Your Surrey Wedding news and ideas from around the county

Could you have to pay inheritance tax on a wedding gift?

Before the big day comes around, whether you are a guest giving a present or contributing to the cost of the honeymoon, or perhaps a relative considering helping towards the cost of the wedding itself, you ought to consider the inheritance tax implications of making such gifts. James Mabey, partner at law firm Winckworth Sherwood advises on the inheritance tax implications of wedding gifts. In the UK, if you die within seven years of making a gift, inheritance tax may be payable on the value of the gift after your death. This is because gifts are considered to be part of your estate for inheritance tax purposes.

Discover what's best for your brows with By Rebecca Eve

We posed Rebecca from By Rebecca Eve (www.byrebeccaeve.com/browfected) the following question:

My brows are thin, pale and unruly. I'd love them to frame my face for my bridal look. What treatments would you suggest?

Rebecca says: Firstly, I just wanted to say, you're so right! A good brow, in the right shape, frames your face and sets the scene for the rest of your bridal make-up. I'd suggest visiting a brow stylist to discuss the treatment options so you can decide what's best for you. I offer a range of brow services including HD brow treatment and brow lamination. Both incorporate tinting within the treatments, which will tint your brow hairs and the vellus hairs that you can't really see giving you a fuller look. Brow lamination straightens out your hair and lifts the brows to give you a fuller and lifted look so if yours are thin and pale, these options would be perfect for you.

Propress launches the MINI Clothes Steamer - perfecting for wedding dresses!

Professional and long-established British fabric steamer manufacturer, Propress, has unveiled the Propress MINI Handheld Clothes Steamer. A revolutionary product that combines over 40 years of steaming expertise with cutting-edge technology, the MINI allows users to say goodbye to the days of wrestling with an ironing board and hello to the future of garment care with beautifully crease-free clothes, whether at home, in the office, or on-the-go.

The Propress Mini Handheld Clothes Steamer (£110) is available in Arctic Grey, Idol Blue or Vintage Pink from the Propress website. It heats up in under a minute offering the convenience of crease-free clothes with a simple touch of a button. Its efficiency and ease of use make it a must-have for every fashion-savvy individual, plus it is versatile enough to treat various home fabrics from curtains to bedding, and is ideal for weddings or even hoteliers.

Achieve peace of mind with Voyager Insurance

If you're worried about making plans and paying supplier deposits without a safety net, read on to find out what Jack Baldwin of Voyager Insurance (www.voyagerinsurance.com) suggests. After all, there's nothing like perfect peace of mind: The easiest way to provide yourself with peace of mind leading up to your special day is to purchase a suitable wedding insurance policy. A suitable policy is one that meets your needs for your day, for example providing you with enough cancellation cover for the total cost of your wedding and cover for the areas of your wedding that matter the most to you, so be sure to read the policy wording!

Winter wedding inspiration from leading wedding planner

Matthew Shaw, founder & creative director at sauveur. shares his winter wedding inspiration for those looking to tie the knot at this time of year. Winter weddings have grown hugely in popularity. The festive season can be a truly magical time of year to host a wedding and stand out from the crowd but it does bring its own set of considerations for the planning. Whilst the key areas of your wedding planning will be the same as a wedding in any other month, there are a few different elements to consider to create an incredible winter wedding celebration.

How to kick-start your wedding planning

Samantha Gilchrist, Co-Founder and CEO of the UK's largest wedding venue collection, The Gilchrist Collection, shares her top tips on how to kick-start your wedding plans, taking away any unnecessary stress and disappointment in preparation for that special day. Set a Date - possibly the most important aspect of planning as getting this date in the diary will allow you to move forward with your plans. When choosing a date, it's worth carrying out a simple checklist to help you nail that day down such as: Think if there is a time of year you both always wanted to get married in? A season you both love or a month that is special to you is a great starting point.

5 unique winter wedding trends for 2023

From décor inspired by the season's natural beauty to creative ways to keep your guests warm, wedding supply experts Aura Print have searched TikTok to bring you the top five quirky winter wedding trends for 2023.While traditional wedding fayre often includes champagne toasts and wine, a hot chocolate bar offers a warm, decadent, and customisable alternative for the colder months. As the evening progresses and temperatures drop, guests can enjoy a sweet treat to keep them going on the dance floor. For younger guests or for those who don't drink alcohol, a hot chocolate bar also provides a great non-alcoholic option. With over 112.7 million TikTok hashtag views, the hot chocolate wedding bar trend is set to take the winter wedding season by storm!

