The Northern Wedding Fair and UPlanIT
“He stood in the middle of the display, handing out fliers and looked like he’d just walked out of a magazine page or maybe an actual wedding!”
Getting ready to attend one of the biggest weddings shows in Newcastle on a Sunday morning filled me with excitement and trepidation. I was attending on behalf of my company, alongside two other members of staff. Even though we had rehearsed and strategized, we were not prepared for the sheer volume of people that turned up for the event, it was jam-packed, with just as many attendees as there were suppliers.
The weather was not friendly at all and I remember saying to myself that it might put people off attending but boy, was I surprised. Having survived the queue to get in, we were greeted by an amazing harp player — her music was soothing and calmed the nerves inside the guests, preparing them for the show inside.
I could sit there listening to her play all afternoon but business beckoned and I had to move on. The venue had a big, warmly-lit catwalk stage in the middle and suppliers flanking the left and right side of the stage. The lighting on both sides of the stage was sombre, allowing suppliers to showcase their products in a way that contrasted with the low lights of the venue. I started with the right side with Candy Floss Events Weddings, but they didn’t need to offer me a free candy floss as I would have stopped by without the freebie. The mother-son team were friendly, chatty, honest, and the candy floss? I almost asked for seconds. As a small business competing with the big ones, their honesty was raw and compelling and it left me wishing that everyone would support small business to help them be better and not take advantage of them. Adjacent to the mother-son team was George Washington, a part of the Mercure chain. They had complete wedding packages on offer and the menu was the big deal for me; lots of venues offer traditional menus but George Washington had a traditional menu with a twist, with over 9 mains to choose from. The packages and suites were of different price ranges, great for different budgets. This is a place worth considering, especially if you want a varied wedding menu. Moving on, I headed to Jacob’s Flowerhut, where her flowers and pieces were beautifully arranged and had a personal touch to the arrangement.
The pumpkin-flower arrangement was the star of the table, oozing a warm feeling and making me forget about the rain outside. I’m not a fan of plastic flowers and I’ve always felt that beautiful, real flowers always go to waste at the end of an event and was pleasantly surprised when she said that her company provide resins to reduce flower wastage. The resins are made using dried out flowers from the event, providing a keepsake that will last a lifetime.
Opposite the flowers was Jacqueline’s Cake Company, with lovely out-of-the-ordinary cakes. I am a little traditional but the black cake was simply stunning. I wanted to take it home with me and put it on display.
It was the kind of cake that you want to have but never want to eat. The cake colours are intricately combined and it was pleasing to know that they catered to the needs of the bride and groom, creating anything from traditional cakes to intricately crafted themed and personalised cakes. The added bonus was the cake samples, I had to have 3 pieces (I know what you’re thinking but I couldn’t resist) and of course the chocolate one was my favourite. Right next to the cakes was The Hand Dyed Shoe Company and I don’t know why but in every wedding show, the number of vendors specifically catering to the needs of the groom is always significantly outnumbered by those catering to the bride. Don’t get me wrong, I am a prospective bride and love the attention but it would be great for the grooms to be spoilt for choice.
The Hand Dyed Shoe Company was just that, the option for a groom to be spoilt for choice with bespoke hand-dyed shoes. The designs were beautiful and the workmanship showed the love behind the styles. There was a lot of choices and the groom can design his wedding shoe himself, creating a way to make the wedding his big day too. The design options ranged from simple to complex, all lovingly created and coloured. With a lot of pictures and a big smile on my face, I moved on to VIP. They were probably the busiest on the right side of the venue, offering specially designed creations to make events that bit extra special. Using ideas from the potential couple, VIP creates wedding flowers, table pieces, unique stationery and magical scenes for chosen venues. Speaking with them, I found it fascinating that they create ideas from Pinterest and from pictures chosen by the couple, bringing the ideas to life in their showroom so the couple can see their ideas come to life. I couldn’t help but think about all the people who are drawn to fairy-like and princess-themed weddings and how the services of VIP would be perfect for them. I then spotted two other suppliers catering to the groom and I just had to speak to them. First was Mr Grey, an exclusive menswear supplier. His display had grooms and page boys alongside each other in matching outfits but I found the little boy dressed to the nines much more intriguing. He stood in the middle of the display, handing out fliers and looked like he’d just walked out of a magazine page or maybe an actual wedding!
It was fun chatting to him and finding out that despite looking like a page boy model, he’d never been one in his life. The second supplier was Hotspur 1364 with suits and hats on display. They looked like they were individually made and the fabric felt so soft. The suits were so stylish, I was already imagining the father of the bride or groom walking down the aisle with their offspring.
I walked further along and Noble Fine Art caught my eye; they had on display custom made wedding stationery. I know that modern-day applications and websites offer these but nothing beats something handmade with love and attention to detail that only a human touch can offer. Nigel Playle Photography was next, with a huge display of different wedding photos. Each photo was distinct as they told the story of the newly-weds; taken against different backdrops, the photos simply spoke volumes. I moved on and St James Park offered its own wedding packages, something that I think football fans will snap up. I can imagine a couple that are fans of Newcastle United FC getting married there, it would be unforgettable and would probably become one of those stories that are told to further generations.
Finally, I approached Luke Howells Magician and I was blown away. I know sceptics would call me naive and possibly say that I only saw what the magician wanted me to see but the sheer fun of watching it and seeing the transformation take place was incredible. This type of service at any event would make it so much fun and would certainly be the talk of the event. It is definitely something that I would consider having at my event as an ice-breaker for attendees, it would ease a tense environment in seconds. Just as I finished talking to Luke Howells Magician, the fashion show started. There were lovely wedding gowns from different suppliers and designers, beautiful and attractive.
The show stoppers were the toddler dressed in organic, sustainable romper suit and the dressed-to-the-nines page boy from Mr Grey Exclusive Menswear doing the floss, both were too cute for words.
Events like this are sometimes overwhelming and can be too much but I have to give it to the team behind The Northern Wedding Show, they put the event together in a way that made it seem less overwhelming and more fun. Suppliers were eager to showcase their products and/or services but were truly very respectful and engaging. I found that endearing and if I had the money, I would use the services of all that I spoke to but hey if only wishing could be easily materialised.
Overall, it was a fun day and my trepidation eased completely into fun and giggles. Speaking to suppliers on behalf of Uplanit was an amazing experience and it was great seeing the strength of a community and the potential it could have. Watch this space, Uplanit is launching soon.
Guest written by Jennifer
See you next week.
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