Discover wedding favours in the North East
"Being creative has been a passion of mine for most of my life. I've made things from scratch for as long as I can remember, starting with simple balms using beeswax and rosewater. As a child, I'd take petals and pack them into jam jars with water, leaving them in the sun to infuse their scent. Of course, these would go bad, and I'd have to ditch them into the compost pile – I've learnt a lot since those childhood days. Over the years, I've studied art, design and textiles through school, graduating with a BA (Hons) Fashion Design degree from Northumbria University in 1996. After many years in non-creative jobs, I had to make the big scary leap and start my own business with creativity at the forefront. I launched Oakwood Soaperie in October 2010 from my passion of making cold-processed soaps and skincare products from natural ingredients. Right from the beginning, I wanted to use only natural ingredients like plant oils and butters, pure clays and essential oils while making beautiful products without artificial additives. It's important that the products are as eco-conscious and sustainable as possible.
“I have a genuine passion for the natural world and wish my business to have as little impact on the environment as possible. I make careful choices with ingredients and packaging to be environmentally freiendly. My dad is a beekeeper and we have fresh raw honey and beeswax by the end of each summer. I love to garden too and the aim is to grow all the botanicals I need for my products. I’m not quite there yet, but each year I’m buying less.
“I offer a custom wedding favour service where I can individually hand-make beautiful favours for guests. I wrap each item to match any colour scheme or theme. My handmade soap favours are my most popular products and each one is created traditionally with four to six weeks of cure time. Like a good wine or a cheese, they need time to become their best selves while being safe and ready to use. You would need a minimum of eight to 12 weeks when ordering the favours, more if possible, to allow me time to make the products, source packaging to customise and wrap everything to the desired aesthetic.
“I also offer mini versions of my other products for favours including salts, massage oils, votive candles and lip balms, to name but a few. I can also provide wedding party gifts with customised tags stating the names, wedding dates, and special messages to the recipient. My favourite product changes all the time, but I’m currently a little bit addicted to my flower-shaped body butter bars. Formulated from raw cocoa and shea butter, beeswax, sweet almond oil and pure essential oils, they’re a multi-purpose solid lotion bar that fits perfectly into the palm of your hand. Customers can use the item to moisturise after bathing, as a hand balm, a lip balm, a dry skin treatment for elbows and feet, or even a hair tamer for dry ends. I’ve tried it in so many ways, but I’m sure there are still more to discover.
Discover what the company offers here: www.oakwoodsoaperie.co.uk