We welcome Renée today, who is the proud owner of The Soda Stand. What a lovely concept this is – sipping non alcoholic iced drinks, served beautifully from dispensers – surely setting the tone for the fun wedding reception to come. For an mid morning treat let’s see what Renee’s business is all about……
My name is Renée- creator and owner of The Soda Stand!
Why did you start your business, The Soda Stand?
A year ago I married the man of my dreams and had the time of my life planning our special day! I am a bit of an organising fanatic so planning our wedding really satisfied my thirst to organise organise organise!!!! During the planning stages I searched high and low for a beautiful way to serve our guests drinks at the end of the ceremony. I wanted something a little different that fit in with the theme of our wedding, something that people could interact with and most importantly I wanted my guests deliciously refreshed!!! I failed to find a service that ticked all of these boxes and so The Soda Stand was born! The Soda Stand offers a little extra detail to your event that your guests will be grateful for- and promise me they will talk about it afterwards!!
What do you most love about The Soda Stand – is it making the drinks, the styling of the table, or the joy of providing something different for celebrations?
The Soda Stand is all about the drinks so preparing these is definitely my favourite part. I love it when a bride requests something specific and I get to play around with different recipes. I recently created a Lavender Lemonade which was a big hit and definitely something I will recommend to future brides! Bringing the stand to life on the day and styling the table is also something I love doing- who doesn’t love making things look pretty!
How often do you change the varieties (of drinks) on offer? Or do you keep them the same and add new seasonal ones, or new ones as you perfect the recipe?
The drink options are forever changing. A lot of brides have something specific in mind which I play around with until it is perfect and others are happy to take recommendations of tried and tested drinks. I always use fresh ingredients so the fruits used have to be in season for them to feature in a drink.
Which is your most popular drink/refreshment? Could you tell us about some of your favourite drink flavours?
The Lemon & Thyme Soda and the Iced Green Tea are the two most popular options. My personal favourite is the Lemon and Thyme Soda- it’s so refreshing!
Do you have a signature style when styling the Stand for a celebration? Do you tailor the styling of the table to the type of celebration?
I have lots of styling props and tend to use a mixture of timber crates, scattered fruit, flowers, small vintage jam jars and of course striped paper straws on most stands. Each stand is styled to suit the theme and colours of the event so no stand is ever the same!
Do you design custom packages? What sorts of things could these include?
I offer either a set post Wedding Ceremony Package or custom packages so depending on the number of guests, length of service and other special requests the package can definitely be customized. Each package generally includes the same items- drink dispensers, jars, paper straws, styling props and flowers so the only real customizable features is the size and length of the event. For larger events I give the option of including mini Pellegrino Sodas to go alongside the drink dispensers which gives guests an additional drink option and adds a new element to the stand.
What area of NSW do your service?
The Soda Stand operates in the Sydney metropolitan region, however I am able to travel outside this area for an additional charge. Setting up The Soda Stand in a variety of locations is a great way to explore Sydney!
When you’re not working, what is your favourite thing to do?
I am a big reader- I will read anything and will enjoy it (I am the worst critic!) One of my current favourites is Life of Pi- it was an incredible book. I’m yet to see the movie – might see if my husband will take me on a date to the movies!
Renée xx
Thank you Renée for introducing The Soda Stand to us. You can find more information about The Soda Stand in our vendor Directory, or via their website.
All images courtesy of Renée from The Soda Stand
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