favours | Hanami Dream | Cotswolds copywriter

Inspiration: festival wedding

by Hanami Dream | 9, November, 2017 | blog, inspiration, styled shoots

This festival wedding was a real break from tradition – full of alternative ideas for couples to get inspiration for their big day. It showcased an abundance of hanging greenery and was really tactile using different materials such as denim, macrame, paper, wood and terracotta details.

The colour palette had a 70s vibe full of Fall 2017 colours of a pale blue Bluebell, a soft Copper Tan coral, Navy Peony blue, brown and white. It was planned and designed by Hanami Dream and fantastically captured by Cat Stephens Photography.

On Sunday 17th September 2017, Cogges Manor Farm held a festival styled Wedding Open Day that Hanami Dream helped to organise. But this was not a traditional wedding fair – the Barn was dressed as if it were a real wedding.

Think dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl. It was a different take from the norm to provide options and open people’s eyes to the huge spectrum of ideas to bring their dream to life.

For example, there weren’t any real flowers at this wedding. They were either paper flowers or house plants showing couples that they can achieve this look by making (or borrowing) things themselves – this is great for any diy wedding couples.

Plus, all the stationery was embroidered on to denim rather than traditional paper – menus were on the napkins, name places were sleeves around the milk bottle glasses, table plan labels were hung on Portuguese laurels plants.

It was a relaxed and informal open day showcasing a truly personal wedding option – not a cookie cutter approach at all. Take a look at some of the testimonials from the day.

Cogges Manor Farm was the ideal location for this wedding as it offers the perfect blank canvas to add personalised details. It is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns as well as a beautiful walled garden, stunning grounds and an impressive Manor House as a remarkable backdrop.

The festival vibe was hailed from the entrance with impressive towering festival flags (from Event Flag Hire) – signalling the way to the party.

Couples walked in to the Wheat Barn down a tree lined aisle. The vintage mismatched chairs (courtesy of Linda’s Vintage Hire) were beautifully decorated with macramé chair coverings (from MacrAmy’s Macrame) and the Portuguese Laurels (kindly provided by Bampton Garden Plants) guided the way right to where the ceremony would take place under a stunning macramé backdrop (wonderfully created by MacrAmy’s Macrame) and framed by two beautiful olive trees (also from Bampton Garden Plants).

One side of the barn was decorated as a seating area to enjoy a sumptuous wedding breakfast. The vintage tables and chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire) were laid out below an impressive array of trailing plants in spectacular hanging macramé holders (from MacrAmy’s Macrame) and under spectacular festoon lighting (from Oakwood Events).

They were set with denim napkins (gorgeously embroidered by Little Pickle Creations) containing the menu, mini macramé favours (from MacrAmy’s Macrame), milk bottles (from Mabel & Rose) acting as drinking glasses with an embroidered denim name place (by Little Pickle Creations), placed inside were stripy straws (from Little Cherry), plus amazing natural biodegradable tableware (also from Little Cherry) – a perfect accompaniment to our street food reception.

The tables were also decorated with more terracotta pot plants and impressive paper flowers (from Pretty Big Flowers) that lit up for an incredible atmosphere.

The delicious ombre ruffle cake (by The Cake Element Bakery) echoed the colours of the denim stationery and sat beautiful on a vintage barrel (from Mabel & Rose) and amongst a display of framed absent friend photographs, crates and potted plants. The wonderful props from Mabel & Rose really brought the place to life and were dotted around adding features to every area including the bar which had a vintage tin bath and giant wooden barrels.

The other half of the barn was dedicated to the entertainment and dance floor – lit to accompany a party – including an impressive 7 square metre lit paper flower wall (constructed by Pretty Big Flowers).

Over the dance floor hung a white chandelier adorned with coral and denim ribbons and a 4-point drape star that flowed to the dance floor (from Oakwood Events), along with 4ft tall light up LOVE letters (wonderfully contributed by Gilt Edge Events).

There was also a chill out area complete with a comfy brown leather sofa, bales of hay as well as more vintage chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire). These were strewn with gorgeous lambswool wide-herringbone throws in mandarin and azure (from The Witney Blanket Hall).

Outside the party continued with a firepit to sit around, garden games and chalk boards highlighting the events of the day.

On top of all this, there was delicious food to try (courtesy of Goujon Monkey) such as beer battered cod, Cajun breaded chicken and deep-fried brie, along with paprika dusted chips. Plus, cake tasting from The Cake Element Bakery, drinks from Firkin Mobile Bars, live music from Joely Rendle and Natalya Williams, owl ring bearer from J.E.T. Falconry, a fashion show from Rosie Red Corsetry, plus two workshops on how to make some of the décor that was on display, expertly delivered by MacrAmy’s Macrame and Pretty Big Flowers.

There was a real festival vibe with macramé, hanging plants, dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl.

