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Did you know that last September, I was thrilled to host the first ever North of England Wedding Awards from my friends at The Wedding Guide? Well I was, and I did.
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I battled my nerves, and rocked a rather lovely hot pink frock, courtesy of the fabulous Phil Woodhead at Grace The Weddings Co (and now Buckley, his own label – go Phil!), to host not one but two sparkling gala dinners and awards ceremonies, in Yorkshire and the North East. At 16 weeks pregnant, I couldn’t even have a glass of wine to steady myself! In retrospect, probably a very good thing.
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To say that this honour was a bit scary was an understatement – what if I forgot my words or fell over on stage in front of my industry colleagues?! – but I did neither, and the show went on! I was really proud to support the awards and celebrate the great and good of our fabulous wedding industry here in the North: finalists, winners and everyone who entered.
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Here’s what I said at the time about my involvement: When the ladies at The Wedding Guide told me about their plans for this inaugural awards ceremony, I was truly thrilled. What has taken so long?
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Through my Brides Up North blog, brand, directory, wedding industry networking parties and wedding exhibitions – both on and offline – I have spent the past two years campaigning hard for recognition on behalf of our regional talents. You might say that I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder.
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All too often – be that in magazines, the media or online – the focus is so strongly on the South of the country that I feel the quality of skills and services provided by our wedding industry in the North of the UK are overlooked.
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It’s become a catchphrase of mine, but through my brand and the mouthpiece it allows me I’ve been urging Brides to support their local businesses by Joining The Northern Revolution and choosing to work with the wonderful suppliers right on their doorstep. And it’s working.
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With higher unique hits to the site than ever, record attendances across the board at the Brides Up North events and an inbox bursting with couples looking for local recommendations it appears that the message is getting across.
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Finally, with an awards ceremony not only recognising but dedicated to bridal talent in the North, and voted for by your customers, I feel like we have taken a big step in the right direction. Let’s celebrate our achievements, because things are truly fabulous up North.
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And now it’s time to do it all over again! Well, not quite. This year the awards process follows the same format, but with just one big gala dinner at the National Railway Museum in York at the end of it all in September, and they’ve got an actual professional to host it all this time… ahem! I for one am very happy to hang up my mic, slip on my highest heels and get ready to celebrate properly this time around, with a glass of something alcoholic in hand.
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Brides Up North is very proud to support the awards as headline sponsor for a second year. Brides, it will be time to vote soon, but for now, industry peeps - wedding industry registration is now open for the 2013 North of England Wedding Awards here.
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Liz of The Wedding Guide says: We were completely overwhelmed by the response to the inaugural North of England Wedding Awards in 2012, and loved receiving all the amazing testimonials from brides and grooms who had been delighted with the customer service they had received. A box of tissues was kept close to hand as some of the comments were just so moving!
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We are delighted to welcome on board a number of new sponsors and judges – you can read all about them on the wedding awards website.
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This year the Gala Dinner Awards Ceremony will be held at the National Railway Museum in York on Monday 9th September where the awards for both Yorkshire and the North East will be presented. Viking FM presenter Chris Marsden will be our host for the evening and we are looking forward to another amazing evening celebrating outstanding customer service in the North of England.
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 supplied by The Wedding Guide
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