The ‘Pamper Parlour’ is a fabulous new service created by the Arabian Tent Company, perfect for hen parties and weddings. Choose from beautiful selection of unique tents with eight exquisite interiors, relax, unwind and have fun being pampered with your wedding guests or your hens pre wedding day.

Arabian Tents has teamed up with make-up artist and holistic therapist Susie Mermaid to bring you the Pamper Parlour where her magic hands will deliver amazing restoring natural and organic treatments which will leave you emerging from the tent feeling balanced and peaceful on the inside and glowing and beautiful on the outside - bright eyed and beautiful ready for your big day!

Treatments include natural lift facial massage, mini facial with steam, Indian head massage, soothing foot massage, nail file and pretty polish, mermen nails filed and buffed, Korean hand & arm massage, heated lava shell back massage, express make up, eyebrow tidy.

For more information on this fabulous new idea get in touch with Arabian Tents.

Enjoy!

Use voucher code GULOVES for 30% off CRED court wedding rings, meaning the prices start at just £196, why are you waiting!

CRED's court wedding ring comes in 18ct Fairtrade gold and you can choose either classic yellow gold or a more contemporary white gold in a Matt or Polished finish, allowing you to get the complimentary match for your engagement ring.

CRED are the fairtrade pioneers, working for over 15 years with mining partners creating criteria which became the basis for the Fairtrade and Fairmined standard launched last year. CRED were the first jewellery company to bring a fairtrade gold ring to the customer, and the jewellery CRED made for Livia Firth to wear to the Oscars 2011 was the first ever hallmarked with the Fairtrade and Fairmined standard.

For more information about CRED's fairtrade wedding rings and to take advantage of this fantastic offer, please go to their website www.credjewellery.com. Use voucher code GULOVES for 30% off CRED court wedding rings, meaning the prices start at just £196, why are you waiting!

Offer T&C's:
Offer is for CRED fairtrade plain court wedding rings in yellow gold or white gold.
Ladies size available with 2, 2.5 and 3mm widths.
Mens sizes available with 4,5 and 6mm widths.
Voucher is valid until midnight on 5th February 2012

One of London's best kept secrets and one of our favourite bridal designers, Sabina Motasem Bride recently teamed up with London's most sought after heritage wedding venue, Eltham Palace in Greenwich to showcase their range of six brand new vintage inspired, elegant wedding dresses, along with their two all time best sellers.

Head designer Sabina Ali told us she found inspiration for the new collection from the style and glamour of iconic performers at the Folies Bergeres in 1900s − 1930s Paris.

Not only do the slinky, chic wedding dresses complement the opulent, decadent Art Deco interior of the house so perfectly, but these gowns follow the huge trend for understated but luxurious bridal gowns for 2012/13.

What could be more perfect for the style conscious eco chic bride?

We really think Sabina Motasem wedding dresses hit the perfect notes of being understated, great value, simple and elegant. The company is very flexible - dresses can be altered to fit and brides can select alternative details like different necklines, sleeves, colours and accessories. Prices for the wedding dresses range between £900 – £1750.

If you want to see more of the new range, a sample collection is available to view by appointment at the Islington studio in London. Its very rare to find this, but but not only are all Sabina Motasem Bride wedding gowns made exclusively in the UK but they will be delivered within two months throughout the UK and internationally. Sometimes shorter timescales are possible - even from one week!

To book an appointment email mail@motasem.co.uk or go to www.motasem.co.uk for more information.

Absolutely one of the best times of the year in Devon is April and at Coombe Farm it is just glorious. If the season is early then there will be some bluebells peeking out to smile at you in the woods, but even if they're not in full bloom, the woods are just beautiful with new leaves bursting out in all their intense greenery and dappled sunshine.

The last couple of years have seen April being warm and balmy in the West Country so it's worth snapping up this lovely eco friendly venue for your Spring wedding this year.

They have only one weekend left - 20 to 23 April 2012 so don't hesitate too long or the date will be gone in a flash!

For more information and prices please check out Coombe Farm's website www.combefarmwoods.co.uk

If you're planning a naturally green and eco-friendly wedding this is a brilliantly cost effective way to announce your wedding date to your family and friends...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A wedding at fforest, in Cardigan, Wales, really is unique and captures the essence of what a green wedding is all about, embracing the natural environment and drawing on an ever-changing template presented by the seasons.

fforest is about the great outdoors and is set in 200 acres of woodland, grazed pasture and wild meadow. The farm is bounded by the Afon (River) Teifi and the Teifi Marshes nature reserve with gorgeous views across the Preseli mountains, ancient woodland, water meadow and traditional farmland. The camp provides a natural green canvas for your wedding celebrations and creates a place to enjoy the simplicity, pleasures and beauty of outdoor living in an outstanding natural environment.