Thank you to all the wonderful suppliers that made this such an amazing wedding open day. It was lovely to meet excited couples in the midst of wedding planning – all the best with your special days!

It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by the wonderful local suppliers who provided their time, services, venue and products for free. Together we have showcased the amazing talent that our part of the UK has to offer the wedding industry.

Take a look at the fabulous suppliers that were involved in this styled shoot – Keeping it local with suppliers for the Festival shoot

And take a glimpse behind the scenes at the how the theme and designs came to life – Behind the scenes: Festival shoot

#keepitlocal

Keeping it local with suppliers for the Festival shoot

by Hanami Dream | 9, November, 2017 | blog, styled shoots

Thanks to all these wonderful suppliers #keepitlocal

Photographer – Cat Stephens Photography

Award winning, Oxfordshire based wedding, family and lifestyle photographer. Full day coverage wedding packages available from £750

@oxfordshirephotography

@catstephensphotography

Location – Cogges Manor Farm

Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns for weddings. They are a perfect blank canvas where you can add loads of personalised details to make your special day complete. Your wedding can be as individual as you are with your own choice of catering, furniture and decoration.

The magnificent and spacious Wheat Barn can seat up to 200 guests, with refurbished stone floor, and portable heating included in the cost of hire. The more intimate and adjacent Barley Barn can seat about 60 guests or is an ideal choice to use as a dance or ceremony area. Each barn can be hired separately, or as a combined hire. Cogges offers a civil ceremony license and is next door to Cogges Parish Church.

In addition to any indoor space you hire, you and your guests can use the charming outdoor space to wander and enjoy (and after 5pm you will have exclusive use of the site). Cogges has many perfect locations for your wedding photographs, such as the Manor House lawn, the walled garden or the orchard and you can even include the farm animals in your photos.

Tree hire – Bampton Garden Plants

We are a retail nursery in Bampton, West Oxfordshire. We have a passion for plants and our friendly and knowledgeable staff are always happy to help you find the plants or give you the advice that you require. We pride ourselves on having a fantastic range of plants small and large including beautiful home grown summer and winter bedding.

We also boast a fabulous café serving hot lunches everyday. The shop offers further products including hand tools, furniture, pots and planters and gardeners supplies area as well as gifts and our food shop, stocked with local produce.

@bamptongarden

@Bamptongardenplants

@bamptongardenplants

Flag Hire – Event Flag Hire

At The Event Flag Hire Company we design, manufacture, hire and install beautiful handmade flags, bunting and banners, perfect for your festival wedding. Our lightweight self-install telescopic poles and flags were designed to be a visually stunning but simple and cost effective way to decorate any venue. We also offer a full bespoke service which allows flags, banners or bunting to be made to a particular specification.

Our stunning flags and bunting will make your festival wedding stand out from the rest, plus we offer a 10% discount for weddings. All styles are available in hues of white and made specifically with weddings in mind. Alternatively our bright colourful silk flags will equally compliment a festival-themed wedding. We use over 70 colours of silk so can match any colour scheme.

Our flags and bunting hire represent a quick, effective and environmentally friendly way of creating a festive atmosphere. We have created simple wedding packages to make it cost effective for you to decorate your venue yourselves using our self-install flags and bunting. Prices include flags (style and colour of your choice), 6m telescopic poles and ground fixings, bunting and return next-day courier service direct to your door. All these packages are portable and will fit in a standard car.

We have been making flags for 15 years and keep coming up with unique designs to keep up with demand. Each flag is a unique work of art hand crafted to an extremely high standard in our Bristol Studio. We cover the entire of the UK and abroad so please get in touch where ever you are!

@TheEventFlagHireCompany

@eventflaghire

LOVE light up letters – Gilt Edge Events

Specialists in Bespoke Wedding Venue Decoration From Centrepieces to Flower Walls, Candy Carts to Starlit Backdrops, Garlands, Fairylight Canopies, Giant LOVE letters, Disco’s Grand Floral Arch and much, much more.

A Complimentary Design Consultation to transform your chosen venue into something magical for your big day. Working with you we can create the theme of your dreams, all installed & removed with the minimum disruption to your big event.

We can supply Starlit Backdrops, Table Decorations & Centrepieces, Chair Covers, Fairylight Canopies, Garlands, Grand Floral arches, Candy Carts, Sweet/ Dessert Dressers Flower Walls, Giant LOVE Letters and much, much more.

Karen, with many years experience as a fashion designer in London, combined with Phil, with a career in the Graphic Design, Signwriting and Event Industry will deliver a bespoke wedding, leaving you to concentrate on having the Best Day of your life.

@GiltEdgeEvents

@giltedgeevents

Food van – Goujon Monkey

Goujon Monkey are an Oxfordshire based gourmet street food caterer offering traditional favourites with a modern twist.

They pride themselves on serving the finest quality street food available, using only the freshest ingredients. All of their food is cooked from scratch and served from a lovingly restored vintage Citroen H van.

