Tag Archives: details

Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt Marry: The Wedding Dress And The Details

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Angelina Jolie has finally revealed her wedding dress, and it is a stunning Atelier Versace, hand-made strapless number with a beautiful, unique veil which has her children’s drawings sewn into it. We never thought we would actually see the dress but big-hearted Angelina and Brad sold the images of their wedding day to two tabloids and donated the money to charity.  Angelina-Jolie-wedding-dress-G1 Maddox (13), Pax (10), Zahara (9), Shiloh (8) and twins Vivienne, and Knox (6), helped design the veil and we think it looks beautiful.  Donatella Versace translated the children’s pictures and embroidered them into the veil. angelina-jolie-wedding-dress-brad-pitt‘Versace is honored to announce that on August 23rd 2014 Angelina Jolie chose to wear a stunning Atelier Versace creation designed by Donatella Versace in occasion of her marriage to Brad Pitt,’ a statement from Versace said.

The children also took on key roles in the wedding, Maddox and Pax walked their mother down the aisle, Zahara and Vivienne were flower girls, and Shiloh and Knox were ring bearers. That the children would have a role in the wedding was clear in May when Jolie said ‘We are discussing it with the children and how they imagine it might be, which is verging on hysterical, how kids envision a wedding,’  They will, in a way, be the wedding planners. It’s going to be Disney or paintball – one or the other!’

 

The newlyweds said: “It was important to us that the day was relaxed and full of laughter. It was such a special day to share with our children and a very happy time for our family,”

 

Just twenty people attended the ceremony which was held at the chapel of Château Miraval, the family’s estate in the French village of Correns. Angelina Jolie’s father, Jon Voight did not attend.

If you are getting married then get your hands on a copy of The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. It has great advice on planning your perfect wedding and is written by our editor, Catherine Balavage. It is also available in Ebook format and is a great guide for wedding planning.
 

Really Wild Adventures: Michaela Strachan To Host Live Shows At Howletts

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Visitors at Howletts Wild Animal Park, one of Kent’s most popular visitor attractions, are in for a treat on 29th July as one of TV’s most popular and charismatic presenters,Michaela Strachan, hosts the Really Wild Adventures Show at the park.

michaelastrachanathowlettssummer

Michaela will be hosting her popular children’s show on Tuesday 29th July at the wild animal park, near Canterbury.  Inspired by her book, the Really Wild Adventures Show is an entertaining journey into the world of animals for all the family. The interactive show is packed full of music, humour and fascinating wildlife facts.

The shows will run throughout the day at 11am, 1.30pm and 3pm. Entry to the show is free with a valid day ticket, Howletts Passport or Gold Card. Michaela will also be holding a book signing after each show.

Michaela is best known for presenting wildlife programmes such as ‘The Really Wild Show’, ‘Michaela’s Wild Challenge’, ‘Orangutan Diaries’, ‘Elephant Diaries’ , ‘Michaela’s Zoo Babies’ and ‘The Great Penguin Rescue’ as well as ‘Countryfile’, ‘Autumnwatch’, ‘Springwatch’ and ‘Winterwatch’ for the BBC.

The live shows kick off the start of the summer holidays at Howletts which will see different activities and themes taking place throughout July and August 2014.

For more information please visit
www.aspinallfoundation.org/howletts/forthcoming-events or call 0844 842 4647.

PARK DETAILS

Howletts Wild Animal Park
Bekesbourne
Nr. Canterbury
Kent CT4 5EL

 

 

The Wedding Diary: Invites

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First, I have to apologise for not updating my Wedding Diary as often as I should. I assure you the wedding is being planned but I underestimated how hard it would be to run a magazine, publish a book while writing another one, be a freelance writer, act and go to auditions, finish two scripts and plan a wedding all at once. I am also sure I missed something out there. To top it all off: we are also moving a couple of days after our wedding. That won’t be stressful at all….

weddinginvitationsSo for my first of many catch-up entries I am going to start with the invites. Now a lot of wedding invites are incredibly expensive. You are talking hundreds of pounds for a piece of cardboard. We were shocked at the prices. If you add in save the date cards and thank you cards, it would be easy to rack up a thousand pounds if you include postage. So what is a frugal girl to do? Ebay. Obviously.

We got beautiful, personalised invitations for a very reasonable price. I won’t show the exact ones at the moment because I haven’t sent them out yet and we don’t want to ruin the surprise of people getting them (or have stalkers turn up at our wedding. I have had a few bad experiences in the past). The invitations are beautiful, come with envelopes and are well made and high quality. Just put ‘wedding invitations’ into the search function of Ebay and you can get some amazing ones for under £50.

We didn’t send out save the date cards because of environmental reasons, and also cost. We emailed and called people instead. The wedding industry is a £10 billion industry in the UK so don’t buy something just because you feel you have to.

