The blaze broke out at approximately 5am on June 19^th at Peckforton Castle, Cheshire, and 100 fire fighters were called to Grade l listed building to battle the fire. 200 guests at the country house had to be evacuated, many of whom were guests of the couple, and the fire was estimated to have caused in the region of £6 million worth of damage to the luxury wedding venue.

The bride and groom had argued with the venue owners over their late payment for the venue, and also on the day of the wedding another dispute arose over a bar bill. Property developer Kay was described as being under a great deal of personal strain around the time of the wedding as he was on the brink of bankruptcy.

The father-of-two was captured on CCTV cameras entering the drawing room where the fire originated. Following a fire investigation, experts pinpointed the source of the fire to the curtains in the drawing room where Kay was seen entering and leaving prior to the alarm being raised.

Kay has been remanded on conditional bail until February 3^rd when he’s due to appear again in front of Chester Crown Court for sentencing. The judge told the 36-year-old that a custodial sentence is inevitable.

Bride and groom Freya and Graham McAnally had been warned ahead of their big day that the cast and crew would be filming at the historic hall for two days as the interior resembles that of the Houses of Parliament. However the newlyweds were not prepared for the Hollywood cast, which included Oscar winner Meryl Streep in full costume as Margaret Thatcher and Jim Broadbent who is playing Denis in the movie, to applaud them as they made their arrival at their wedding ceremony.

31-year-old Freya described the experience as “surreal” but was bowled over by the response from both the staff at the venue and the cast and crew who went to great lengths to ensure the couple’s big day was not compromised in any way. In fact, Mr and Mrs McAnally say the filming made their day even more special as the hall had been fitted out with extra lights and had had an extra clean due to the movie shoot.

As well as being applauded by the cast of A-Listers on their wedding day, the newlyweds also received a glass vase as a wedding present, a bottle of champagne, a call sheet of the day’s shoot, a wedding card from the cast and crew and Meryl Streep also sent the bride and groom two signed pictures with a message of congratulation.

The bride wore white, accessorized with white wellies, arriving on her big day on a tractor decked out with ribbons. Bride Hayley Morgan even ventured into the fields with in all her bridal dress finery to pose for the wedding photographer with a herd of cattle as their backdrop.

32-year-old Hayley and 26-year-old Michael met at a Young Farmer’s event in 2009 and have been inseparable ever since. With both the bride and groom coming from strong farming backgrounds, when it came to their wedding day the duo wanted a celebration which reflected them and their lives, which is when they came up with their special theme.

The wedding guests also felt very at home with Hayley and Michael’s wedding as nearly everyone who was invited was a farmer. The cow themed worked through into almost every aspect of the big day with the seating plan featuring tables named after cows and calves, and a British Blue themed wedding cake topped with iced cows, and guest’s names were printed on ear tags usually worn by cows. The hearty four course dinner also included as the main course, roast beef of course.

The bride was only made aware of the fire when the police and fire fighters arrived at her hotel room to evacuate her and her family from the building.

The wedding ceremony was moved to another part of the resort and went ahead while the flames ripped through the main lodge of the stunning historic building. By the time the couple came out onto the beach to have their professional wedding photographs taken, the building was well alight with several fire engines parked in the vicinity as many teams of firemen fought the flames.

Making the best of the situation, the bride and groom carried on with their wedding photographs as normal, smiling for the camera as the flames engulfed their dream wedding venue in the background.

Despite being devastated to have had their wedding day destroyed by the fire, the cause of which is still unknown, bride Nancy Rogers was full of praise for the staff who went to great lengths to move the wedding to a suitable building and bring everything together in time for the couple and their guests.

Luckily no one was hurt in the fire, although the blaze took 6 hours to extinguish, spreading rapidly throughout the historic building due to the timber frame. The main lodge has been completely destroyed by the fire but the owner of the luxury resort has said they plan to rebuild the Canadian resort.

If the project gets the green light, then a purpose built banqueting hall with room to accommodate over 100 guests will be created on the site previously occupied by industrial companies. The developers predict that the building would be especially sought after for wedding venue hire amongst the Asian community living in the Preston and surrounding area.

The latest application being put forward to planners is the second attempt by developers to get permission for the new wedding venue and banqueting hall. The first application was turned down over perceived problems which could arise over parking at the new facility, and also issues over the quality of the development.

The architects working on the wedding hall proposal argue that the venue would help regenerate the area, benefiting the local community both socially and economically.

As well as offering a purpose built venue in which to host Asian wedding celebration, if the venue gets the go-ahead it will also offer conferencing facilities and be made available for hire for community events for groups from all backgrounds and beliefs. The building would be constructed on acre of disused industrial land in Deepdale, Preston.

The Bournemouth beach chapel is the first in the UK to be able to offer couples the opportunity to have a legally binding marriage ceremony on the beach. In order to comply with UK law, the ceremony must be conducted in a “permanent covered building”, and there was some debate over whether or not the beach hut met these guidelines, which resulted in a delay in getting the wedding chapel rubber stamped for use.

Now all of the official paperwork has been done, and the Bournemouth Beach Chapel is open for business between April and October. The Dorset resort is hoping to lure couples away from flying off to sunnier climbs such as the Caribbean, Maldives and Europe to tie the knot by being the only venue in Britain to offer beach weddings.