With menus to suit different tastes including their hand prepared Beer Battered Cod, Goujon Monkey offer a unique addition to your big day.

Our prices start from £750 for private event catering for 75 guests. Contact details Tim 07469710373 or Matt 07917284944.

@goujonmonkey

Chairs & tables – Linda’s Vintage Hire

We provide a stress free vintage hire service for all occasions. If you are organising an event with a vintage flare we can supply furniture, crockery and a range of props and accessories to give your event that much loved nostalgic vintage feel.

We work with theatres, corporations, event and wedding planners, caterers, photographers and festivals to mention but a few.

So if you’re planning your vintage event whether it’s afternoon tea, the wedding of your dreams, a magazine shoot or creating something inspirational for a large festival there is no end to what can be achieved with the help of Linda’s Vintage Hire. We can deliver up and down the country so just give us a call on 07532 184174 for a quote.

Cutlery & crockery – Little Cherry | https://www.littlecherry.co.uk/

Little Cherry are an online supplier of natural biodegradable tableware and a wide range of ethical and stylish party supplies for weddings, street food, festivals and events throughout the UK.

Our aim is to make food look fabulous on our environmentally-friendly tableware. Ranges include the ever-popular Palm Leaf plates (made from naturally fallen palm leaves in India), compostable Sugar Cane and the largest selection of Wheat Fibre tableware in the UK, including a new takeaway range.

We cater for any size of event and offer discounts to caterers for bulk orders. We also have a dedicated Trade Site, can offer next day delivery and offer a sample pack service allowing customers to “try before they buy”.

Our fantastic selection of cups, cutlery, napkins, picks and skewers are the perfect accompaniment to any of our ranges of tableware.

@LittleCherryLtd

@littlecherryltd

@LittleCherryPartySupplies

Stationery – Little Pickle Creations

Nicola from Hanami Dream approached us to provide wedding accessories that she had imagined, but never seen made before – that’s our ideal brief!

We love a challenge, and love making unusual items that no-one has ever produced before. The wedding items we produced were around a denim theme, so we embroidered guests names onto handmade denim bottle sleeves, and made individual hanging name labels for the table plan along with napkins embroidered with the menu.

Really unique and personalised, just as it would be for any couple planning their own special day with their own ideas and themes that they wish to use. Sometimes these unique items aren’t ordinarily available from traditional wedding suppliers and that’s where we come in – creating special unique items tailored specifically to our clients requirements.

@lpc.ltd

@littlepicklecreations

Props – Mabel & Rose

Mabel & Rose has a lovely array of original vintage and rustic props available to hire. Our large range includes old apple crates, oak barrels, chalkboards, vintage suitcases, rustic wheelbarrows, an old delivery bicycle plus lots of smaller items like vintage bottles, jars, jugs and pots. So whether it’s large milk churns filled with flowers or a selection of vintage tin baths to keep your drinks cool we would love to help you enhance your venue and create the perfect look and feel for your wedding. Styling and on the day venue dressing services are also available.

@mabelandrose

@Mabel and Rose

@mabelandrose

Macramé – MacrAmy’s Macrame

Macramé artist

Keeping it natural!

Workshops and evening classes…

@MacrAmysMacrame

@macramysmacrame

Lighting – Oakwood Events

Oakwood Events supplies stunning lighting for stylish couples. We design and install lighting schemes for barn weddings using fairy lights, festoon lights, bare bulbs, paper lanterns, chandeliers, drapes, uplighting, bunting and dance floor lighting.

Lighting is a unique addition to your wedding and can be used to highlight features like beams or stone walls, change the atmosphere between day and night or make a colour or design statement to match your theme. We pride ourselves on top quality design, professional installation and amazing features; explore our Pinterest boards for inspiration and to see how our lighting adds wow factor to barn weddings.

See your wedding in a different light!

@OakwoodEventsUK@oakwoodevents@oakwoodevents@oakwoodevents

Paper flowers – Pretty Big Flowers

Our self-assembly kits let you create stunning giant paper flowers. Why settle for factory made sameness when you can create a totally unique display at a fraction of the cost?

We’ve taken the guess work out of self-assembly – even a crafting beginner can get professional and consistent results.

Paper flowers add a touch of feminine glamour to lots of situations. Enjoy creating your own decorative accents with our giant paper flower self-assembly kits for a wall at home, a stunning backdrop for wedding photos or an eye catching motif for an important event. And of course you can take the credit because the flair you add is all your own (we’ve just made it effortless!)

@BigPaperFlowers@pbigflowers@prettybigflowers@prettybigflowers

Cake – The Cake Element Bakery

We are a successful duo of husband and wife working together to produce a really superior product.

Any size and any design, we love making wedding cakes. We offer a variety of delicious flavours and fillings. We use the best ingredients and passion to create a beautiful and delicious wedding cakes, making your special extra special.