When it came to the design of our invitations, we wanted something that reflected us and who we are. Family members will probably try and pull you in a certain way, but we wanted ours to be fresh and fun. Our invites are white, with a multicoloured tree. We are in our twenties so we wanted something to reflect that: nothing stuffy. They also came in a very handy, protective plastic case.

If you want to spend more on your invitations then John Lewis do some beautiful ones, and so do Marks and Spencers and VistaPrint. If you are good at DIY you can also make your own.

What to put on your invites

Your names (we included our surnames as we weren’t sure people would know who we were!)

Date and time of the wedding

RSVP details. Include a non-email option for the older guests. Include a deadline for the RSVP. Needed for the catering and seating.

The venue address and the reception address too if it is different.

Your wedding gift list number. We went with John Lewis and Prezola.com

Other options

Parents details. We decided not to do this but you can include either parents or both.  As in: ‘Mr and Mrs Smith invite *guest name*  to the marriage of their daughter, Chloe, to Matt Fox.’

Dress code. We didn’t put one on as everyone knows weddings are formal. I would only include a dress code if it is anything other than formal. For instance: a themed wedding or black tie.

You can, of course, put whatever you want on your invitations. It is your wedding.

What will you put?

 

My wedding book is out now. If you are getting married then check out my book The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity, it has everything you need to know about planning your dream wedding.

 

 

Minister Huw Lewis makes a Wish for Wales

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Huw Lewis, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, took part in a Cauldrons & Furnaces Wishes for Wales workshop at Hay Festival, showing his support for Wales’s Cultural Olympiad celebrations.

Cauldrons & Furnaces, which launched last month by the Welsh Government to welcome a strand of the Cultural Olympiad to Wales, is a series of high profile events taking place at Cadw sites across Wales from 16 June – 17 July. Wishes for Wales is one element of the Cauldrons & Furnaces activity, involving young people from schools across England and Wales, who have been coming to St Davids in west Wales to take part in this creative heritage project.

Through Wishes for Wales, which is a joint project between Cauldrons & Furnaces and Farms for City Children in Treginnis Isaf, the young people involved are demonstrating what Wales’s history and heritage means to them by hand painting and embellishing in St Davids colours gold, black and white, a ‘golden stone’ with their own design and inscription of a personal message – their wish for Wales – which will then be left in St Davids Bishop’s Palace as part of a Celtic installation.

People visiting the Wishes for Wales workshop held on Cadw’s stand at Hay Festival were asked to draw a design that represents themselves and their connection to Wales’s heritage, and then write a wish for Wales on the back of the stone. Huw Lewis said: “This is a fantastic project and it’s great to see so many young people involved in celebrating Wales’s heritage and culture at such an important time. It’s such a simple idea, but will remain a lasting legacy of Cultural Olympiad celebrations in Wales.”

The Wishes for Wales stones created at Hay Festival, which were all painted using the red, white and green of Wales, will be on display at two Cauldrons & Furnaces events; at the beginning of the 22 day Pilgrim walk leaving from Llanthony on Saturday 16 June, and then moved to the Great Hall of the Bishop’s Palace, St Davids to debut the end of the Pilgrim journey on Saturday 7 July.

Cauldrons & Furnaces is a partnership between Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, and the Arts Council of Wales. The project is part of Power of the Flame, and has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity which is creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding local talent to inspire creativity across the UK.

Wishes for Wales is directed by artist Deborah Withey, who said: “Wishes for Wales has been a fantastic project to work on, with so many enthusiastic and imaginative young people involved. It was great having the Minister at the workshop today, as well as all the other visitors to the stand. It’s great to see such creative spirit and willingness to contribute to this lasting legacy of the Olympic celebrations here in Wales. I’m looking forward to seeing the collection of stones at the Cauldrons & Furnaces events later this month and in July.”

Those who wish to be become part of history and participate in Cauldrons & Furnaces can join the 22-day Pilgrim walk or the magnificent procession at St Davids and walk with the Pilgrims through the city to the Palace for a finale feast of music, dance and food.

For further information about the 22 day Pilgrim walk, visit www.ramblers.org.uk or www.pilgrimage2012.co.uk and for further information about St Davids Bishop’s Palace email info@orielyparc.co.uk or call 01437 720 392.

The other Cauldrons & Furnaces events across south Wales will also give locals and visitors an array of cultural experiences which will help bring Wales’s history to life.

For lovers of Wales’s stunning landscape and history, visitors can witness the reawakening of Blaenavon Ironworks in a multisensory musical celebration and also take part in enchanted adventure trails and tales in the grounds of Laugharne Castle.

Caerphilly castle is the inspiration for Awen – a festival of the arts, including dance, sculpture, poetry and film.

