The United Kingdom Weddings & Honeymoons Awards 2024

On the evening of February 29th 2024, Weddings & Honeymoons Media hosted the inaugural United Kingdom Weddings & Honeymoons Awards at The Orangery in The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was a fantastic night filled with celebrity presenters, 21 award winners, a charity auction and a glittering gala evening to remember! Let's dive into the action…

Our celebrity presenter for the evening, Louise Roe. (James Mason Photography)

It was a night to celebrate the hard work and dedication that each member of the wedding industry puts into forming unforgettable memories for our beloved couples. Presented by the charming Louise Roe, the Awards Ceremony was a wonderful celebration. After our UKWHA judges panel whittled down our hundreds of applicants to a final three for each category, it was a delight to meet and get to know our talented finalists on the night. Everyone was sporting the finest black tie dress, with the Weddings & Honeymoons Media team showing off the latest styles from the trendy JJ's House and Howard & Co Attire.

The Orangery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, packed with our esteemed guests. (James Mason Photography)

The venue was styled to perfection, with elegant florals from the visionary Paula Rooney Floral Design bringing out the character of the space. Floral arches and sprays of white blooms flooded the Orangery, achieving a classy feel and the perfect backdrop for all the photos. Signage and stationery pieces were provided by Printed.Com, perfectly setting the scene for a night of glamour. The ceremony was in the capable hands of our event planner, Charlotte Ricard-Quesada from La Fête, who fantastically orchestrated a stunning gala evening.

Guests were treated to Najma Prosecco bubbles, cocktails featuring Sapling Gin & Mocktails Beverages and delicious nibbles from Lodge Catering. Fujifilm provided polaroid cameras for guests to snapshot their memories of the night and we even had the magical Sky Magician to entertain our guests! Our wonderful sponsors, such as the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, had set up eye-catching booths around the room, attracting loyal readers and couples on the guestlist to learn more about how they can help shape their big day. It was the perfect opportunity to mingle with the best in the industry for the wedding event of the year!

Styled to perfection with florals from Paula Rooney and signage by Printed.com. (James Mason Photography)

As the awards kicked off, we had the honour of announcing our winners for each of the 21 categories. Let's congratulate our 2024 award winners…

Jewellery Designer (sponsored by Switzerland Tourism Board) - Heulwen Lewis Bespoke Jewellery
UK Wedding Venue (sponsored by Delphina Hotels & Resorts) - Minstead Lodge
UK Wedding Planner (sponsored by La Fête) - The Secret Bridesmaid
Stationery Designer (sponsored by Anna Frascisco) - Gable & Grain
Wedding Caterer (sponsored by Laila Resort) - Eden Catering Solutions
Wedding Photographer (sponsored by Fujifilm) - Poppy Carter Portraits
Bridal Fashion Designer (presented by Oliver's Bridal and Formalwear) - Rolling in Roses
Bridal Fashion Boutique (sponsored by The Dolder Grand) - Pearl and Eve Bridal
For The Groom (presented by Nathan Collins) - Deane & Sons
Bridal Hair & Makeup Stylist (presented by Chris Taylor Leon Beauty) - Bex Standing Smith
Wedding Florist (sponsored by East Winds) - The Event Stylists
Celebrant Of The Year (sponsored by The Mayor Of Richmond) - Helen Noble, Celebrant of Surrey
Wedding Cake Maker (sponsored by Gibraltar Tourist Board) - Caked By Catherine
Music & Entertainment (presented by Jason Knight) - Chelsea Nolan Wedding Singer
International Wedding Venue (presented by Roberta Torresan) - Casa Lavanda
Destination Wedding Planner (sponsored by Villa Renaissance) - Brilliant Wedding Sicily
Honeymoon Resort (sponsored by Blame Her Ranch) - Wilderness DumaTau
Sustainability Award (sponsored by Coco Collection) - Hayne House
Influencer Of The Year (sponsored by Regent Porto Montenegro) - Content For Brides
Rising Star Award (sponsored by The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority) - The Modiste
Lifetime Achievement Award (sponsored by The Omnia) - Freya Rose London

Our fantastic award winners all had a smile on their face. (James Mason Photography)

With our winners crowned and the atmopshere of the night building, we then wanted to focus on our chosen charity for the event, Include. Their aim is to create a world where no-one is excluded because of communication disabilities and we had the joy of hearing The Include Choir perform on the night. It was a poignant moment as the guests signed along with the choir in a touching rendition of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow', with tears and smiles all around. Our charity auction then aimed to raise some donations, with auction lots like holidays to the Maldives and a signed Brentford Football shirt from the team, it was an exciting and thrilling moment. With the auction, ticket prices and donations, the UKWHA 2024 managed to raise a staggering £9,737 for Include, and we are honoured that we could help them to continue telling their story.

The Include Choir performing for our guests. (James Mason Photography)

Then came the final big moment. Throughout the night we teased the love stories of our top ten couples for the 'Win Your Wedding' competition, where one lucky couple would win their very own £50,000 wedding and change their lives forever! As the top three took to the stage after a talented actress had acted out their individual love stories so far, our Editor-In-Chief Eleonora Tucci, had the honour of announcing the winners as Summer & Ash!

Our final three 'Win Your Wedding' couples took to the stage. (James Mason Photography)

The atmosphere was electric in the room as our bride-to-be jumped for joy and finally recieved her long-awaited engagement ring, provided by Platform Jewellers. You can find out more about our winner's story in the next issue of Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine, our Awards special. But our other two finalists didn't go home empty handed, with romantic trips away given to both at Thalassa Boutique Hotel & Spa Coral Bay, Cyprus, and The Cary Arms & Spa, Babbacombe Bay, Devon. We feel so blessed to have been part of so many couple's love stories, thank you to everyone who applied. We are overjoyed for our winners, here's what they had to say…

"When the gold envelope was opened and I heard our names, my heart burst! All I could feel was joy, happiness, surprise, shock, elation and utter thrill! It was as though someone had come up to me and handed me my dream day in an envelope, an invitation that said 'go and get married'!"

Ash presenting Summer with a ring from Platform Jewellers. (James Mason Photography)

The 'Win Your Wedding' First Place Prize includes:

Planning and design by Charlotte Ricard-Quesada from La Fête - £5000
Bridal Gown provided by Oliver's Bridal and Formalwear - £5000
Bridal Accessories voucher provided by Freya Rose - £1000
Groom's bespoke suit by Fielding & Nicholson - £1000
Photography by Katy Gorniak - £5000
Stationery provided by Gable & Grain - £3000
Rings provided by Platform Jewellers - £8000
Venue and Wedding Breakfast provided by The Great Tythe Barn - £8000
Wedding Cake provided by Heidi’s Cakes - £2000
A 7-night luxury, all-inclusive stay at the O2 Beach Club & Spa, Barbados in an Oceanfront Suite, a couple's massage with a 15-minute Hammam Steam, Beach dinner with bubbles for 2 adults. Flights included (Courtesy of Kenwood Travel) - £12,000

We are so grateful and delighted to everyone who came and supported us for our first UKWHA. It was a joy to celebrate and give back to our fantastic industry, we can't wait for next year! Applications will open soon, make sure you subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates. 

To find photographs of the night, from the amazing James Mason Photography, please click here to see the full gallery.