We are committed to quality and excellent customer service. Our cakes are fleshly baked to order and crafted by hand.

@SiedlerMichelle@miauller@thecakeelementbakery@thecakeelementbakery

Blankets – The Witney Blanket Hall

Witney Blanket Hall was built in 1721 by the Company of Blanket Makers. For over 120 years, every blanket woven in the town came to the Hall to be weighed and measured, and upstairs in the Great Room the Company set the Rules for the Trade. After 1845 the New Mills established their own measuring, and the redundant Blanket Hall became variously a Brewery, a Lemonade Factory, Engineering Shop, Office of births marriages and deaths, Dancing School, and latterly, a distinctive gentleman’s house. During most of its history, the Hall is also where many of the town’s Public Meetings took place, the death of Kings solemnly commemorated and the birth of Princes celebrated with great feasts. In the 18th Century, the Hall housed the town’s Fire Pump. In 2015, the Hall reopened its doors to reveal this illustrious past and offer woollen blankets and throws, coffee pies and assemblies, both commercial and cultural. Visitors are always welcome and are invited to come and find out more about the infamous Witney Blankets.

The Pie Shop offers its famous pies and platters, as well as tea, coffee and cakes. We are licenced so wine and Blanket Hall Beer are always available. The Hall can also be open outside hours by arrangement and is often available for hire by Companies and Societies.

@theblankethall @witneyblankethall@theblankethall

Delivery – Global 360 International Freight Forwarders

@Global-360-International-Freight-Forwarders

Take a look at a behind the scenes look at the briefs that were given to these fabulous suppliers and how the Festival theme came to life with their designs and products.

Inspiration: festival

by Hanami Dream | 9, November, 2017 | inspiration

A real break from tradition, this festival wedding showcased an abundance of hanging greenery, dream catcher favours, festoon and ribbon drape lighting, oversized letter lighting, paper flowers, food van, chill out area and fire bowl, using different materials such as denim, macrame, paper, wood and terracotta details.

See more images in our gallery and the amazing local suppliers who came together to make this shoot possible in this blog post.

Photography by Cat Stephens Photography

Inspiration: modern Edwardian Secret Garden wedding

by Hanami Dream | 15, July, 2017 | blog, inspiration, styled shoots

Based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (published in 1911), this modern Edwardian styled wedding shoot is a perfect harmony of traditional and contemporary elements brought together with sheer glamour and sophistication. Planned and designed by Hanami Dream and wonderfully captured by Squib Photography.

This elegant and delicate wedding is set in the grounds of a local English Manor House in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds of the UK (also used in the filming of another 1910s drama, Downtown Abbey). The lush greenery of a walled garden is discovered behind a secret locked door and its unseen natural beauty is unearthed after being concealed for many years.

Complete with an intimate ceremony on the croquet lawn, drinks in a secluded corner of the garden, followed by a celebration in a stunning Cotswold stone barn, this wedding features modern twists on traditional wedding styles with a real sense of rejuvenation.

With clear acrylic ‘stationery’ and signage with white brush lettering (where the greenery of the garden can be seen through), a hoop bouquet, a fresh take on the time-honoured wedding dessert of a croquembouche, vintage pearl details, antique keys and a friendly robin redbreast motif. Mary and Colin would be proud to attend this stylish wedding.

The colour palette is soft and understated so nothing distracts from the abundance of sumptuous cascading foliage. White is accented with hints of pink Pale Dogwood and plenty of the Colour of the Year of Greenery. There’s a definite nod to the Pantone® Spring/Summer 2017 colours with some subtle inclusion of blues (a navy Lapis for the groom’s suit and a denim Niagara of the manor house internal doors), Hazelnut and more greenery in the form of Kale.

Cogges Manor Farm  was the ideal location for this wedding with its very essence in this era. It is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns as well as a beautiful walled garden, stunning grounds and an impressive Manor House as a remarkable backdrop.

The couple got ready in the peaceful setting of the Manor House, strolled romantically through the walled garden, encouraged their families to ‘choose a seat not a side’ on vintage chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire) on the croquet lawn, and enjoyed the perfect blank canvas of the Barley Barn where modern, personalised details make this wedding complete.

Hanging from one of the impressive beams is a large rustic wooden cartwheel from Oakwood Events, adorned with greenery along with stylish bulb cages around Edison type filaments, plus some added alliums (from Lark Rise Flowers).

The top table is awash with greenery running down the whole of the table and spilling off the ends to the floor, courtesy of Lark Rise Flowers. Plus, the fragrance of the foliage was a delight to the senses with hosta, hedera, honeysuckle, laurel and hebe. Along with gentle inclusion of white flowers in the form of campanula, astilbe, lady’s mantle, sweet william, viburnum, rambling rose, helleborus seedheads and valeriana.