Cadw has set a challenge for people to attend as many events as possible to be in with a chance of winning one of five Cadw annual family memberships. For details of how to take part pick up a Cauldrons & Furnaces leaflet at a participating site or visit www.cadw.wales.gov.uk

For more information about Cauldrons & Furnaces and how you can get involved, visit www.cadw.wales.gov.uk, find Cadw on Facebook or Twitter. #CF12

Details of the Cauldrons & Furnaces events – all Wales (south Wales *)

*Saturday 16 June – Saturday 7 July

Pilgrimage walk, Llanthony Priory to St Davids

Trace the tracks of ancient pilgrims, kings, saints, madmen and paupers with a dedicated group of artists and storytellers on a 22-day Pilgrimage across South Wales. There will be special events, eye catching performances and educational workshops at key points along the route. FREE event, join at www.ramblers.org.uk / www.pilgrimage2012.co.uk.

Friday 22 June, Town Parade 5.00pm – 6.30pm

Saturday 23 June, Castle Performance 7.30-9.00pm

Spirits of Dragons, Flint Castle

Travel through the mists of time with a musical spectacle as your companion. Join the children of Flint as they tell the story from mythical beginnings through to Roman, Norman and English invasions with performances from dragons, giants and masked characters. FREE ticketed event. Book at www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk / 08453 303 565.

*Friday 29 & Saturday 30 June, 6.30-8.15pm

Elemental, Blaenavon Ironworks

A multisensory celebration of a unique landscape and the elements – witness the reawakening of this incredible World Heritage site, that once kick-started an industrial revolution, through creative and musical performances.

FREE ticketed event. Tickets available from www.head4arts.org.uk.

Sunday 1 July, 2.30-4.30pm

Cipio’r Castell, Caernarfon Castle

A spectacular musical procession to kick start a month of artistic celebrations – visitors can enjoy specially commissioned raps, orchestral and choral music, live theatre and a month-long series of innovative art installations within the castle walls. FREE with a wristband, available from 1 June at www.visitsnowdonia.info or from Caernarfon Tourist Information Centre or call 01286 672 232.

*Saturday 7 July, 1.30-6.00pm

Event starts – Oriel y Parc 1.30pm, procession leaves Oriel y Parc 2pm

Finale events at St Davids Bishop’s Palace 3.00-4.15pm (yellow wristbands), 4.30pm-5.45pm (silver wristbands).

Dewi Sant Pilgrims, St Davids Bishop’s Palace

One big walk, one small city – after a 22-day trek across Wales, the pilgrims are welcomed with fanfares, music and artwork. Visitors can join the last leg of the journey through the city ending at the Bishop’s Palace with a celebration of music, food and dance. FREE with a wristband available from 16 May at Oriel y Parc, St Davids, email info@orielyparc.co.uk or call 01437 720 392.

Sunday 8 July, 6.30-9.30pm

Mantell, Denbigh Castle

One legendary golden cape. Thousands of golden memories. Visitors will be taken on a journey through the castle and witness the story unfolding through storytelling, puppetry, animation, music, dance and fire sculpture – culminating at dusk in a magical and glowing finale. Booking essential. Tickets £2, available from 1 May from Denbigh Library call 01745 816 313 or visit www.mantell-aur.com.

*Wednesday 11 July – Friday 13 July, 6.30pm-9.00pm (10.00pm Friday)

Awen, Caerphilly Castle

Myths and legends have always been intriguing and Awen is no different. A three-day celebration of poetic inspiration through sculpture, film, dance, music and drama reflecting vibrancy and culture of the region. FREE ticketed events. For tickets visit www.blackwoodminersinstitute.com / www.visitcaerphilly.com or call 01495 227 206.

*Saturday 16 June – Sunday 15 July

Saturday 14 July – Promenade Theatre Event 2.00-4.00pm

Sunday 15 July – National Botanic Gardens 2.00pm.

Talacharn Trails & Tales, Laugharne Castle

The enchanted twelfth-century castle will play its part in an adventure trail laden with clues and riddles. By peering through the gatehouse or roaming the gardens, visitors will find answers to unlock the secrets of this literary town. Normal castle and garden admission prices apply; visit www.talacharntrails.com or www.cadw.wales.gov.uk or call 01437 720392 for more information.

Monday 16 & Tuesday 17 July, 8.00-9.30pm

Men of Harlech, Harlech Castle

Get ready to rock! Seven centuries of Welsh history brought to life with a creative bang. An anthem to stir the soul and provide inspiration for this two-night spectacular of music, song and dance – over 250 young people from Gwynedd tell the story of seven historic epochs through twenty-first century eyes. Tickets £8/£5 concessions / £20 family (2 adults + 2 children). Tickets available from www.cytser.com and Harlech Castle on 01766 780 552.