The great thing about this eco friendly wedding venue is that you have exclusive use of the accommodation and facilities, including a Giant Hat Tipi and barn. The idea is that fforest becomes home for you and your wedding guests for the entire weekend while the hassle of preparation, setup and cooking is all done for you so that you can kick back, relax and enjoy the best of the outdoor experience.

Accommodation for you and your guests is under canvas of different shapes and sizes plus 4 beautiful interlinked stone cottages converted from one of the farm buildings - perfect for parents of the bride and groom, parents of parents and those who just need to be pampered.

Food for the weekend comes in the form of local meat and fish barbequed over charcoal made in the fforest woods, bread and pizza baked in the wood fired oven, stew cooked over the firepit and seasonal fruit and veg, much of which is grown at fforest.

A wedding at fforest is a weekend long celebration with family and friends.

As one couple said:‘Words can’t really describe what an amazing place you have here. We have had the best week and certainly the best wedding that could be conceived. Each and every guest wants to return and that says it all.’

For more if information go to their website www.coldatnight.co.uk or to talk to the fforest people about your wedding email info@coldatnight.co.uk or phone 01239 623633

Photos: Marshal Gray

Ethical wedding photographer, Emma Stoner sent us lovely photos of Jenny and Peter's Jewish wedding held right in the heart of the City at the iconic newly refurbished St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. The couple chose the spot for it's unique character and convenient location not far from their North London flat, so helping to cut down on travel. This beautiful building, with its stylish Victorian inspired interiors and Gothic romantic architecture provides an excellent setting for a wedding.

The groom and his men spent the morning erecting a traditional Jewish 'Chuppah' for the ceremony which was decorated with handmade greetings from all their friends. A harp and flute duo played guests into the main room for the wedding and after the ceremony, while the guests enjoyed a champagne reception Jenny, Peter and Emma went out to the busy station to get some photos. The autumn sun was still strong and beautifully lit-up the happy couple who were enjoying their private moment in a buzz of pavement traffic.

Back in the hotel, the wedding reception was held in the ladies smoking room where a Mexican Mariachi band played and guests enjoyed city views from the balcony. Later, for the first dance the couple added even more to the musical variation with a fantastic Scottish Ceilidh band and couples tried hard to keep up with the moves!!!

Thanks to Emma Stoner for her lovely photos.

Newly licensed for weddings earlier this year, wonderful Welsh Green Weddings is a beautiful and versatile eco friendly wedding venue near Llandysul, Ceridigion. The Dairy and Byre are both licensed for wedding ceremonies and, while larger weddings may need a marquee, smaller more intimate wedding receptions can fit snugly into the dairy. There is a great choice of accommodation for your guests ranging from cosy dormitory-type rooms in the adjacent Ceridwen Centre, bedrooms in the farmhouse and the byre, a yurt and an original, beautifully decorated Romany caravan. Couples who choose to spend their wedding night in the Romany caravan, which is at the end of a leafy path, will wake up surrounded by rolling Welsh hills and serenaded with birdsong.

The wedding venue is owned and run by Simone and Roger Mansell-Broome, who are just the perfect hosts and stylist Sue said that when one tries to praise them for their hospitality and attention to detail they reply “It's what we do”.

Autumn in 2011 has been a surprise to most of us and, along with the rich colour palette of deep red berries and ochre leaves, we have had perfectly warm weather ideal for a country wedding. Sue took inspiration from the hedgerows surrounding the farm and wanted to work with Welsh suppliers to support the local economy.

There was one exception - Julie Dutton, who specializes in eco couture gowns made from sustainable and up- cycled fabrics, as Sue felt that selecting gowns from Julie complemented the ethos of the farm. Julie created a bespoke dress for Ellie, the bride, made from organic silk tulle and reclaimed lace, and also provided a back-up dress of champagne coloured reclaimed lace. In the end both dresses were featured in the shoot while Oscar, the groom, was outfitted in rich autumn colours and a relaxed country style.

Local suppliers created a wild hedgerow inspired cake decorated with brambles and rosehips, an autumn posy, buttonhole and hair decoration of flowers, including wild berries from the hedgerows, and love spoons for wedding favours, which are traditionally carved and presented to their future bride by Welsh grooms.

Take inspiration from this fabulous photo shoot and create your own autumn inspired nuptials using local, seasonal produce, hedgerow finds, creative eco couture and British flowers.

Images by Venetia Norrington of Firetop Photography

Styling by Sue Fyfe-Williams of Aunties Vintage China

The great thing is that Amy and Max, who own and run Hooe's Yurts, recently got married themselves so they understand the excitement and importance of "the big day". They hire out beautifully decorated yurts for couples who want to throw a wedding with real wow factor and they absolutely love helping to make other peoples' weddings individual, romantic, exotic and unforgettable.