The sturdy wooden table, along with vintage chairs from Linda’s Vintage Hire, is set simply with white crockery and silver cutlery, plus clear acrylic menus sit on green moss. Alongside each setting is a clear acrylic place name (with guest names paying homage to the character names from the book) attached to vintage keys, along with favours of charming wooden robins by Muffat Prague.

Guests are directed around the farm with stylish clear acrylic signage and find their places by referring to the reclaimed window pane table plan with white brush lettering thanks to The Paper Hare, completing the stationery suite of clear acrylic invitations and clear acrylic table number tubes.

In the garden, the couple relax and enjoy a smooth glass of brandy whilst listening to the gramophone and admiring the remarkable cake by Cotswold Baking, a reintroduction of a traditional wedding dessert. This impressive croquembouche plays on the trend of wedding cake alternatives and sits on top of a plain white cake. The choux balls are decorated with edible pearl balls of varying sizes.

The bride chicly carries a hoop bouquet by Lark Rise Flowers leaving a beautiful scent of jasmine wherever she sashays. She has strong smoky eyes, pinched cheek blush and barely-there pale lipstick reminiscent of the times and beautifully recreated by Blushing Brides.

Her hair is ornamented with a delicate pearl hair vine by Designed to Sparkle and gathered up to reveal the breathtaking backless dress.

She perfectly fits the glamourous, champagne coloured bridal gown, made from Lux Charmeuse, featuring a high neckline, flutter sleeves, low back, attached silver beaded waistline and godet train by Justin Alexander, provided by Proposals of Witney. This 1910s styling is teamed with a multi-strand bracelet and necklace by Designed to Sparkle, made with navette set Swarovski crystal stones and pearls, in creamrose light shade.

The suave, slicked-back groom suited the era with a blue three-piece suit made from a British fabric 100% wool, cut in a traditional style but more modern in shape from The Cotswold Tailor.

Take a look at the fabulous suppliers that were involved in this styled shoot – Keeping it local with suppliers for the Secret Garden shoot

And take a glimpse behind the scenes at the how the theme and designs came to life – Behind the scenes: Secret Garden shoot

And here’s the video from the shoot too – Video: Secret Garden Wedding

#keepitlocal

: after

: Photography by Squib Photography

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 29th March 2017 – wedding planning timeline

by Hanami Dream | 29, March, 2017 | #UKWedLunch

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 29th March 2017

As well as general wedding planning chat, today we look at where are you on your wedding planning journey #UKWedLunch

JUST ENGAGED: Set the budget, date & guest list so you can pick a venue and planner #UKWedLunch

11-12 MONTHS TO GO: Book photographer, florist and caterer, pick your attendants, get insurance & think about decor #UKWedLunch

8-10 MONTHS TO GO: Book officiant and band, register for gifts, book honeymoon, buy dress & pick stationery #UKWedLunch

6-7 MONTHS TO GO: Pick cake, buy bridesmaids dresses, send save the date, trial hair and make up & taste menu #UKWedLunch

3-5 MONTHS TO GO: Book transport, hire suits, pick accessories, buy rings, order favours and decide on decor #UKWedLunch

1-2 MONTHS TO GO: Send invitations, finalise menu, write vows, confirm numbers, create seating plan & complete schedule #UKWedLunch

If you’d like a complete wedding planning timeline then please email info@www.hanamidream.co.uk for your copy #UKWedLunch

As well as general wedding planning chat, next week we will be looking at ‘modern alternatives to wedding traditions‘ #UKWedLunch

JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm BST

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 22nd February 2017 – wedding favours

by Hanami Dream | 22, February, 2017 | #UKWedLunch

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 22nd February 2017

As well as general wedding planning chat, this week we look at wedding favours – alternatives to traditional sugared almonds #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 1: edible favours like chocolate bars with personalised wrappers, retro sweets, lovehearts, lollipops, cake pops #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 2: ice breaker wedding favours like games to play with other guests, cameras to snap candid shots, colouring books #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 3: wedding favours to wear like flip flops, sun glasses, umbrellas, moustaches & temporary tattoos #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 4: wedding favours to grow like packets of seeds, dried herbs, succulents, potted plants #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 5: wedding favours to drink like alcohol miniatures, loose leaf tea, shot glass #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 6: decorative wedding favours like scented candles, soap, fridge magnets #UKWedLunch

This week’s top tips are taken from ‘Top local wedding favour suppliers in the Cotswolds‘ #UKWedLunch

As well as general wedding planning chat, next week’s theme will be on ‘honeymoons‘ #UKWedLunch

JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT

Top local wedding favour suppliers in the Cotswolds

by Hanami Dream | 13, February, 2017 | blog, tips

Gifts for your guests can be great mementos or souvenirs of your wedding day showing a token of your appreciation whilst also matching your theme or colour scheme. Nowadays couples are choosing more unique, personalised, dated and themed gifts. There is also a wonderful trend of providing charity pins to guests and making a donation to a chosen charity.

