marriage

Planning a wedding can be a wonderful experience.  It’s an exciting time of your life. You are about to commit to spending the rest of your life with the person of your dreams. You have probably spent a great deal of time imagining the perfect wedding celebration.  You are bound to be excited, nervous and happy.  What you probably didn’t consider was how stressful the whole process could be and the effects that stress is having on you. The excitement and ceremony of the whole event builds a momentum of its own and that can distract us from the anxiety we can often feel around any big life change.   Luckily there are many things you can do to help pre wedding nerves.

By Naqiba Aslam

It’s already hard to be with someone when they’re from a different culture to yours. The question is, when you’ve gone through the hardship that surrounds being together, how on earth do you accommodate different cultures for your wedding?

Well, the first thing you might want to consider is if you’re happy to adopt their culture in to your own. If that’s a yes, fab! Now you need to research or even just ask your partner; what happens in their ceremony?

Being in a relationship is about giving and taking and that’s exactly how this should be. Want a white wedding? Go for it, just be sure to include your partners ceremonial steps. Here’s a few things which happen in other cultures weddings.

Have you ever found yourself wondering if there’s a ‘right’ age to get married? A recent study by Hillier Jewellers has looked at the average age of marriage across the country to see at what stage in life people are likely to tie the knot.

If you’re planning a wedding, chances are you’ve looked back at family wedding photos and realised how young your parents or grandparents were on their wedding day. Now, it’s common for couples to wait until they’ve travelled the world or established themselves in their careers before deciding to take the next step. Back in the 70’s the average age of marriage was 28.6 for men and 29.5 for women, so how does it look over 40 years later?

Today only a third of people in Britain believe monogamy is key to a successful marriage (36%), according to research into the changing face of marriage by The London Mint Office to mark the platinum wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The publishing of the study results, which reveal seismic changes to both weddings and marriage values since the royal couple married in 1947, coincides with Jennie Bond unveiling The London Mint Office platinum wedding anniversary commemorative coin.

There’s nothing more exciting than being newly married and starting married life planning your next chapter together. It’s also the perfect time to think about what your new priorities are as a couple, especially when the excitement of wedding planning and celebrations come to an end. 

To help avoid the honeymoon period ‘come down’, take time out to really concentrate on how to make the most of married life. 

Here’s some top tips on keeping married life fun, strong and most importantly, lasting.

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Almost half of British women admit they were “disappointed” with the way their partner popped the question, according to a new study.

Researchers studied women who have been proposed to, and discovered as many as 40 percent were unhappy with how their partner asked for their hand in marriage – with a further 12 percent saying they were “bitterly disappointed”. 

And almost a quarter (23 percent) were left red faced from an over the top gesture, including flash mobs, lavish gifts and public displays of affection.

Two thirds of women felt a proposal should be all about the ‘little details’ rather than grand gestures – with 92 percent saying the special event should NEVER take place in public.

-      3.9 arguments per month contribute to a happy marriage

-      76% believe it is healthy for happily married couples to argue

-      Going on 3.8 dates and having sex 8.35 times per month are key to a successful marriage

British adults have revealed the elements they believe make up a successful 21st century marriage, and there are some surprising results.

A survey of 2,000 UK adults carried out by One4all, the Post Office gift card, found 76% believe it is healthy for happily married couples to argue.

In fact, an average of 3.9 arguments per month contribute to a “happy ever after” in 2017, according to Brits.

'Nowadays, almost anywhere can be considered a potential wedding venue for your magical day - from seafronts to tree houses, castles to aquariums, farmyard barns to school halls.

However, before you lay down the deposit and start sending out your invitations, you may wish to bear in mind some key factors before making your final decision on the wedding venue.'

Imagine travelling up the long enchanting driveway on your special day and arriving to celebrate at the breathe-taking manor house, Hoghton Tower. Visited by the likes of King James I, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, it offers a perfect balance between Romance and Lancastrian Heritage. Making the picturesque elegance of 16th century Hoghton Tower, the ideal venue for you to take your first steps into marriage as well as history.

Being the ancestral home of the de Hoghton family, it allows you exclusive hire of the impressive manor house and remarkable grounds and a chance to experience your big day in a relaxed, romantic atmosphere.

Traditionally the bride arrives at the wedding marriage ceremony with her father, or the person chosen to give her away. The mother of the bride travels separately in a car with the bridesmaids to arrive about ten minutes before the bride.

The groom should arrive at the place of marriage well ahead of the bridesmaids together with his best man and the grooms party including the ushers.

Following the marriage ceremony the bride and her new husband travel together in the brides car to the reception venue.

FIVE YEARS after the nation watched them tie the knot, Kate and Wills topped the list of Brits’ favourite celebrity weddings – beating stars like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to the top spot.

A survey of 2,235 UK adults, carried out by One4all, the Post Office gift card, revealed it’s royal weddings leading the way.

Charles and Diana’s wedding came in at second place, followed by the marriage of Hollywood royalty, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Kate and Wills’ 2011 nuptials topped the list of the nation’s favourite celebrity weddings

New research from vintage jewellery specialists William May has discovered that some of the oldest marriage proposal traditions are being left behind as couples take a more practical approach to getting engaged.

Surveying over 5,000 people in total, the company asked the following questions:

• Do women still want to be surprised with an engagement ring?
• Would a woman wear a ring she wasn’t happy with?
• Would a man exchange a ring if their partner wasn’t happy with it?
• Do men still ask for the father’s permission before proposing?

We discovered that:

At elite introduction agency Bowes-Lyon Partnership, we understand that a busy career and other life demands can often put strain on a marriage. After years of working hard to get to the top you feel like you don’t want to give up on what you have achieved yet you also understand that you need to give time to your marriage in order for it to flourish. After years of working with many couples we have a good understanding of what works and what doesn’t, so we are sharing the top 4 tips that will ensure you can maintain a good work-life balance and allow your relationship to thrive!

#1 Date Night

Asking for your lover’s hand in marriage is one of the most daunting tasks you will ever undertake. The importance of the situation means that you want everything to be right, from the diamond used in the ring to the manner in which you propose – and also the location. The setting you choose for popping the question could have a big bearing on the likelihood of your lover responding with the yes that you crave.