Find County Wedding Magazines on YouTube

We're never satisfied when it comes to providing our readers with enough wedspiration, which is why we've created our very own County Wedding Magazine YouTube channel! You'll find tons of big-day ideas, from venue tours to dream dresses, then take a peek behind the scenes of styled shoots featured in our titles past and present. We're adding more content all the time, so why not hit SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a thing? Simply head to YouTube and search for 'County Wedding Magazines' now

A more sustainable, ethical, and zero-waste approach to weddings

Reports suggest that 4,910 tonnes of unrecyclable plastic was used up and left behind at British weddings last year, with this in mind, 77 Diamonds has released a planning guide to promote a more sustainable, ethical, and zero-waste approach to weddings. Individually, one wedding can produce as much as 20kg of plastic waste. What's more, the black bags used to collect the rubbish are themselves potentially harmful. They can take as many as 90 years to break down under the ground. But it's not just plastic which has an impact. Food wastage is also a common theme for most weddings.

Bluebird Creative addresses your wedding planning worries

We asked Lauren Goodman from Bluebird Creative (www.bluebirdcreative.co.uk) for her top wedding planning tips. For those of you worried about getting organised with a hectic lifestyle, read on to find out more: Fitting in planning a wedding around everyday life can feel daunting and the process can take many hours of your time, but it's a really exciting time for a couple and one that's meant to be enjoyed. With that in mind, having a planner on board allows you to relax and enjoy the process rather than getting stressed out by it all. Whether you're thinking of budgeting for a planner or not, it's good to understand what you want and don't want for your day. Write a list of non-negotiables and must-haves because this will help with early supplier, venue and potential planner conversations.

AI creates the ultimate first dance song

There are over 217,000 first dances in the UK every year (1,950,000 in the US) yet couples usually pick the same handful of songs. Have you ever wondered why tracks like Etta James' At Last and Just You And I by Tom Walker are so popular at weddings? And what makes them so timeless? Function Central, a platform for finding and hiring musicians and bands for events, have answered exactly that! By analysing the most popular first dance songs to find the top 10 that couples choose, they have used AI to create the world's ultimate first dance song based on their findings, showing couples that they can have a timeless first dance song that is unique to their wedding.

Enjoy the honeymoon of a lifetime with Not Just Travel

I would always advise using a personal travel consultant when planning such a special trip. Not only will they find the best suppliers with extensive knowledge of the destinations you wish to travel to, you'll build a relationship with someone who'll get to understand your likes and dislikes and who'll be 'with you' every step of your journey and beyond. You'll have a direct line just in case there are hiccups along the way and a good consultant will also arrange a few extra surprises for you, to make your honeymoon even more special!

Before you talk to your consultant, have in mind what type of experience you're both hoping for. For example, culture, adventure, relaxation, pure romance, or a mixture of everything – even if you don't know exactly where you want to travel to! Most importantly, give them an idea of how much you want to spend. A good consultant won't necessarily work to the maximum amount, but this will help them to guide you to what's possible and tailor your trip to turn your dream honeymoon into reality.

How to make your engagement ring shine for wedding day

Between shampoo, hairspray, moisturiser and hand cream – we can all agree that our beautiful engagement rings go through a lot on a daily basis. After all, many of us wear them every day without ever taking them off! But if your big day is just around the corner, it's crucial to keep your ring looking its best for those all-important wedding photos and to ensure your nearest and dearest see it in all its glory. With this in mind, experts at family-owned jewellers and diamond merchants, Chisholm Hunter, offer their specialist advice on how to get your ring gleaming before your big day... Max Brown, Retail Director at Chisholm Hunter, shares their top tips for ensuring your engagement ring is sparkling ahead of your wedding day: "If you want your precious jewellery to look its best on the big day, we recommend taking your ring to a professional jewellers for both ultrasonic and steam cleaning and using fine emery paper followed by a full polish to remove any surface scratching.

