A Little Wedding Wisdom courtesy of Kilver Court!

Kilver Court is more than just a designer shopping village: we’re the perfect wedding venue too! Overlooking the secret gardens we’ve got an array of beautiful rooms and we’re licensed for civil ceremonies. So what better way to celebrate our wedding credentials than with a fair? We’ve invited some of our favourite suppliers along to share their top tips and professional tricks to provide you with inspiration for your special day... but if you can’t wait that long, here’s a few ideas to help you get creative!

See Kilver Court's beautiful event spaces & expect blooming inspiration from an array of florists

Scrap Book
All girls know it’s never, ever too early to start planning your wedding, so why not start collating all your favourite pictures, fabric cuttings, pressed flowers and invitations in a scrap book? We’re always adding to our own at Kilver Court, so we can help you plan a day full of lovely ideas.

Have a pre-wedding shoot
Unless you’re a part time Kate Moss you might not feel entirely natural in front of the camera –  so why not have a pre-wedding shoot? Jessica from Red Rabbit Photography suggest it’s a great way to get to know your photographer and perfect your smile, so you’re relaxed and ready to enjoy yourself on the big day. Plus you’ll have lots more lovely pictures for the family album!

Feel Fabulous
What better excuse to pamper yourself than a wedding?! As well as having a brilliant makeup artist on the day, Jen from the Beauty Loft recommends beginning a detox up to three months before the wedding. Simple things like drinking two litres of water a day, increasing your fish intake and eating lots of fruit and veg (especially avocados!) will help your skin and hair look healthy and radiant.  Jen will be at our wedding fair advising on everything from eyelash extensions to irritable skin, and French manicures to facials.

Wedding cakes to taste and secret gardens to explore

Get ready, set, bake!
Has the Great British Bake Off inspired you? Get your family and bridesmaids involved in designing, crafting and of course, tasting cakes! Cake creator Helen suggests trying to link your colour scheme or wedding theme in with your delicious design.

For more ideas be sure to join us on Sunday 27th October, it’s a wonderful opportunity to see the ceremony and reception rooms available at Kilver Court.

Click for more info on Kilver Court's Wedding Fair

We'll be running a competition to win free* venue hire too - not to be missed for brides to be!

Mrs Handbag - Ladies Day Bath & West Show

Feature by Monty Saul

I wonder what you’d like to hear about…alpaca shearing.; Town crier judging; Bath and West Ladies day…..Such is my crazy mixed up world…
For those of you that are interested, shearing an alpaca is a skill of its own….the longer legs and ability to spit(the alpaca, not the shearer) being key! Alpaca fibre is second only to cashmere for its softness and warmth so the shearer needs a ‘sorter’ (in this case me) to work alongside him, separating the body fibre from the coarser neck and leg fibres as it comes off the animal. To shear my 11 beasties took just over 2 hours – they look so ridiculous once ‘nude’ – a bit like a long legged poodle, without the pompoms around the legs….

Oh Yay! Oh Yay! Judging the Shepton Mallet Town Crier competition was a much more up-lifting affair, not least because we were also treated to a performance from Tim Pitman  - a Sheptonian by birth and back for a special visit and performance in St Peter and St Paul’s church.  The big role of town crier requires commitment (a booking means a ‘shout’ 4 times an hour), clarity (so the listeners get past the ‘Oh Yay’ bit and hear the message), and most importantly, Passion for the job! We had 2 great finalists who had oodles of all three and we settled on Andy Neal  for the job.  His number 2 will be Chloe Baker…so Shepton Mallet has done very well for itself. 

Last Friday was the perfect British day out – Ladies Day at the Bath and West. Roger had been asked to judge the ‘Best Dressed Lady’  so I went along in case he needed protection from irate contestants…just for a change, the weather was glorious, so all the pretty hats and elegant outfits were completely in keeping, instead of looking windswept and damp as is the norm.  Roger did his research well, finding out where the different outfits came from and had a few surprises along the way.  A couple of the best looking had been sourced in vintage and charity shops which, with his eco/recycling hat on pleased him no end. 

photo by Bath & West Showground

The show was nearly stolen by the Witch of Wookey (complete with green face and broomstick) but she was seriously out-manoeuvred by one of two mother  and daughter duos Phyllis Lee and Jane Fear who both looked absolutely stunning.  We had a lovely wander around the show, admiring the livestock (four legged this time) and watching the most hilarious sheep-shearer who had a great line in dancing sheep and witty one-liners. (if you go next year – watch out for him)

Now, back to Wedding Prep, which looms scarily closer…..