Crafting Love Stories, Make Your Own Wedding Ring Workshops in Shoreham

Crafting Love Stories, Make Your Own Wedding Ring Workshops in Shoreham

by | Aug 13, 2024 | Press / News

Crafting Love Stories, Make Your Own Wedding Ring Workshops in Shoreham

Introduction

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dom King on BBC Radio Kent to delve into the captivating world of personalised wedding rings. Our discussion revolved around the unique and heartfelt experience offered by the “Make Your Own Wedding Ring Workshops” in Shoreham. Here, I share the essence of our conversation and the enchanting journey of crafting love stories through bespoke jewellery.

 

Embracing Creativity and Craftsmanship

During our interview, we explored how the hands-on experience of crafting wedding rings adds an extra layer of meaning to this cherished tradition. By working alongside skilled artisans, couples not only learn the intricate art of jewellery-making but also weave their emotions and aspirations into every curve and detail of the rings. The result is not just a piece of jewellery but a tangible embodiment of their love story.

Sharing Joyful Moments

By hosting these workshops in Shoreham, I aim to create a space where couples can step away from the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary. The process of crafting one’s wedding ring becomes a shared experience filled with laughter, excitement, and a profound sense of togetherness. It is a moment to savour and treasure as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.

The Art of Personalisation

At the heart of these workshops lies the art of personalisation. Beyond the craftsmanship of metal and gemstones, couples have the opportunity to infuse their rings with personal narratives, creating symbols of love and commitment tailored to their unique journey. From selecting materials and designs to shaping the final piece, each step is a celebration of individuality and shared connection.

 

Link to BBC Sounds

For those who wish to listen to the full conversation with Dom King on BBC Radio Kent, you can access the show on BBC Sounds by clicking here. Find the start at 36 minutes in. Immerse yourself in the stories and insights shared during our interview and discover the magic of crafting your own love story through bespoke wedding rings. Thank you so much Dom King and BBC Radio Kent. Follow in Instagram here.

Conclusion

As I reflect on my interview with Dom King, I am reminded of the beauty and significance of creating personalised wedding rings that go beyond mere adornments. The “Make Your Own Wedding Ring Workshops” in Shoreham offer couples a unique opportunity to manifest their love and commitment in a tangible form, preserving their story for generations to come. Join me on this enchanting journey of craftsmanship, creativity, and love, and let’s craft unforgettable memories together. Check availability here…

 

Carbon Literacy Training with the Sustainable Wedding Alliance: A Transformative Journey

Carbon Literacy Training with the Sustainable Wedding Alliance: A Transformative Journey

by | Jul 3, 2024 | Press / News

a carbon literate wedding supplier

Carbon Literacy Training with the Sustainable Wedding Alliance: A Transformative Journey

As someone deeply committed to environmental stewardship, I recently completed a carbon literacy training for wedding professionals. This training was delivered by the Sustainable Wedding Alliance. In our rapidly changing world, awareness and education about sustainability are no longer just commendable— they are essential. I am thrilled to share this enriching experience and its profound impact on my perspective and practices. In addition to meeting up in person with Sustainable Wedding Alliance members I was motivated to take this training.

 

What is Carbon Literacy?

Carbon literacy refers to an awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities and moreover the ability to communicate this knowledge. It’s about understanding how our actions affect the planet and empowering us to make more sustainable choices. This course, tailored by the Sustainable Wedding Alliance, places a particular emphasis on the wedding industry. Wedding events have their own unique set of environmental challenges and opportunities.

Why the Sustainable Wedding Alliance?

Weddings are momentous occasions, but they can also be resource-intensive events. The Sustainable Wedding Alliance is dedicated to transforming the wedding industry by promoting eco-friendly practices. Their carbon literacy training for wedding professionals was designed by the Carbon Literacy Trust. It provides industry professionals and enthusiasts with the knowledge and tools necessary to reduce carbon footprint and implement sustainable practices effectively. The online training was delivered by the Sustainable wedding alliance.

Course Highlights

The carbon literacy training for wedding professionals was part of the Carbon Literacy Project by the Carbon Literacy Trust. Highlights of the course were as follows.