Here’s a pick of some of my current favourite favours to: eat, meet, keep or have as a treat.

Edible
- Traditional sugared almonds
- Chocolate bars with personalised wrappers
- Retro sweets (think flyer saucers, dip dabs and flumps)
- Loveheart sweets (brought up to date with new slogans such as ‘text me’!)
- Lollipops in a communal bowl on the table
- Cake pops
Ice breakers
- Games to play with other guests on the same table
- Cameras to snap candid shots
- Colouring books to keep children entertained
To wear at wedding
- Flip flops for when your heels are hurting your dancing feet
- Sun glasses for an outside wedding on a sunny day
- Umbrellas for an outside wedding when the weather isn’t as sunny
- Moustaches just for fun
- Temporary tattoos
Grow
- Packets of seeds to grow vegetables
- Dried herbs to add to meals at home
- Succulents or other potted plants
Drink
- Alcohol miniatures
- Loose leaf tea
- Shot glass
Decorations
- Scented candles
- Soap
- Fridge magnets to always remember the couples’ wedding anniversary

Plus take a look at these brilliant local suppliers that can bring a different angle to provide some wonderful favours:

Fab Fudge

FabFudge was created in August 2016 on the back of an idea, to help fundraise for Reboot Me With HSCT – A Multiple Sclerosis Fundraiser.

It originally started with us making Fudge for friends and family who bought it and everyone loved it!

With over 25+ different types and flavours of fudge, including Vegan friendly, Gluten Free & Alcoholic , we have a wide range of fudge suited for just about everyone, and were constantly increasing our range. The chocolate we use is only the best UTZ Certified Belgium Chocolate, therefore when you buy our fudge, you are getting the best chocolate around! If you cannot find something that you like or you want to give us a suggestion for something we can make, get in touch with us and we’ll do our best to make it for you! We also cater for events, if you want more information please get in touch with us.

We can deliver to a wide range of places all over the world. All profit made from FabFudge goes to Reboot Me With HSCT – Fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis treatment.

Our fragrance work shop has all always worked well for corporates and stag/hen parties, but we realised there was a gap in the market to turn these into favours for wedding guests or special occasions as table presents.

We talk about the fragrance the couple would like to create, whether it be unisex or a distinct aftershave or perfume and then take them through our 18 blends from Grasse in France (the home of perfume).

We create the fragrances with their choices, sorting out the measurements of each blend. They then have a 30ml atomiser (or larger in their chosen style) or choose either 5ml or 10 ml bottles as the wedding favours. This can also be made into scented candles, room sprays or even scented love hearts or ornaments.

Needless to say the packaging and colours can tie up with their desired coloured scheme. The fragrance then has a certificate and kept on our database if they would like refills or their guests. We work Nationwide and can work in their homes, or hotels or wherever they choose. We are also developing a do it yourself kit for lower budgets, where the couple can receive all the instructions and equipment and make them themselves.

@Magnifisense5

@magnifisense5

MuffatPrague

MuffatPrague started life as a sonic and visual arts blog in 2011.

After a lifetime’s love of the letterform, all things typographic and a couple of decades of working independently in creative spheres, designer-maker team Rob and Hils decided to start hand-craft letters from their garden studio in 2014. Their Oiseaux, a simple bird form designed by Rob has now become their brand identity and signature design. Their work is handmade from locally sourced reclaimed ply, walnut and oak, finished with Farrow & Ball Eggshell and Oxfordshire beeswax.

They were voted Best Creative Producer (Bucks/Oxon) in the Muddy Stilettos Awards 2016 and have new ideas coming for 2017 – keep an eye on their website and Instagram feed for more info.

The birds are available in 4 sizes with a single brass leg fitting or bakers twine loop.

NC Oxford is Oxfordshire’s finest producer of luxury scented candles and reed diffusers. All of our products are lovingly hand poured in our workshop located near the historic town of Woodstock. We use the finest quality ingredients including natural soy based waxes to give our candles a slow clean burn. We combine our wax with the most luxurious fragrance oils, expertly balanced, to produces wonderful aromas. Our products’ simple but stylish design will compliment any room or occasion effortlessly. When given as a gift, it will make a lasting impression.

For your wedding day, we are able to produce a commemorative and bespoke range of candles and have candles to suit all budgets. Choose from:

The “Bride & Groom” – a large 3 wick candle which will have burn time of over 70 hours
The “Mother of the Bride”, “Maid of Honour/Best Man”- our luxury 220g signature candle, with a burn time of 40-50 hours
Wedding favour votives – our smaller, but elegant 90g votive candle, with a burn time of 15 hours
Wedding favour tea lights – deep filled luxury tea lights. Each tea light has a burn time of 3-4 hours

All of our jar candles some with stainless steel “snuffer” lids. As well as being a stylish addition, the snuffer lids help to keep the fragrance strong in the candles so they can keep for years without losing their wonderful scents.

