away… Follow Lindsay here: twitter.com/nefamilylife instagram.com/Newcastlefamilylife facebook.com/newcastlefamilylifeblog My venue My wedding DJ Social CORNER Washington-based Wishbone Weddings offers a pet chaperone service for your big day! Now your beloved pooch can be part of your wedding without the worry of walking, feeding and entertaining your four-legged friend yourself! Visit wishboneweddings.com for more info. We love to shout out about North East wedding suppliers online. Here’s Consett mobile bar business Nickynoo (facebook.com/ NickynooQuirkyMobileBars) revelling in their coverage. Know of any wedding news we can share? Email editor@ yournortheast.wedding 10