Beer Cask Bling

Helping couples capture memories that they can wear for a lifetime is what we do best at Eco Wood Rings and every project is an absolute pleasure.

We were particularly touched by how recent customer Matt Potterton chose to honour his heritage and his passions in his unique ring design.
For his wedding ring Matt chose a titanium band of his own design and describes why it meant so much to him.

“I chose a piece of beer cask wood from Hook Norton Brewery for my inlay.
I wanted to use something that meant something to me personally, as well as showing a bit of my own personality and interests through it. My mother's Grandad used to work at the Hook Norton Brewery (there is even a picture of him on one of their recent promotional beer mats), and their family lived in the village of Hook Norton for decades. My mother also grew up there, and we used to visit our grandparents in school holidays, so got to know the area quite well.

I contacted the brewery explaining the family connection, and asked if they would mind donating some wood for my ring. They were very happy to oblige, and so my mother and I went down to the brewery on a cold January afternoon, and Ben the brewery foreman there took us out to an old store shed and said "take your pick", so I took a selection of some old broken cask lids for Steve to work from. We were very happy to make a donation to Bloodwise, on the request of James Clarke the MD at Hook Norton Brewery.

As well as loving the 'Hook Norton' ales, I also take a keen interest in beer home brewing, so thought it would be nice to combine this hobby along with the history of the brewery and family connection, and have a ring made that would be with me forever. “

Fun loving and adventure seeking is how Matt Potterton describes himself and his new bride Susie who met 13 years ago in Brighton through mutual friends. Fate must have been at work for them as, despite Susie living in London and Matt in Leicester they met up again 3 years ago and, after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between London and Leicester, they got married this May.

Matt takes us back to their special day.

“Our ceremony was at the St Bride's Foundation in Blackfriars, central London. It was a lovely, hot Saturday in May, and the sun was shining. We then walked down to the Thames and rode an old Channel boat (The Viscountess) up river and back down, taking in all the major sights along the way. We also had a great east end Jazz Band playing on the boat, entertaining the guests while they danced and drank in the sun. We docked at Lambeth Pier, and we had our evening meal and dancing at the Garden Museum. It was the perfect day, and we were blessed with great weather, which made it even more special. It was all capped off with a thunder/lightning storm and torrential rain over central London at about midnight, to cool everyone down!”

When Matt told us about how he proposed on the beach whilst on holiday in Borneo we really felt for him…having the ring tucked in the back pocket of your swim shorts for a whole day waiting for the right moment is a nerve racking business. But by the sounds of it, everything turned out beautifully in the end.

We hope you'll join us in raising a glass to Matt and Susie and wishing them a lifetime of happiness, cheers!