exotic

Palm Trees, check. Lavender, check. Cascading red geraniums off wrought iron balconies, check. Spectacular fountains with fire balls on water, check. The sound of crickets, check. Is this a faraway exotic location? No, this is the recently opened Le Petit Chateau in Otterburn, quite simply the newest, coolest, and most original hotel and wedding venue in the UK.

The multi-million pound transformation of a derelict hotel into Le Petit Chateau, a French country manor, surrounded by a breath taking, palm tree filled, Mediterranean garden is the brainchild of North East entrepreneur Duncan Fisher and his award-winning leisure company, which own many popular North East venues including Newton Hall, As You Like It, and The Joiners Arms.

Hen parties are one of the best parts of an impending wedding. Not only do you get to head off somewhere exotic with all your best girl friends in tow, you also have the perfect opportunity to go as wild, as extravagant, as debauched or as indulgent as you see fit. Looking for a bit of inspiration for your upcoming hen do?

Here, leading European hen do organiser Eventhuse, has put together a list of celebrity hen dos to show you how and where to party like a VIP.

A festival weekend like Kate Moss

After the nuptials are over, many newlyweds choose to jet off to exotic climes to enjoy the beginning of their life together. However, as with any holiday, the biggest problem can often be choosing what to take. To help you out when the time comes, here are our 5 top tips on packing for your honeymoon. 

Don’t try and take too much away with you

Your honeymoon is supposed to be one of the most relaxing and romantic times of your life, and ideally, there’ll be no headaches or annoyances during your travels. However, you’ll be fighting a losing battle on this front if you’re planning on lugging a heavy suitcase or two around the world with you. Save yourself the hassle by laying out everything you think you need and reducing it by at least a third.