luxury holiday uk outdoors girl guide centenary - Aspire Magazine

Weddings
Glitz, glamour, celebs
and more at
2nd - 4th October @ London Earls Court &
9th - 11th October @ Birmingham NEC
2009 has already seen some of the most glamorous celeb weddings
to date – with Salma Hayek making an honest man out of one of
France’s richest men Francois Henri Pinault in a lavish ceremony in
Paris on Valentines Day, Patsy Kensit tying the knot with her DJ beau
and Denise Van Outen and Lee Mead choosing the sundrenched shores
Labriz, Seychelles to get hitched.
Celebrity or not, all brides need inspiration before their big day and
Denise Van Outen visited The National Wedding Show looking for
ideas before her April wedding to stage star Lee Mead. She enjoyed a
girly afternoon with best friend Tamara and made the most of the day
browsing all the show had to offer.
While perusing The Designer* and Boutique Areas, which are home
to the UK’s largest collection of weddings dresses - a stunning Jenny
Packham silk gown caught Denise’s eye. This proved vital inspiration
as Denise actually chose a Jenny Packham gown and looked beautiful
in the stunning empire line ‘Rosalind’ on her big day. Denise and her
close friend Tamara also pampered themselves, as every star should, in
the Brides Beauty Zone and treated themselves to a custom blend lip
gloss from Prescriptives.
The National Wedding Show’s Event Director, Ashley Roberts says: ‘It
was fantastic that Denise chose The National Wedding Show to plan
her big day, as it is the ultimate one stop shop for every part of the
perfect wedding. It is not only celebrities who attend the show for
inspiration, but many of the industries leading wedding planners get
ideas for their celebrity clients, so brides-to-be can steal some star
style for their big day too! ‘
Denise certainly got a lot
of inspiration from her
time spent at The National
Wedding Show – her recent
nuptials at the Labriz
Silhouette luxury resort in
the Seychelles saw Denise
use a number of her
purchases from the event
including customised thank
you cards by Foto-Fusion
which were sent to guests
featuring a photo of the
happy couple’s big day in
the sun.
As a special thank you gift
for all the female guests,
Denise chose favours by
Forever & Ever including
handmade bath bombs. She
also used the company’s
signature Natural Rose
Confetti and decorated the
venue for the evening with white heart shaped candles. For an extra
special touch, the couple took decorations with them purchased from
wedding favorite Confetti.
So if you feel in the mood for glamour and a celeb inspired day, book
your ticket now to The National Wedding Shows in autumn – they
take place 2 – 4 October, London Earls Court and 9 – 11 October,
Birmingham NEC. Looking like a princess is top on the priority list for
most – get a sneak preview of what celebrity brides might be wearing
at the fabulous Catwalk Shows sponsored by Wedding which showcase
all the latest bridal trends for the forthcoming season; experts offer
their advice live at The Inspiration Sessions and stand a chance in
getting a make over fit for any A-list celeb at The How to Look Good
Shows hosted by style guru Caryn Franklin.
Finally add some extra glitz to your day of planning and toast to future
happiness with a chilled glass of bubbly – you’ll find the Celebrations
Bar stocked with champagne worthy of any celebrity!
Friday late opening (London Only)
Visitors in London can enjoy the ultimate wedding shopping experience
at the late night opening on Friday night when the show is open from
12 noon until 7pm on Friday 2nd October. Great for busy girls about
town struggling to juggle the 9-5 with their wedding plans; bridesto-be
and co. can come after work and still enjoy all the features the
show has to offer.
For more information visit the National Wedding Show website
www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk
Electricals On
Wedding Gift
At
Wish Lists
Recent research carried out by John Lewis has
concluded that with more couples getting married
later in life and living together before getting
married, wedding gifts lists are evolving and
electrical goods are now very popular choices.
High value gifts are also increasingly being put
onto lists, allowing guests to make a
contribution towards a sought after
product, that the couple may not be
able to afford themselves.
