Former Spice Girl Mel C aka Sporty Spice has revealed that she will wed her long term beau and father of the child that she is expecting in March 2009, Thomas Starr.

The famed singer-songwriter, real name Melanie Chisholm became engaged to her partner of 6 years just last month, and has recently announced to close friends and family that she and Thomas are preparing for a spring wedding.

It is believed that invitations to the couples nuptials have already been printed citing the location for the ceremony as the bride to be’s home town of Liverpool.

Its is also rumoured that the couple are planning to keep the wedding plans secret in order to keep their wedding as low-key and as private as is possible.

In the past Melanie, aged 34 has been romantically linked with various celebrities including footballer Jason McAteer, Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz fame and Robbie Williams.

She met Starr, a property developer in 2002 and the pair have been an item ever since, sharing a country home in Monmouthshire worth an estimated £2.7million.

There are endless numbers of recommended antidotes to relieve stress, from physical exercise and massage to breathing exercises and visualisations.

But Britain’s boffins have announced that the biggest cure of all for stress is to share your troubles, and further studies have now proven that being happily married is the secret to being able to survive the carious stresses and strains that we encounter during our lifetimes.

The research opposes the common but unfounded philosophy that single adults are more likely to lead untroubled and stress-free lives, suffering less tress as a result. Instead the study confirmed that those involved in a marriage or a loving long-term relationship are the most laid back and care-free.

It is philosophy behind this is that married couples have the advantage of being able to discuss and review their daily lives with another person which in turn has the benefit of being able to solve problems with the added benefit of another’s perspective.

Previous research has also revealed that married couples are much more likely surviving into old age than those who remain single all of their lives.

Dr Roxanne Gervaise, a leading Psychologist examined the levels of stress in more than 400 nurses working in hospitals across Yorkshire.

She discovered that nurses who were married, or at least in a steady long-term relationship, were affected by the stresses of their jobs the least.

In spite of the current economic turmoil and the much publicised credit crunch, fashionable couples preparing to visit the forthcoming 2008 Designer Wedding Show do not appear to be overly concerned by the miserable state of the nations economy.

The fashionable event is scheduled to take place from Friday 10th through until Sunday 12th October in London’s Battersea Park, and advance ticket sales are reported to have rocketed. The number of Champagne lunches pre-booked for the event has also increased by comparison with the 2007 Designer Wedding Show.

The typical bride to be visiting the exclusive wedding show will splash out 4 times more than the average bride will on her nuptials, spending more than £5,000 on a wedding gown and a further £89,000 on the actual wedding.

One of the event organisers, Sue Maddix said:-

“Our brides see their weddings as a once in a lifetime event and so far we have no sense that the current economic outlook is putting them off.

As with previous events, there appears to be a significant representation of couples from the financial services industry buying tickets.

The Designer Wedding Show produces some of our wealthiest brides and our clients are currently showing no signs of compromising on their dream dress”

World renowned as London’s most stylish wedding event, the show will feature wedding gowns from globally recognised designers including Christian Lacroix, Jasper Conran and Karl Lagerfeld

The beautiful 119 year old church of St John’s in Monmouth will no doubt be filled to capacity this weekend, when it hosts only the 2nd wedding ceremony in the its entire history.

Since opening its doors on 12th October 1989 in the district of Buckholt, the church has been the venue for just one other ceremony, as it has no permanent licence to carry out weddings.

But this weekend, bride Jane Ridley and her husband-to-be Nigel Griffiths are all set to walk down the aisle after being granted special permission from the Welsh church to marry there.

Marriages can only usually be performed in a specific building which holds a special wedding licence which has been approved by the local council.

Even so, engaged couples can also submit an application to the appropriate religious authorities to request permission to be married in churches like St Johns which do not possess a wedding licence.

In Jane and Nigels case , their request actually reached the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The couple were delighted when their request was approved and the pair will be wed this weekend at St Johns where Jane has been a committed member of the flock for more than two years.

The bride said of the forthcoming nuptials:-

“We had a couple of complications in terms of getting permission to marry at St John’s but we persuaded the church to allow us to marry there and we feel very privileged about it.

We found out from the church warden that since it was built in 1889 there has only ever been one other person married in the church to her knowledge. So we’re going to be only the second couple ever to get married there, so it’s going to be quite an occasion really.

It’s a marvellous little place and holds about 57 people when you get three people comfortably on each pew, so the church is going to be full - give or take a couple of places - and all the congregation are going to be there because we wanted them to be there and share in our big day.

Everyone loves a good wedding and we wanted the church and the congregation to witness another one. Sadly, we’re probably going to be the last ones to get married there because the congregation is only small and the average age is 70 to 80 years. I’m the youngest member of the congregation at 46 and unless other people join there’s not likely to be another one soon.”

A Torquay couple are set to marry, deep inside one of the UK’s oldest caves.

Gilly Woodland aged 49 and Alan Duckworth aged 48 will exchange their nuptials in what is thought to be the oldest cave to have been inhabited by prehistoric humans in the country.

Kent’s Cavern is located in Torquay, Devon, and lays claim to proof of some of the first human occupation of the UK. Amongst other artefacts found in the caves were 5 axes with flint handles which dated back almost ½ million years.

On Saturday a wedding party of 85 will travel to the caves onboard an old-fashioned bus before heading into the underground caves at 3.00pm for the candle-lit civil ceremony which will be held in one of the larger caves followed by post-wedding cocktails and live music in another.

The blushing bride said of the ceremony:-

“We wanted a blank canvas where we could design own wedding. You can put together exactly what you want.

There will be a civil wedding in one cave, then a cocktail party with a 25 piece orchestra, Spectrum Music, playing in the other. We will come up for air for a dinner at ground level, and then go underground again for more live music.

Although the caverns are massive you never forget you are in a cave - and there is the slight risk of being dripped on by a stalactite, it will be really special. All the guests think it is very exciting and they have not stopped talking about it.

They think it is great fun. It is going to be one huge party.”