With packages starting from as little as £999, a Bournemouth beach wedding is cheaper than a beach wedding abroad and likely to be within reach of many couples, plus there’s no worry about flying your guests out to your chosen resort when you choose a seaside wedding in the UK.

While the weather can’t always be guaranteed, if the sun doesn’t shine on your Bournemouth beach wedding, an undercover option is also available to shield you and your guests from the elements. Brides and grooms will also be able to make an entrance to remember, either arriving on the land train, or drop in on your wedding by descending from the lift.

If the plans are approved and a license is granted, the council say they hope to have the white beach hut, which they’ve dubbed the “chapel” up and running by May in order to capitalise on the peak wedding season which usually runs from the spring right through until September.

While the wedding service would be held in a specially constructed beach hut on the sea front, the wedding receptions can be held at any venue the couple choose, although Bournemouth council pointed out there are a number of conveniently situated hotels and wedding venues situated along the beach front.

In Scotland, open air weddings are legal, however the marriage laws in England and Wales require there to be a permanent structure in which the ceremony must be conducted. Bournemouth Council is hoping to turn their beach into a popular wedding destination with the introduction of the licensed wedding “chapel”.

While many couples long for a romantic beach wedding, for many the cost of jetting off to exotic climbs prove too much, and so the dream of a wedding on the seashore has to be forgotten. However with the proposed launch of the marriage beach hut in Bournemouth, council bosses are hoping they’ll be able to provide brides and grooms-to-be with an affordable beach wedding solution.

The Eden Project will host a wedding fair in March

One of Cornwall’s leading attractions, the world famous Eden Project, will play host to a spectacular wedding fair on March 20th between 11am-4pm offering brides and grooms-to-be the opportunity to sample and explore the best wedding suppliers in Cornwall.

Due to the area’s outstanding beauty, many people who are not native of Cornwall choose to tie the knot in this corner of South West England. For these couples especially, the Eden Project wedding fair offers the opportunity for them to familiarise themselves with the services offered by Cornish companies from the best wedding cake businesses, to entertainers, chauffeur driven wedding car hire operators, florists, and photographers.

For couples who are yet to decide on the venue for their big day, the wedding fair offers the chance to explore the Eden Project itself with a view to hiring it for your big day. The scope to tailor the venue to your own requirements is massive. Last year, the Eden Project hosted a James Bond themed wedding where the groom and best man abseiled into the ceremony for dramatic effect.

The wedding fair will take place in the Gallery Restaurant of the Eden Project on March 20th between 11am-4pm. Admission to the wedding fair is free, however if you wish to visit the rest of the attractions at the Eden Project during your visit, normal admission charges apply.

Joseph Guiso and Honey got "married" in their local park

We’ve all heard a dog being described as man’s best friend, but man’s wife?! That’s a new one on us! But that’s exactly what one man from Toowooba in Australia did this week when he held a “wedding” to marry his dog.

20-year-old trainee teacher Joseph Guiso decided to tie the knot with his 5-year-old golden Labrador, Honey, after stumbling across a wedding in his local park when the pair were out for a walk.

30 wedding guests including friends and family of both the man and dog turned out for the “nuptials” which were held in the same local park that inspired the decision. The groom wore a smart suit, the bride a white veil, and music accompaniment was provided by an iPod docking system.

The groom even composed his own vows for the ceremony, although Honey hadn’t bothered, which read “You’re my best friend and you make every part of my day better.”The ceremony was sealed with a kiss.

However the student is quick to point out that the love he has for Honey is a “pure” kind, and that their relationship is totally platonic.

By his own admission, Guiso describes himself as a religious person, and the guilt of living out of wedlock with Honey spurred him on to tie the knot.

Since the news of the man and dog wedding was first reported, the student teacher has been inundated with requests for interviews from publications across the world. Being the dedicated animal lover he is, Guiso has declared he’ll donate any money he makes from press interviews to animal welfare charities.

From next January couples in Hong Kong will able to tie the knot in selected McDonalds restaurants

Not content with dominating the fast food industry the world over, McDonalds now has its sights set on breaking into the wedding business by offering wedding packages at selected restaurants in Hong Kong.

According to some reports, the idea to offer weddings at the well known fast food chain came about after one couple in Hong Kong, who’d met at a specific restaurant, requested to hold their wedding there. Other engaged couples heard about the novel idea, and soon McDonalds were receiving up to 10 calls a month asking for weddings to be held in their restaurants.

For many couples McDonalds has a special significance as they may have met in a restaurant, had their first date in McDonalds or have got engaged at the fast food restaurant, therefore the idea is already proving popular with brides and grooms in Hong Kong who are looking for a wedding venue which is personal to them.

It’s also a great option for couples on a budget as McDonalds wedding packages are priced at between HK$ 2000-3000 (€185-278). Guests will be able to order off the set menu for the wedding breakfast, and McDonalds will even provide a wedding cake, either of the apple pie or burger variety. On the downside however, all toasts will be alcohol-free, and your wedding party may be looked on by strangers as McDonalds won’t be closing the restaurant down for your nuptials.

Bookings for McWeddings in Hong Kong are already being taken from January 2011 onwards.