Last updated 10:25, Tuesday, 02 September 2008

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A Generic photo of a couple getting married.

THE winner of our Win Your Wedding competition will be announced at the Designer Wedding Show on September 21 at The Abbey House Hotel in Barrow.
Their prizes will total £1,850 and include an Emporium wedding dress (£700), flowers from Eflorescence (£200), bridegroom’s outfit from Debenhams (£200) and photography by Powder and Paint (£750).
The Wedding Show will bring together over 50 exhibitors and two catwalk fashion shows – showcasing the best in bridal wear and wedding services on offer around the county.
Exhibitors include florists Efflorescence, Powder and Paint Photography, Marrime bridal wear, Romantic Couture of Newby Bridge, Frothy Moon bridal wear from Kendal, Paul Pearson Photography and Brooklands Country Retreat and Health Spa, Lancashire.
Due to the success of previous shows in Carlisle, Brides in Cumbria, in association with The North West Evening Mail, will for the first time, be holding one of the largest and most prestigious wedding shows in Cumbria in Furness.
As well as stands offering advice and information the event will include three fabulous fashion shows featuring styles by high profile designers, as well as local designers and boutiques.
Admission cost for the show is £5 and tickets are available in advance from the Evening Mail offices on Abbey Road, Barrow and on Market Street, Ulverston.

Ben North & Karen Benn
POSTMAN Ben North proposed to girlfriend Karen Benn in front of the pyramids in Egypt with a ring pull last month.
Before going on holiday Ben, 30, secretly asked Karen’s father for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
So when the pair headed off for the holiday of a lifetime, diving in Sharm El Sheikh, before visiting Cairo and the pyramids – Ben was prepared to pop the question when he found the right moment.
Karen says: “It was really busy in front of the pyramids but he kept asking me to wait a little until it cleared. I wondered what he was up to and then he got down on one knee, pulled a ring pull from his pocket and asked me to marry him.
“It was a huge surprise but Ben had always joked that he would propose with a ring pull,” says Karen, 33.
Ben explains: “I always said that I’d use an old fashioned style ring pull and they still have them in Egypt so I took the opportunity!”
But he adds: “I had bought a real ring at Sharm El Sheikh and I got that out of my pocket too after I proposed!”
The loving couple, who live on Tyne Road, Walney, met seven years ago in Martinis nightclub and have two young children Ellie and Wil.
The pair have yet to set a date for their wedding but have been giving it some thought.
Karen explains: “We are planning on getting married in 2010 to give ourselves a couple of years to save up and plan for it.
“Ben’s parents’ anniversary is October 10, so we might even look into getting married on 10/10/2010."

Jamie Bull & Joanne Thornton
WHEN Barrow’s Jamie Bull, 26, decided to propose to his girlfriend Joanne Thornton, he decided to ask for a little assistance from someone very special.
Joanne, 26, of Derby Street, explains: “Last May I visited Piel Island with my boyfriend Jamie and his son Reece, who is five, and we spent the afternoon there before heading home around tea time.
“Once we got back home Jamie took Reece upstairs to wash Reece’s sticky ice-cream hands.
“A few minutes later Jamie came down and said Reece wanted to see me upstairs.
“As I walked into the bathroom Reece stood there smiling, with something behind his back and said ‘will you marry my daddy?’ and gave me a Tiffany & Co box with a gorgeous white gold and diamond ring in it.
“Then Jamie appeared behind him and said ‘well, you can’t say no to a little boy can you?’”
Though they had jokingly talked about tying the knot, Joanne was nonetheless surprised by Jamie’s romantic proposal.
She says: “We met in the Railway pub in September 2005.
“We were both out with friends and just got chatting and got on really well.”
The happy couple are planning on getting married in a romantic ceremony at Cartmel Priory next May 23, followed by a lavish reception at Cartmel Racecourse.
Joanne finishes: “We wanted to do something a bit different and special, after all we are only planning to do it once!”

Clare Turner & Paul Shotter
THIS July when Clare Turner and Paul Shotter went on a diving holiday to Bali, she never dreamed she would be bringing a diamond engagement ring home as a souvenir.
Clare, 33, explains: “Paul and I met in London, where we live, about four years ago. I was 29 and at the time I had given up on meeting someone special.”
But then she met Paul, 29, a trainee stockbroker, and the rest as they say is history.
Clare, who is originally from Stainton and whose parents still live in the village, says: “Diving has always been a shared interest. Since we got together we’ve been diving in Egypt, Australia and Bali.”
Clare admits that before the holiday she nurtured a secret hope that Paul would propose: “It was my birthday while we were out there and I was hoping! But when my birthday came and went I gave up hope. Then on the day of our last dive he finally proposed and it was a real surprise.”
She explains: “He got down on one fin on a sandbed in the middle of a tropical reef. Surrounded by an array of technicolour marine life, he pointed to a tiny treasure box nestled in the coral and produced a heart-shaped message which said ‘Will you marry me? xxx’
“I squealed through my breathing regulator as he placed the ring on my finger.
“We stared at each other for a long moment through our masks before swimming off through the shoals of fish, hand-in-hand.”
She adds: “Paul is normally very romantic but I didn’t expect him to propose in such a unique way. I thought he would go for something more traditional.”
After the underwater proposal, she says: “When we surfaced I pulled off the mask and gave him a big kiss straight away!
“I joked afterwards that he probably only asked me underwater because he knew I couldn’t say no!”
The couple plan to get married next year in May or July depending on their venue. Clare said they are getting married in either Dalton or Urswick: “Paul’s letting me have my big day at home with all my friends and family around me.”