special for dress

If you run a business or offer a service that could help make a couple’s big day, the wedding fayre at the Mercure Hull Grange Park hotel in Willerby is one not to miss. And if you';re a bride or groom-to-be, make a note in your diary. Admission is free!

It’s the most special day in any couple’s life, and when it comes to getting married, it’s important that every detail is right.

But with the dress, the suits, the flowers, the food and much, much more to organise, it can be overwhelming.

That is why the Hull Daily Mail, publishers of The Journal, has teamed up with the Mercure Hull Grange Park hotel in Willerby to organise the wedding fair of the year.

Taking place on Sunday, March 8, it promises to be the biggest and best in East Yorkshire.

Hundreds of brides and grooms-to-be who have registered an interest with the hotel, a popular venue for weddings, will be contacted, along with couples who entered the newspaper’s recent highly successful Win a Wedding competition and invited to attend.

Plus the trusted local reach of the Hull Daily Mail and its various online and printed publications will ensure the fair receives more attention than any other.

Steve Newby, sales manager at the hotel, said hosting the prestigious event would be a privilege.

“It’s going to be a fantastic day,” he said.

“We aim to make this the most successful wedding fair ever and the biggest in the East Yorkshire.

“It’s a chance for us to showcase where the wedding market is and all the brilliant products and services that are out there.

“And from our perspective, we want people to see our property and to get our interactive wedding brochure, which we believe is the first of its kind, out there.”

Among the exhibitors already attending is Sasha Stamford, of the sought-after Chocolate Fountain Experience, based in Hull.

Sasha believes the best way for potential customers to experience the fountains, and other ways to make a wonderful wedding, is to see her and her team in action at the fair. She said: “It’s lovely to meet couples when they are planning their wedding and then see them again on the big day.

“They can also put a face to the name, which is really nice and so much more personal.”

Fair organiser Jane Smallwood urged other exhibitors to book their place before it is too late.

She said: “The fair will be an inspirational day for brides and grooms where they can quickly and simply buy or book exactly what they want for their wedding while businesses are pitching right in front of them.

“What makes this fair different is that we can make contact with more couples than anyone else in the area.

“Over the course of a week, for example, we reach 287,000 people in print and online, so the opportunity to join us on March 8 is one that will really benefit businesses. “With packages starting at just £90 plus VAT, there is something for everyone.”

The fair runs from 11am to 4pm.

Free parking is available and entry is free to the public.

Why I'm taking part

Sasha Stamford, of Chocolate Fountain Experience, will be at the Hull Daily Mail Wedding Fayre.

She said: “I’ve been running the business for just over 12 years, predominately in the Hull area, but we do travel.

“I believe I have the largest selection of chocolate fountains available in the area and we have got lots of different sizes to suit all kinds of weddings and venues.”

Prices start from just £300, including set-up and staff, offering the perfect way to get guests talking at everything from an intimate gathering to a party for 1,000 people.

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