by Hanami Dream | 28, December, 2016 | news
I hope you’ve had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas. At this between and betwixt time, I often take the time to reflect on the past year. And what a fantastic year it’s been for Hanami Dream weddings and special occasions in 2016!
I’ve continued to study with UKAWEP and was proud to be picked as Student of the month in October. The course has (and continues) to open my eyes up to a whole world of weddings beyond just wedding planning.
My focus has changed this year and I’m concentrating on making the blog work commercially as well as providing inspiration to brides and grooms in the Cotswolds. This feels like a fantastic evolution, which really excites me and fits in with my current family life, plus combines my experience within the scope of the wedding industry.
I enjoyed working with a great venue and local businesses on a stunning Wind in the Willows styled photo shoot which featured on the blog as well as on Bride Magazine.
I also worked as a consultant with a local venue to help them with their first wedding open day where I held a wedding planning drop in clinic.
Plus I launched #UKWedLunch in August – a Twitter hour for brides and grooms to be who are planning their weddings in their lunch breaks.
I’m delighted to have enquiries for different aspects of the business including venue styling and consultancy, as well as such lovely testimonials from happy couples and suppliers I’ve worked with in 2016.
The blog featured posts on different elements of wedding planning, local wedding venues, catering vans, a series titled ‘the holy trinity of wedding planning’ and some wonderful guest posts from local wedding professionals (with top tips and an insight in to different elements of wedding planning from their area of the wedding industry). See the top ten posts of 2016.
My blog has had an exciting year and continues to go from strength to strength. The highlight of 2016, was being a finalist in two categories of the UK Blog Awards in April and I was delighted to get a highly commended award.
I was also chuffed to have some of my articles (on seating plans and stationery) published on Bride Magazine online too.
I’m pleased to add to my honoured collection of accolades with #QueenOf Wedding Inspiration by The Royal Connection, the #SmartSocial award from Marketme, #BrightPig’s Business of the Week and I was also picked by Jacqueline Gold CBE to be a WOW Winner.
I’m really proud to have won the UK Academy of Wedding and Event Planning’s Greenery (SS17 and colour of the year) Pantone® mood board competition again this year.
If all this wasn’t enough, I’m over the moon to have found out last week that I’ve been shortlisted for the next round of the West Oxfordshire Business Awards #WOBA2017. So I’m looking forward to meeting the judges in the New Year and to seeing what other exciting things 2017 has to hold for Hanami Dream.
Now is also a great time to look forward to the brand new year ahead. I’ve lots of plans afoot including focusing the blog on supporting and promoting local wedding professionals, services and venues #keepitlocal. And I can’t wait to produce more styled photo shoots and have more opportunities to collaborate with local suppliers.
Many thanks for your support in 2016 and here’s to an exciting and very Happy New Year!
by Hanami Dream | 5, December, 2016 | news
With great excitement, I’m pleased to say that Hanami Dream has been nominated in the UK Blog Awards again in 2017.
I was delighted to attend the UKBA16 award ceremony this April and receive highly commended in the events category. The awards are now in their fourth year and are the biggest and UK’s longest running programme to recognise influencer talent and I would love to build on my achievement of this year.
If you like reading my blog then I’d really appreciate your support again.
So please vote for Hanami Dream in the wedding category of the UK Blog Awards #UKBA17 at:
http://blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2017/entries/hanami-dream
The Public Vote is only open from 8am on Monday 5th December until 10am on Monday 19th December. So there’s only two weeks to get voting!
by Hanami Dream | 3, May, 2016 | news
What an exciting Friday night I had last week!
Off I trundled to the UK Blog Awards at the wonderful Park Plaza Hotel in Westminster Bridge, London. The staff there were great and gave me a brilliant first impression of the evening (oh my goodness, I will pay to valet park everywhere now as it was so seamless and a stress free start to events!)
Let me say that I went with little expectation of anything other than a good night out and some nice food and drinks. Well, I wasn’t let down in that department (the sausage, mash and delicious onion gravy was divine!) PLUS I had the added bonus of actually picking up a highly commended award as well!
At first, I could hardly believe that my company name was on the screen when Kate Russell was announcing the highly commended blogs in the individual events category (albeit that my company name was being pronounced a little differently than intended!) But what a very pleasant surprise and one I have to keep pinching myself about. You can see all the winners and high commended blogs from the night at the UK Blog Awards website.