Amy is passionate about textiles and travels the world collecting items to lovingly decorate and furnish the yurts adding a unique touch to the interiors and making them really special. All the yurts are designed with traditional wood burners inside so they can be well heated which not only makes a dull summer's evening warm and cosy, but also means that spring and autumn weddings can be a real possibility.

A bigger yurt would make a beautiful and intimate space in which to hold a hand-fasting or wedding blessing, while the smaller yurts make great bedrooms for wedding guests who would like to sleep near the party, especially a luxury honeymoon bedroom exquisitely designed by Amy for the wedding couple.

When we think of yurts we imagine them being themed as Indian tents in rich, bright colours so Amy and Max have put together a couples of fresher ideas to show how their yurts can be transformed for your big day:

Vintage

Tea Party

The wonderful people at Hooe's Yurts will be hosting an open day on the banks of the Tamar estuary in Devon to celebrate the launch of their new 44 ft yurt in the Spring of 2012.

If you'd like to go along and see for yourself what amazing things can be done with yurts, please contact Amy to be sent an invite.

Hooe's Yurts
info@hooesyurts.co.uk
Office - 01837 880334
Mobile - 0789 9813436

The Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe contain the most significant find of diamonds the world has seen for many years. Since 2009 these diamonds had been refused Kimberley Process (KP) accreditation as a result of human rights abuses and alleged non-compliance with the KP certification requirements.

If you want to know more about Zimbabwe's blood diamonds and the Kimberley Process, go to Ingle & Rhode's blog which has several articles on the subject.

If you're looking for ethical jewellery, go to our wedding directory for a list of the very best British ethical jewellers and jewellery designers.

Thanks to Ingle & Rhode for this article.

And we think that nothing could be more romantic than celebrating your unique eco friendly wedding in an aesthetically glamorous arts and crafts style William Morris inspired tent, serving your wedding guests with tea and cake or Pimms cocktails on a lawn scattered with Morris print deck chairs!

To celebrate the centenary of the founding of Morris & Co, The Arabian Tent Company has created this gorgeous William Morris tent that features iconic Islamic prints in its fabrics and furnishings, inspired by the man himself.

‘I launched the William Morris tent to coincide with his centenary this year as he’s someone I have huge admiration for,’ says Katherine Hudson, founder of The Arabian Tent Company. ‘Morris took a lot of his own designs from the Islamic patterns he saw in the V&A Museum, a place I absolutely love and which I too find a source of continuous inspiration. Morris believed that ‘art improves life’ and The Arabian Tent Company believes that art improves parties!’

This design certainly fits a the trend that shows no sign of fading and inspires couples to create their own mini glamping festival wedding weekends in secret gardens and countryside locations throughout Britain in the summer time. If William Morris isn't your style then you're bound to love the Cornish Cream tent (pictured below), perfect for treating your wedding guests to cream teas served on vintage china.

If you think the William Morris or Cornish Cream tents would be perfect for your own glamping inspired wedding and would like to know more, then visit Arabian Tents website, contact them by email info@arabiantents.com or phone Katherine Hudson on 0800 8815229.

First up are their Christmas wreath courses in December, but since most of you will be planning a spring or summer wedding you may be more interested in the flower arranging courses on offer in 2011.

The first two will concentrate on how to grow your own cutting flowers while the rest will be showing students how to arrange flowers from the garden.

A half day practical workshop for all abilities, they will teach you the best ways to condition and work with flowers straight from the border. There will be lots of demonstrations and handy tips, plus the opportunity to arrange with the best ingredients from Green and Gorgeous's own cutting garden.

During the day students will be shown how to create a hand tied bunch - perfect for a natural bridal bouquet. Also a corsage and a table arrangement will be tackled and the great thing is that you get to take them all home with you. The day includes a home-made vegetarian light lunch and refreshments.

For more information and course dates check out the Green and Gorgeous website

Now's the time to support the hard work that Lucy has been doing to promote ethical trading in the wedding industry by voting for her in the Wedding Industry Awards.

It's easy, just go to the website and tell them how brilliant Tammam is!

She gets our vote every time.

We all know it’s tricky to visualise the teepees without ever being inside one, so seeing the tents in all their glorious canvas flesh is an absolute must! You will fall in love and won't be able contemplate any other type of tent or marquee for your wedding.

They’re planning to set up three Giant Hat tipis with the smaller Cirrus 40 tipi (often used as a service tent) and all the trimmings so you can really look at all the options.

At the open day you can meet their dedicated team, from office staff to crew members, so you will know exactly who you’re dealing with, but to make the most of your visit they suggest you contact the office to book an appointment on the day you plan to be there so that one of the team can make sure they’re available to talk tipis with you.

Make a date in your diary for World Inspired Tents open weekend at Darts Farm, Topsham, Nr Exeter on Saturday the 22nd of October and Sunday 23rd October.