Tracey Yates, senior analyst, Gift List
at John Lewis says: “Two years ago,
the top 20 products on the Gift List
were exclusively traditional items from
linens, kitchenware, china and glass
but, in the second half of last year, the Wii sports
pack made it to the top 20.”
Helen Keppel-Compton, head of buying for
consumer electronics at John Lewis says:
“Electrical products are now beautifully designed
with the home in mind and can really help
enhance a room. With more people choosing to
live together first, they have already begun to
build a home for themselves and therefore can ask
for different and playful gifts.”
Aspire’s Top Wedding Gift List
Must-Haves
John Lewis Four-Slice Toaster - £44
Paul Martin, buyer for small electricals at
John Lewis says: “The
humble toaster is still
a popular choice on a
wedding gift list. The
John Lewis Four-Slice
Toaster is our best
seller. It looks great,
has wide toasting slots,
is easy to clean and
comes with a free three
year guarantee.”
Agfaphoto AF8070 LCD Digital Photo
Album and Frame, 7 Inch - £129.95
Sara Preece, buyer for imaging at John
Lewis says: “Digital photo frames are
becoming a must have on wedding gift lists.
With a sturdy leather case and seven-inch
screen, this new digital photo frame and
album allows the bride and groom to easily
transport their digital pictures of the happy
day to friends and family. When removed
from the leather case it turns into a digital
photo frame, thanks to a built-in stand.”
Nintendo Wii Console, Sports Pack -
from £175
Tom C Smith, product development
manager for entertainment systems at John
Lewis says: “The Nintendo Wii is proving
to be a really
popular choice for
wedding gift lists.
This new type of
game console is all
about having fun
and interacting with
friends and family –
it really is the new
after dinner party
game.”
Bose® SoundDock 2 Speakers - £214
Yat Wong Jones, buyer for audio and
telecoms at John Lewis says: “Speaker
Docks are a becoming a must have for
every home. The Bose
SoundDock speakers
produce a wonderful,
crisp sound that is
perfect for dinner
parties and also for
reliving first dance
memories!”
Polaroid Two Digital Camera - £229.95
Renowned
for its fun
and instant
images, the
iconic Polaroid
instant camera
is back, with a
21st Century
twist. The
new Polaroid
Two is a digital camera that incorporates
revolutionary ZINK inkless printing
technology. Designed to be as fun and
spontaneous as the original ‘Polaroid
One’ instant camera, the Polaroid Two
rejuvenates a much loved innovation, that
was introduced over 30 years ago and has a
dedicated following. Photos can be viewed,
cropped and edited on the three-inch colour
LCD screen and in less than 60 seconds you
can print full colour, 2x3 inch prints. You can
also choose to have the traditional Polaroid
white border round the image, amongst
others and for added fun the pictures are
also sticky back so you can use them to
personalise anything.
Sara Preece, buyer for imaging at John
Lewis says, “We are very excited about
the new Polaroid Two. It is an innovative
product, which is easy and fun to use and
I expect it to be very popular with our
customers, especially with summer just
around the corner.”
Sony Bravia KDL32S5500 LCD HD
Ready Digital Television, 32 inch -
£599
John Kempner, buyer for vision at John
Lewis says: “The design of TV sets has
changed so much in recent years. Slim TVs
help to make a room look larger and less
cluttered and this sleek 32-inch TV from
John Lewis looks great, delivers high quality
sound, pictures and is High Definition
Ready. All TVs from John Lewis come with
a valuable five year guarantee, which gives
the couples piece of mind.”
So, if you’re wondering what to add to your
gift list, hopefully we’ve given you a few
ideas; now get ordering…
For more information on any of
these products, or other John Lewis
products, log onto
www.johnlewis.com/leicester
Giftlist direct line telephone number
0116 242 7174 or email
giftlist_leicester@johnlewis.co.uk
6 ASPIRE