To make your wedding favours extra special, we can include your name and the date of the wedding on our designer labels, ensuring that you and your guests can cherish the candles forever. Simply choose your favourite scent from our “Special Occasions”, “Quintessentially Oxford” or “Timeless” range.

@nc_oxford

@ncoxford

Perfect Pamper Gifts

Perfect Pamper Gifts pride themselves on offering personal and thoughtful gifts. When it comes to gifts, we all want to give our loved ones something that’s unique, personal and not found in bulk on the high street. A grand gesture isn’t so grand when you can see your gift in every other shop after all.

Specialising in bath, body and pampering treats, all of the products are handmade within the UK so you really can experience the best the UK has to offer. Offering luxurious bath bombs to irresistible candle tins and a whole lot more, Perfect Pamper Gifts provide the perfect pampering gift for all occasions. A ‘create your own’ facility means your gift can be packaged how you like, tied with a bow and finished with a message to make it as personal as you wish. A gift becomes memorable when its personal.

@pamper_gifts

@PerfectPamperGifts

@pamper_gifts

Stonesfield Soap Company

Stonesfield Soap Company is a small, family-run business based in in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. It started off as a hobby, following on from our daughter’s 9^th birthday party (a ‘spa science’ party, making bath fizzies, melt & pour soap etc), and as a concerned response to the huge number of unnecessary chemicals found in toiletries today. Since then, it has grown into a business driven by a passion for the manufacture of natural, artisan cold-process soap with an emphasis on design. The maxim that ‘beautiful skin deserves beautiful soap’ is at the forefront of what we do, with a firm belief that a good, natural soap should not only leave the skin feeling gently cleansed and perfectly conditioned but should also provide a positive visual experience, with the design of the soap playing an important role. The inclusion of various botanicals, clays, milks and a wide range of pure nutrient and essential oils, all carefully chosen for their individual properties, helps us create a very special soap indeed. We employ a strong ‘no palm oil’ policy and actively support a local conservation charity that works out in Sumatra. As well as soap, we are continually expanding our range of bath and skincare products, such as balms, bath bombs, salts and oils.

Wildflower Favours

Wildflower Favours are all about eco weddings, butterflies, bees, wildflowers and nature! We supply recycled seed packet wedding favours, personalised with the bride and groom’s wedding details, and containing British-grown British wildflower seeds. Seeds which our native butterflies and bees love! We also create lovely invites and wedding favours from recycled seed paper – paper which is embedded with flower seeds and really grows into flowers! We want to spread the word about the environment and giving nature a helping hand and weddings are ideal for reaching a big audience and converting people to the beauty and usefulness of wildflowers.

@wildfavours

@Wildflowers.Favours

Wildflowers Wedding Favours

@Wildflower_Wedding_Favours

WrapperStar

Personalised Chocolate Bars from WrapperStar are a fantastic & cost-effective way of adding a truly personal touch to your wedding reception tables. It’s a great wedding favour that all ages will love, & can be tailored to your theme/colour-scheme as well as being individually personalised to double up as your place settings too.

Each bar is 10 chunks of smooth creamy milk chocolate (made in the UK) & is a lovely token gift that can be personalised on both the front & back of the wrapper. Choose from an existing design or have a bespoke wrapper created just for you to match your wedding stationery – with pearlescent papers, diamante or pearl embellishments and the option to use your own artwork, the possibilities are endless!

Why not inject some extra fun into the speeches with WrapperStar’s Wonka Bar wedding favours? Imagine the excitement when the golden tickets are found! Please ask for more details.

Based in Witney, Oxfordshire, WrapperStar delivers throughout the UK & Europe.

@WrapperStar

Plus here’s a few other local suppliers to check out:

Burford Sweet Shop
Chillies 2U
Foxdenton Estate for miniature gins
Jon’s Spice Hut
Lane End Vintage
Muck and Brass Jewellery for paper weights
The Little Lollipop Shop
UE Coffee Roasters
Wedding Flip Flops

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 7th December 2016 – guest book ideas

by Hanami Dream | 7, December, 2016 | #UKWedLunch

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 7th December 2016

As well as general wedding planning chat, there’s some #toptips as well. This week’s theme is ‘guest book ideas’ #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 1: Get your guests to contribute and colour in a giant poster mural @fancyfeatures #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 2: Ask people to sign decorative, keep sake items for your home such as quilt, globe or Christmas baubles #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 3: Have a recipe book where everyone contributes a favourite recipe to be printed in a book @recipegiftbook #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 4: Get guests to put their best wishes on to labels to hang from a wish tree @treeofhearts #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 5: Frame an illustration of your venue which guests can sign @illustratedinvites #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 6: Have hand written messages on various hearts placed around a cut out framed tree @papertreedesign #UKWedLunch

This week’s top tips taken from Hanami Dream blog ‘Alternative wedding guest book ideas‘ #UKWedLunch

JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT

Next week’s theme is ‘2017 wedding trends’ #UKWedLunch

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 30th November 2016 – thank you gifts

by Hanami Dream | 30, November, 2016 | #UKWedLunch

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 30th November 2016

As well as general wedding planning chat, there’s some #toptips as well. This week’s theme is ‘thank you gifts’ #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 1: Gifts for guests can be great mementos of the day showing your appreciation & matching your theme or colour scheme #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 2: Sugared almonds are traditional (give an odd number) they represent Health, Wealth, Happiness, Long Life & Fertility #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 3: Couples are choosing unique, personalised, dated & themed gifts to eat, meet, keep or have as a treat #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 4: Give gifts to thank the wedding party for their support – these can be really personalised to the individual #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 5: You might want to buy your new spouse a 0 anniversary gift to celebrate your wedding day #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 6: Whether you give favours or not, don’t forget to thank all your guests for their presence and their presents #UKWedLunch

This week’s top tips taken from Hanami Dream blog ‘Thank you gifts at weddings‘ #UKWedLunch

JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT

Next week’s theme is ‘guest book alternatives’ #UKWedLunch

Inspiration: autumnal marsala & gold Wind in the Willows wedding

by Hanami Dream | 22, November, 2016 | blog, inspiration, styled shoots

Set in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside of the Cotswolds, this Wind in the Willows styled bridal shoot is an outdoor, autumnal adventure. Complete with vintage transport alongside a picturesque river, followed by a celebration in a grand hall dressed in marsala and gold, with chalk board and marble design features plus tactile fabrics like tweed, corduroy and suede. Planned and designed by Hanami Dream and wonderfully captured by Farrow Photography.

It is a true celebration of the beauty of nature and encapsulates the sense of an outdoors adventure as typified by the Wind in the Willows book by Kenneth Grahame. This is a chance to get away from the hectic, crowded city to a stunning and tranquil setting. Mole, Ratty, Toad and Badger would be proud to attend this relaxed bohemian wedding.

The Old Swan and Minster Mill was a perfect location for this wedding where the bride and groom gazed at one another during their wedding ceremony whilst on the love seats under the Temple Garden. This had the amazing backdrop of a splendid willow tree draping it’s branches in to the River Windrush, flowing on it’s way to join the River Thames.

The couple moored their rowing boat by a disused boat house, explored the peaceful setting with treks down the river, over bridges, carefree on a tree swing and enjoyed a sumptuous, rustic picnic sat on a blanket with their hamper on the riverbank.

Mr Toad would have approved of the vintage Humber car (from British Classic Car Hire) to experience the open road before entering the Great Hall through a paper floral archway (by Paper Tree Design) to feast on a mouthwatering banquet.

Once inside the happy couple sat in pride of place at the top table, in front of an impressive fireplace with a mantelpiece adorned with swashes of forest green foliage (from Classic Flowers) and fairy lights. The table was luxurious and tactile complete with a suede cream table cloth, copious amounts of marsala coloured candles in gold candlesticks and geometric copper tea light holders (from Talking Tables). Gold beaded charger plates were topped with gold vintage crockery (from Vintage Gold China), marsala coloured silk napkins and a chalk board design menu card (by Paper Tree Design), besides gold vintage cutlery (from Vintage Gold China).

Guests found their places by referencing the chalk board style table plan and name cards (with guest names paying homage to the character names and table were named after chapters from the book by Paper Tree Design) and were given an opulent, marsala marbled soap as their fragrant favour (by Stonesfield Soap Company).

The top table was swathed in a striking floral table runner with a loose relaxed vibe containing lots of greenery along with burgundy dahlias, flowing amaranthus (mirroring the weeping willow tree outside), ranunculas, hypericum berries, snow berries, skimmia and bombastic roses. These flowers (from Classic Flowers) featured in the remarkable bouquet that the bride cradled, as well as in her loose braided hair (by Lucy Beesley Bridal), her corsage and the groom’s buttonhole.

These florals were beautiful replicated on the cake (by The Pretty Cake Company) which also combined other on trend themes such as marbling, metallic gold lustre, drip effects and a chalkboard tier, which was sympathetic to the stationery and a nod to the author of the book.

The gorgeous bride braved the cold autumnal weather, with a beautiful smile complete with marsala coloured lipstick (with makeup by Lucy Beesley Bridal) and perfectly fitted the romantic A line wedding gown with lace sleeves, sweeping net train and floral appliqued bodice by Watters (provided by Mae Bridal). She completed her look with a short veil (by Richard Designs) worn low below a delicate hair vine (by Miranda Templeton) and gold coloured Blake shoes (by Benjamin Adams).

Our handsome, bearded groom suited the countryside surroundings with the dapper tweed jacket and waistcoat, coupled with a checked shirt, marsala bow tie and plush red corduroy trousers that he wore (from Keates of Witney).