  1. Understanding Carbon Emissions: The course began with a comprehensive overview of carbon emissions. What are carbon emissions, how they are produced, and why they matter. We explored the intricacies of the carbon cycle, greenhouse gases, and their impact on global warming.
  2. Measuring and Reducing Footprints: Learning to quantify my own carbon footprint was an eye-opener. It’s one thing to know that certain activities produce emissions; it’s another to measure them accurately. The course equipped us with the skills to calculate the carbon footprint of various wedding-related activities, from travel and venue choices to catering and decorations.
  3. Sustainable Practices in the Wedding Industry: We delved into practical strategies for minimizing the carbon footprint of weddings. This included selecting sustainable venues, choosing eco-friendly catering options, promoting digital invitations, and incorporating reusable or biodegradable materials into wedding decor.
  4. Case Studies and Real-Life Examples: The course featured inspiring case studies and real-life examples of weddings that successfully implemented sustainable practices. These stories served as powerful illustrations of how thoughtful planning can lead to beautiful and eco-friendly events.
  5. Engaging Stakeholders: One of the most valuable aspects of the course was learning how to engage and educate clients, vendors, and other stakeholders about the importance of sustainability. Effective communication and collaboration are key to driving change in the industry.
elizabeth anne norris

Personal Reflections

Completing the carbon literacy course has been transformative and empowering. I now have a deeper understanding of the environmental impact of weddings and feel equipped to make more informed and sustainable choices. This knowledge extends beyond professional applications—it has influenced my personal decisions and lifestyle choices, reinforcing my commitment to sustainability.

Engaging with the Sustainable Wedding Alliance community was particularly rewarding. The network of like-minded individuals and professionals who strive toward a common goal of sustainability inspires and motivates.

Moving Forward with carbon literacy

Education is just the beginning. Armed with the insights and skills gained from the carbon literacy course, I am committed to advocating for and implementing sustainable practices in the wedding industry and beyond. Whether it’s through advising clients, planning events, or simply spreading awareness, every action counts toward a greener future.

Final Thoughts

I encourage anyone involved in the wedding industry—or any field—to consider taking carbon literacy training for wedding professionals. The journey is enlightening and empowering, provids the tools needed to make a positive environmental impact. The Sustainable Wedding Alliance has crafted an exceptional course that is both informative and action-oriented. It makes an invaluable resource for anyone committed to sustainability.

Let’s embrace knowledge, foster change, and celebrate our special moments with an awareness that honours and protects our planet. Take action now and sign up to carbon literacy training here.

 

What’s New at EANJewellery

What’s New at EANJewellery

by | Feb 22, 2024 | Press / News

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February – What’s New at EANJewellery

So much has been happening, I’ve not had time to tell you everything so I thought I’d jot it all down here so you can keep up to date with what’s new at EANJewellery.

Newsworthy nuggets

For those skim readers here’s what’s new at EANJewellery. I’ve given you a good old bullet point list. I don’t care what anyone says, I love a bullet point list, So retro! If you want to go into details I’ve written more below.

  • Kent Wedding Fairs: Rustic Wedding Fair, Lakehouse Kent, Penshurst Place 

  • Sustainable Weddings: Sustainability Summit and my plans towards my sustainability accreditation

  • Wedding Awards: English Wedding Awards and Guides for Brides Awards

  • Magazine features: The Kent Review, Your Kent Wedding and Inside Kent

  • Wedding Collaboration: The Union of Scent + Art is born

Kent Wedding Fairs

Pop this date for your diary as I’ll be exhibiting at the Rustic Wedding Fair on Sunday 28 April 2024. I’m excited to be exhibiting with my new collective of fabulous women “Union of Scent + Art” (more on that below). We offer Kent wedding couples unforgettable experiences as part of their wedding planning and day. How special to create your own wedding perfume, wedding artwork and wedding rings. You can with union of scent + art

2 previous wedding fairs that you may have missed me at were Lakeside House wedding fair and Penshurst Place wedding fair. Both were amazing in their own ways and it was wonderful to chat to so many eager wedding couples there.

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Sustainable Weddings

Getting to grips with how to make my business sustainable is hard. There is so much to learn and lots of hurdles to cross. With the help of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance and their recent summit I feel supported and encouraged to complete my sustainability accreditation this year. There, I’ve said it outloud now so I have to do it. I bumped into Adam of Small99 who I know from Brighton old days. He’s doing great things helping small businesses plan for Net Zero. He suggested the first thing every small company can do today is to swap out their old light bulbs for new LED ones. I’m off to order mine now. Photo Credit Zoe Mills Photo.