I’m so pleased and feeling fairly chuffed at the moment. More importantly I’m now spurred on to develop my blog further.
Not a bad start to a bank holiday weekend!
by Hanami Dream | 3, May, 2016 | testimonials
“Congratulations once again on being awarded highly commended at the UK Blog Awards. Your Blog made it to the shortlist after 2,000 entries, 79,000 public votes which narrowed your Blog down to a top ten shortlist.
The judges then assessed your Blog against a rigorous criteria of:
Design | Style | Content | Marketing |Usability
Which was then assessed against five sub-criteria’s. Some of our judges have said that the criteria is the most intense that they have critiqued against.
Therefore, you should be super proud of your highly commended blog achievement!”
Gemma Newton, UK Blog Awards Ltd – May 2016
www.blogawardsuk.co.uk
by Hanami Dream | 27, April, 2016 | news
It’s been nearly 4 months since my blog was announced as one of the 10 individual finalists in the wedding category of the UK Blog Awards 2016. After voting and then judging, we’ve had a long time to wait. Now finally we get to hear the winners announced this Friday at an awards ceremony in London.
I’m proud to be a finalist and, honestly, I’m so honoured to just be counted alongside my fellow nominees. I’m going along really for a great night out, the delicious bowl food and a brilliant chance to network with some amazing bloggers. I feel like I’ve won already (yes, I know that sounds cliche and cheesy!) as the process has given me such a sense of achievement.
Win or lose, the awards have changed the focus of Hanami Dream. It has given me more confidence and the opportunity to promote my blog more.
For me, blogging has put me back on a level playing field again. After being on maternity leave, I found that there weren’t many flexible options available for women with experience, knowledge and great skills. But no one knows if I’m writing a blog post in my pyjamas late at night, or if I’ve just returned from the school run, or I’m covered in snot from one or more of my offspring. I feel on an equal footing again and blogging means I can still use all my skill set but at a convenient time to me.
The UK Blog Awards have been the catalyst for me to open my mind up to different opportunities and it has given my blog a new lease of life. Since I was announced as a finalist in January my blog has evolved considerably and I now feel that I’ve honed it and progressed it to the next level.
I look forward to hearing the winners announced on Friday night. But more importantly I look forward to the next chapter in the journey of my blog.
by Hanami Dream | 29, January, 2016 | news
I am absolutely thrilled with the exciting week I’ve had to round off January.
Firstly on Wednesday I was picked by Jacqueline Gold CBE (CEO of Ann Summers and Knickerbox) to be one of her weekly #WOW winners. What an honour to now be counted as one of her Women on Wednesday that she thinks have potential to grow and succeed in their industry. I’m very proud to be joining the prestigious #WOW club.
Then if that wasn’t enough excitement, I’ve also found out today that my blog has been shortlisted in the UK Blog Awards 2016!
Thank you so much to everyone for all your votes. I really appreciate your support and it has ensured the blog has made it to the final round in the wedding and event categories!
Now it’s all down to the judges and getting ready for a spangly awards ceremony in April.
I’m alongside some other amazing blogs so the judges are going to have a tricky task ahead. I’m just really chuffed to have made it this far.
Congratulations to all my fellow individual finalists in the UK Blog Awards wedding category. I’m proud to be a finalist alongside you.
So there we are – what a week! First a very proud Jacqueline Gold #WOWwinner and now a finalist in the #UKBA16. Can’t wait to see what on earth will February will bring!
Thanks once again for voting.
#proud #overthemoon #chuffedtobits
by Hanami Dream | 29, January, 2016 | testimonials
“Congratulations your Blog has been shortlisted!
…you have reached the final stage of the UK Blog Awards 2016 process.
…your Blog has been listed as the top 10 UK industry Blogs.
…we hope our shortlisted candidates are very proud of their achievements!”
Gemma Newton, UK Blog Awards Ltd – February 2016
www.blogawardsuk.co.uk
by Hanami Dream | 4, January, 2016 | news
Happy New Year!
Our year is starting with great excitement as we are thrilled to be entered in the UK Blog Awards.
If you like reading our blog then we’d really appreciate your support. So please vote for Hanami Dream in the wedding category of the UK Blog Awards #UKBA16.
http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2016/my-entry/hanami-dream
Voting is open from today until Monday 25th January 2016 at 9pm. You can vote once a day, every day for 3 whole weeks! So please keep voting for us.
Thank you.
