Following the approval of a 24 hour marriage licence, The Imperial Hotel, Blackpool, has launched a new 'midnight marriage' package for couples looking to shun tradition and try something a little bit different, such as getting hitched by candlelight.

Loved up couples visiting the promenade of Britain's most famous seaside town can now tie the knot around the clock by marrying at sunrise, sunset or anytime in between. For the perfect midnight marriage, prices start at just £1,200 for 40 people including room hire, red carpet, themed buffet, arrival drinks and a toast. The ceremony costs are additional.

The Imperial Hotel is also the ideal venue for a steam punk wedding, the latest marital trend allowing those looking for something a little less traditional to integrate a hint of steam punk into their special day. Steam punk weddings follow a Victorian science-fiction theme, using existing technology to imagine an even more advanced 19th century life.

Set to become a favourite within the steam punk community, The Imperial Hotel's Churchill Room, an ornate room with mahogany panelling, provides the perfect setting for a candlelit steam punk wedding with up to 40 guests. The Churchill Room was used as a smoking room by Winston Churchill himself during the war years and he even had his own button inside the room where he could summon a butler. The room still has many of the original features dating back to the opening of the hotel in 1867, perfect for those looking for a Victorian steam punk twist.

Alison Gilmore, general manager at The Imperial in Blackpool commented: “Blackpool is renowned for being a fun and lively town and we really wanted to create some new wedding packages to reflect that. With so many fantastic, original Victorian fixtures at the hotel, the appetite for steam punk themed weddings is already high and we now also have the added benefit of being able to offer an even more unique twist – marriages at midnight!”

With 21 four-star hotels located across the country, The Hotel Collection has properties ranging from beautiful country houses to warm, cosy hotels, as well as everything else in between. Including the Lygon Arms in the Cotswolds - where Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor would slip away for romantic getaways - as well as Billesley Manor Hotel near to Stratford-upon-Avon - where William Shakespeare himself is rumoured to have married Anne Hathaway in 1582 - The Hotel Collection has the perfect property to suit every wedding.

For more information or to book, please call The Hotel Collection on 0800 652 8413 or visit www.thehotelcollection.co.uk 

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Notes to Editors:
The Hotel Collection offers 21 unique properties across the UK from Scotland to Devon. They are located in inspiring locations from vibrant city and town centres, spectacular coastal resorts to countryside retreats and include The Carlton Hotel in Edinburgh, The Oxford Hotel in Oxfordshire, Shrigley Hall Hotel, Golf & Country Club in Cheshire and Walton Hall and Hotel in Warwickshire. The Hotel Collection offers a total of over 2,800 bedrooms, 220 meeting rooms and extensive leisure facilities. For bookings and information please call our central reservations office 0800 652 8413 or visit www.thehotelcollection.co.uk