Wedding Awards

I’m super excited to announce that EANJewellery has been awarded “Highly Commended” in Jeweller of the Year category at the English Wedding Awards 2024. So thrilled with this award and to be recognised in the competitive world of Wedding Jewellers.

In addition to this I’m a finalist in the Guides for Brides customer services awards 2024. The awards ceremony is not until March so I’ll wait with fingers crossed until then. 

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Magazine Features

I feel very honoured to make a splash in 3 magazines recently, namely The Kent Review, Your Kent Wedding and Inside Kent. I’m especially excited to be called upon for my expert opinion in Your Kent Wedding twice in the same publication. Read my Wedding Ring Making SOS and finishing touches guide to your wedding rings.

Wedding Collaboration

I was recently asked to join “Union of Scent + Art” and jumped at the chance to join 2 other like minded women each offering a truly bespoke wedding experience. “Union of Scent + Art” is an Earth.Hive project©. We are a co-operative of creatives with a passion for nature and love. Together we curate memories of your special moments through scent and art. Susanne helps you create your unique scent for your wedding day. Hannah guides you to create your own love artwork that can be framed or made into wedding stationary. And I show couples how to make their own wedding rings in my jewellery workshop. Each of us shares a passion for sustainability and creating memorable experiences that last well beyond your wedding day. Whilst we each offer our own unique experiences for couples, if anyone is drawn to all of our offerings we can accommodate a collaborative discount especially for you. Just mention you read this wedding collaboration blog post to receive a 5% discount.

 

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Summary

So when anyone asks what’s new at EANJewellery, the answer is a lot of exciting things. If you are coming along to a wedding fair, looking to plan a sustainable wedding or have spotted me in a magazine leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear from you. Take good care, Elizabeth

 

Elizabeth Anne Norris Jewellery, English Wedding Awards finalist

Elizabeth Anne Norris Jewellery, English Wedding Awards finalist

by | Dec 17, 2023 | Press / News

 

Elizabeth Anne Norris Jewellery, English Wedding Awards finalist

After the success of previous years ceremonies, Oceanic events are proud to announce the 7th English Wedding Awards 2024.

These awards aim to celebrate the elite wedding specialists and businesses that continuously create magical moments that turn into lasting memories.

They aim to recognise and reward those within the wedding industry that work towards making the big day as perfect as possible. These include the caterers that provide delicious reception meals, decorators that take care of the wedding venues and add the glam in the room or florists that know how to make any wedding flourish.

Elizabeth Anne Norris Jewellery English wedding awards finalist in the Jewellers of the Year category. Elizabeth Anne Norris Jewellery will find out if they will be crowned winner and take the trophy home at an elegant ceremony that will take place in early 2024 in Birmingham.

“My small business was a proud South of England winner and Regional winner for the West Midlands in 2022.  It’d be an honour to win again. 2023 has been a fantastic year for Elizabeth Anne Norris Jewellery with many happy couples walking away with wedding rings they created themselves. My wedding couples make my job so much fun. I can’t imagine doing anything else”

A Spokesperson for the 7th English Wedding Awards 2024 said: “We’re glad to have the opportunity to celebrate the continued development of the wedding industry. The competition is tough this year but it is time to acknowledge everyone who has shown dedication and professionalism in their workplace; two key features that make individuals and businesses stand out from the rest. We congratulate all the English Wedding Awards finalists for their remarkable achievements.”

Please follow me on Instagram here and Facebook here for further announcements in early 2024!

My Small business Sustainability plan

My Small business Sustainability plan

by | Oct 14, 2022 | Press / News

My Small Business Sustainability plan

I have recently taken the conscious decision to make my small business, Elizabeth Anne Norris Jewellery, more sustainable. 

UK governments are legally committed to reducing carbon emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2045 (Scotland) and 2050 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). All businesses need to work towards net zero with the aim to reduce emissions and reach this target too. I want to start my small business sustainability plan as soon as possible. You can follow my progress here. My aim is to be as open and transparent as possible with you. 

My Small business Sustainability plan starts here

Why bother with a sustainability plan?

