Your Kent Wedding - March/April 2024 (Issue 113)

GOUPIE Grace Simpson, co-owner/chocolatier says... An artisan chocolate confectionery company, we’ve been making Goupie as a family for more than 50 years and have been a business for the last 14. Everything we make is handmade, vegan, gluten-free and packaged sustainably. We primarily supply retailers such as Liberty’s, The National Trust, Macknade etc, but also sell direct to consumer via our website. We’ve won a number of awards including Great Taste, Sustainable Business, Ethical Business and Green Business and only began supplying wedding products last year after several of my friends got married, and asked what I could do! We have two main wedding offerings: Celebration Towers and Wedding Favours. The towers offer a selection of handmade chocolate goodies such as chocolate covered marshmallows and chocolate dipped fruit/nuts. Serving either eight or 12 guests per tower, they offer four chocolatey treats each to go with tea/coffee or as a cake replacement. Our favours give a sweet treat to each guest and can be customised for the couple with images, flavours, or even used as place settings. What is the most popular product you offer? Our most popular product is our customised Goupie Minis. These consist of 80g of Goupie per person, packaged in our uniquely shaped box and finished with a customised label. Most customers have chosen to add a photo of themselves to this label, as well as their names and wedding date. Why is it important to choose local suppliers? The importance of supporting local is clear in that it genuinely props up the local economy and keeps innovation in business alive. On your wedding day however, you probably don’t want to have to be thinking about economics! You want a supplier who is going to care about what you want as a couple and deliver something truly special for yourselves and your guests. I think this is a better reason why a couple should want to support local. This is the kind of service you will get with a small, local, team. Everyone in the business will know you, what you’re looking for, and genuinely care about your day as much as you will. Not to mention, that you’ll be able to offer your guests something they probably haven’t seen before! What does your dream customer look like? This is such a difficult question, as the dream wedding, for me, is one which reflects the couple perfectly, no matter the style. Our own personal Goupie style is probably fairly earthy, and natural, with a bit of quirk thrown in. I think that we can cater to this alternative DIY wedding very easily, perhaps set in a barn or woodland! That being said, our Celebration Towers definitely wouldn’t look that out of place in a much more traditional setting, as they have been fashioned after a high tea. Check out www.goupiechocolate.com NAVETTE JEWELLERY STUDIO Natalie Towell, designer/jeweller says… Establishing Navette Jewellery Studio eight years ago has allowed for direct contact between the jeweller and the client, allowing for the appreciation and craftsmanship of how jewellery is made. Navette Jewellery Studio specialises in creating bespoke and classic wedding rings and offers ‘Make Your Own Wedding Rings’ workshops. Our bespoke service offers couples that personal touch of having something uniquely their own and handmade, which can include sentimental aspects, such as the remodelling and refashioning of much treasured items or heirlooms to create their new wedding rings. This combined with our design service and guidance ensures they get their perfect custom wedding rings. What is the most popular product you offer? Our ever popular ‘Make Your Own Wedding Rings one day workshop experience is when a couple is guided, step-by-step in the different stages of making their wedding rings. Numerous options are offered to our couples, with the classic ring as standard, but also the choice of making shaped rings to sit against unusual, shaped engagement rings or embellishing with the additions of gemstones, engraving or texturing to the bands that they have made. On the day, the studio is closed to the public and with only the one couple in the workshop, ensuring for a truly personalised experience with photos taken throughout capturing their day. Why is it important to choose local suppliers? It allows for a more personal touch and ensures a memorable and exciting experience. What does your dream customer look like? We’re always excited when creating for couples that appreciate craftsmanship and individuality. With each couple requesting their very own personal sentiment to be included within their wedding rings making it uniquely theirs. Our workshops also bring so much pleasure as we know that we’ve enabled a couple to have the most perfect sentiment of love…their rings of promise created by their own hand. Check out www.navettejewellery.co.uk 54

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