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

We’re looking for an exclusive wedding venue with history behind it but don’t have the budget (or guest list!) to hire out a massive stately home. What do you suggest? Dave says: The idea of creating you own personal wedding is something that adds even more to your special day. Luckily, there are a number of smaller venues around that offer the opportunity for you to have a totally bespoke event. The refurbished Old Town Hall Newburn is a beautiful Grade II listed property built in 1904. Our main room boasts oak-panelled walls, an oak floor and corniced ceilings and can accommodate up to 60 guests for a formal meal (and 100 for a less formal event). What’s more, we allow you to create a unique and personal event, letting you decorate and personalise the rooms yourself for a wedding you will always remember. Dave Milbourne | Old Town Hall Newburn | facebook.com/ newburnoldtownhall SMALLER SCALE Romancing the stone My fiancé popped the question, and now it’s time to find the perfect engagement ring. I want something that stands out from the norm, so what other gemstones can we consider that aren’t regular diamonds? Jemma says: Sapphires can be the perfect alternative when choosing a gemstone for your engagement ring. They are usually less expensive than diamonds and can be sourced to suit most budgets. Blue is the most popular, but you can get purple, green, yellow, pink or even a colourless sapphire. When it comes to hardness, sapphires rank just below diamonds. They are extremely durable and tough, don’t easily break, chip or damage and can withstand heat, chemicals and light. When choosing, consider a shade to match your style, personality and skin tone. You should also think about the cut. Brilliant cut (round) and princess cut (square) are the popular choices, but you you may prefer a marquise cut (pointed oval), trillion cut (triangle) shape or a pear cut among the many available. Jemma McFarlane | Dytham Jewellery Designers | dythamjewellery.co.uk My partner and I are organising our 2020 summer wedding and want to make the use of the outdoor space at our farm. We’re looking for alternative entertainment that will really get the guests talking… John says: As a farmer myself, I know the joys of hosting on one’s own land, so here are three examples of what you could do. First, why not plant willow this season and weave it as it grows over the next year into a beautiful growing bridal arch? You can also gift wedding favours of trees and shrubs, having ready-made holes dug in your land. That way your guests can just pop them in for a brilliant legacy of the day – a growing commemorative arboretum! As for some alternative entertainment, imagine walking hand- in-hand over hot coals for each other in a magical bespoke fire-walking ceremony as the sun slips below the horizon. You can invite your family and friends to add blessings within the fire before it’s lit, before walking over the coals and finishing your evening with photos around a beautiful fire heart. John Young | Logi Firewalking | logi-firewalking.co.uk FIRE STARTER jackstorey.co logi-firewalking.co.uk dythamjewellery.co.uk 84