Venues for the perfect autumnal ceremony

New research conducted by ethical jewellery brand Sacet has revealed the top country wedding venues across the UK that would make the perfect location for an autumnal ceremony. By analysing a number of factors (including guest capacity, number of reviews, professionalism, quality of service and value for money) of over 30 wedding venues that offer barn, country and forest-style weddings in the UK, the top 10 were revealed. Brinsop Court Manor House and Barn, in Hereford, has been crowned the overall winner, with top ratings across all factors (quality of service, response time, professionalism, value for money flexibility and average rating). It also had the most number of reviews and can hold between 30 to 250 guests.

New Year celebrations at Surrey's Nutfield Priory

With two New Year celebration packages available, however long you wish to celebrate, Nutfield Priory has you covered. Check out the exciting offers below. ONE NIGHT PACKAGE Cream tea on arrival Pre-dinner Champagne and canapés Six course tasting menu with coffee A glass of Champagne at midnight DJ and dancing into the early hours Elegant bedroom for the night Breakfast on New Year's Day TWO NIGHT PACKAGE Enjoy all of the one night inclusions, with the freedom and relaxation of knowing you have another night. On New Year's Day you can enjoy a relaxed, family-style three course lunch and, in the evening, a buffet to tempt even the most indulged guest.

Are these popular 2023 wedding song cursed?

Research from wedding entertainment providers Function Central shows couples are taking risks choosing songs for their weddings with shockingly high divorce rates. Function Central used existing data on the songs most likely to end in divorce to see whether couples were still taking risks by adding these songs to their upcoming nuptials. This data was then cross-referenced against existing wedding playlists of engaged couples to see whether couples were still choosing these songs for their weddings. The results were concerning for any superstitious couples worried about whether certain tracks were deemed bad luck for long lasting marriages.

Reigate's Lebnani launches series of cookery classes hosted by chef Jad Youssef

Gather your besties and get your aprons on for a hen or stag do with a difference! Reigate's Lebnani Restaurant has just launched a series of cookery classes hosted by chef Jad Youssef. Learn and master the art of creating traditional Lebanese dishes, in a fun and intimate atmosphere. During the class, guests will receive a special Lebnani apron to wear and take home as a keepsake. On arrival enjoy a welcome drink and Zeytoun olives, then roll up your sleeves and enjoy a hands on cookery class, followed by a sit down meal where you can enjoy your prepared dishes, with a glass of Lebanese wine!

5 reasons couples fail at sticking to their wedding budget

With the cost of living on everyone's minds, budget expert Isabel Smith, offers some insight into how couples can set (and stick to!) their wedding budget. The number of couples who are going overbudget on their wedding is dropping, from around 2/3 in 2018 to somewhere around 50% this year. This may be due to savvier couples setting more realistic budgets, or people simply refusing spend a penny more than planned owing to future financial uncertainty, but either way, I am all for it! I've never been an advocate for getting in debt over your big day, no matter how special you want it to be.

The perfect couples advent calendar

Couples looking for that x-factor idea to get them in the Christmassy mood this festive season need look no further than A Twist Of Date's personalised couples' advent calendar. This personalised QR-code collection of romantic, fun and creative couples' activities adds a spark of magic that is sure to make 2023 a December to remember. Perfect for long-term busy couples looking to reconnect through heart-warming moments, it's a no-brainer alternative to the typical chocolate-filled Christmas countdown. Whether it's an impromptu trip to your local ice rink, engaging in an act of kindness together or writing each other a romantic letter to be opened on Christmas, each day brings something new and exciting to share together.

How to master taking the perfect engagement ring photo

Proposals are often one of the most memorable, special and magical moments in a couples life, so it's only natural they want to share this joyous news with their friends, family and colleagues. In 2023, one of the most common ways for couples to share the news of their engagement is through social media. Couples often post gorgeous pictures in real time of themselves along with the dazzling engagement ring. Sharing the news via social media is a quick and easy way of telling your loved ones the news without having to individually call everyone, which can be overwhelming and time consuming. However, taking the perfect photo can be a bit of a challenge. Whilst it's not a competition to see who has the biggest ring and whose ring sparkles the most, a lot of people want their ring to look as desirable and shimmering as possible.