A definition of sustainability is

“meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Report, 1987) 

You’ve heard it many times before but we ARE in a climate emergency. The temperature of our planet is rising due to human activity. The consequences of our actions are increased periods of extreme weather like heat waves, droughts, storms and floods. Examples of the knock-on effect of these things are more wildfires, rising sea levels, water shortages, extinction of animals, rising food prices, worse living conditions for many and loss of human life due to many of the above conditions.

It is up to all of us to do our bit today to reduce the effects of climate change for future generations. The government is calling on small businesses to lead by example in the net zero journey in the hope that others can learn and follow what might seem unachievable at this point in time. That’s why I’m starting my small business sustainability plan now.

Measuring your carbon footprint

Measuring your carbon footprint

A quick and simple step you can take right now is by measuring your carbon footprint. I calculated my carbon footprint last week and I was shocked! My current carbon usage is 10.6 tonnes per year which means there is definitely room for improvement. My high score is partly due to my having chronic fatigue syndrome for the last 2.5 years and opting to travel to work by car to conserve my energy and preserve my health. As my health improves I hope to improve my carbon footprint by making greener journeys.

Take your first step towards your small business sustainability plan…

Measure your carbon footprint here

 

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Where I am now on my Sustainability Journey

  • Right now I am at the beginning of my sustainability journey. Apart from producing award winning handmade jewellery out of 100% recycled gold or silver and using recycled packaging, where possible I haven’t taken any major steps towards being more sustainable. 
  • At the moment I am a student of “Sustainability & Circular Economy”, a course run by Buckinghamshire new university, BEC and funded by the EU development fund and UK government. 
  • I’ve also joined the Sustainable Wedding Alliance who help wedding businesses become more sustainable with the ultimate goal of becoming accredited.

What are my next steps?

Looking forward, my next steps in my small business sustainability plan are to:

  1. Learn as much as I can about sustainability in business via the course I am taking and through support and resources provided by the Sustainable Wedding Alliance
  2. Put together my Sustainability Strategy and make that publicly available on my website
  3. Put my plan into action !

If you are a small business and would like to ask me anything about my sustainability journey or how to start yours please comment below.

Thanks, Elizabeth

Guides for Brides Awards 2022

Guides for Brides Awards 2022

by | Aug 22, 2022 | Press / News

Guides for Brides Customer Service Awards 2022

The annual Guides for Bride’s awards recognise and reward businesses that provide excellent services and achieve outstanding client satisfaction.

The Covid pandemic was a difficult time for the wedding industry, so it felt very needed to recognise its success and celebrate it.

Guides for Brides offer prizes to their wedding suppliers according to their customer service records, and there are over 20 different main categories. The very best of bridal wear, through to catering, videography, transport and unique venues are all recognised.

Image by van den Eshof Photography

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Jewellery Category

It was so exciting to find out that my small wedding business was shortlisted for a Guides for Brides award back in February this year.

The finalists all produce beautiful jewellery for weddings and special occasions so it was an honour to appear along side these companies in this year’s competition:

  • Caan Thomas Jewellery Designer
  • Elizabeth Anne Norris
  • Lover’s Rock
  • Rachel Sokhal Bridal Accessories

Many congratulations to all the finalists in this and other areas of the wedding industry.

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The Awards Ceremony

The excitement didn’t stop there as I was then invited to the awards ceremony for a night of celebration! This year, the awards ceremony was a fundraising gala for their charity partner, VOW for Girls. Held on Wednesday 9th March 2022 at the prestigious Oxford Town hall we enjoyed a delicious dinner, celebrate the successes of all our finalists and winners, and raised funds for this great organisation. Founder, Alison Hargreaves gave a speech before the awards presentation. It was a wonderful night and a chance to meet new people.

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UK Winner Category Jewellery

To top an already exhilarating night my name was called in the first of the prize categories, Jewellery. Elizabeth Anne Norris had won the best customer service award in the jewellery category. I could not be more proud of this achievement in the UK wedding industry. This was my second award in 2022 and I think I was buzzing for days afterwards. My customer services award trophy from Guides for Brides now sits proudly in my jewellery workshop in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham. I’m so thrilled to be able to help couples create their own wedding rings and to be recognised for doing a good job at it too!

Thank you so much Guides for Brides.