No amount of physical contact could match the healing powers of a well made cocktail.”
David Sedaris
In the world of everything weddings, cocktail toppers are taking the industry by storm. It’s all about the aesthetic of creating something cool and unique that your guests will never stop talking about!
And how could you not personalise your own signature drink with a cocktail topper? It would be rude not to! From Harry Potter, to a sweet sentimental symbol or a simple His & Hers design, you hold the power in being your own artist on the day!
Helen O’Dowda, the creative whiz behind Bumblebee Cocktail Toppers, allows couples to be their own story-tellers in making these quirky creations come to life!
With a background in marketing and graphic design, Helen does not shy away from using her talents to build an innovative company. Having dipped her toes into the food and drink industry, and spending many years working with food development chefs and mixologists, Helen decided to use her precious experience to create something different.
“We found that a lot of couples planning their wedding are looking for quirky, unique ways to add character and personalisation to their big day, and we feel that our edible cocktail toppers fit that description, in a cost effective way,” explains Helen.
Bumblebee Cocktail Toppers also provides a complimentary graphic creation service to ensure that all toppers are one of a kind!
A key selling point for us as a company is our carbon footprint as a business. We pride ourselves on delivering a product that is 100% vegan, edible and sustainable.”
“We never wanted to go down the route of using plastic, we’ve been green since day one and always will be,” says Helen.
Helen gets her inspiration from being a customer first and foremost. With a real passion for the food and drink industry, she lives and breathes marketing. “I love nothing more than seeing customers ‘wow’ reactions,” she says.
As someone who appreciates the simple things, she loves well thought out menus, cocktails, charcuterie boards, and Instagram worthy products.
“We’re living in an era where the aesthetics and presentation of food and drink matter, especially within the wedding industry! Having personalised edible drinks toppers is such a great way to wow your guests with personalisation.”
Bumblebee Cocktail Toppers allow up to five different designs per wedding order, from individual toppers for the table or a specific person, Bumblebee cocktail Toppers can do it all!
Couples usually opt for names and the date of their big day however a few also go for fun themes. “One couple went for a Peaky Blinders theme, another went for a Harry Potter theme which had all the different houses for different tables. Some couples insist on a handful of football team toppers for themselves and their friends.”
The meaning behind ‘Bumblebee Cocktail Toppers,’ comes from Helen’s personal background of living and working in Manchester for ten years, the ‘Bumblebee’ or the ‘worker bee’ is the emblem of the city.
Manchester is a place that continues to inspire Helen; it’s also where Helen became a mixologist at night and a marketing student by day. “I chose the name based on its flexibility and also to allow me to spread my wings into various food and drink ventures.”
If you are missing your fluffy friends on your big day, Bumblebee Cocktail Toppers allows anyone to incorporate them into cocktail toppers, it’s such a heartwarming gesture if your pets can’t be present. “One couple wanted their horse on a topper, we can print anything on the edible cocktail toppers.” Any request is possible in creating something special to each individual.
Couples’ signature cocktail toppers are a huge trend at the moment, Helen explains that a lot of couples go for ‘His & Hers/Hers & Hers/His & His’ they are a unique choice and stand out with the 50/50.
“We had one couple that used cosmopolitans as her signature drink and the groom had whiskey sours. The toppers for the bride’s side were pink and sat beautifully on top of the foam on each drink and the whiskey sour cocktails had a rustic antler design and were pinned to the side of the drinks.”
We asked Helen what her favourite cocktail topper was and why, and she answered saying, “My favourite topper is the QR code.” “Working in marketing for so long, I noticed the need to cross-sell in restaurants and hotels, so putting a QR code on your topper could link your guests or customers to a form page for data collection or an online guest book perhaps for your big day. We’ve tested them on many drinks, and they are all scannable when printed on the edible cocktail toppers.”
Bumblebee are exploring multiple avenues and are in talks about shelving toppers in off licences around the country. Definitely something to keep an eye out for!
Helen’s plan is to develop and expand on their ecommerce platform over the next few years, and we think that her idea is just fabulous!
Check out @bumblebeecocktailtoppers over on Instagram for more inspiration.