Hansley Beard

Our new vintage unit opening at The Nichols Building!

It’s all go this week as we are launch our new ‘shopfront’ in Sheffield’s wonderful new Antiques, Art and Crafts Centre in the Nichols Building on Shalesmoor.

All are invited to the grand opening event this Thursday 21st July from 2pm-7pm including nibbles and cocktails served in Hansley Beard Vintage Crockery . The Lord Mayor will be officially opening the building at 4pm.

We have been planning to have a shop space for some time as so much of what we do is visual and we wanted to have somewhere where people could see examples of our candy and dessert bars, our styling and a sample of the crockery and props we hire out. Our hire stock is expanding all the time but we hope to bring out our new brochure and inventory of items very soon!


When the opportunity arose to rent a space in this new venture we decided that this would be a good next step and that as we love ‘vintage’ so much that we would also start selling vintage items ~
some are homewares and some are vintage and vintage-style decor items that can be sourced and used for vintage weddings and events.


If you can’t make it to the opening do pop in another time. There are a whole host of different units full of antiques, vintage items and clothes and art from some of Sheffield’s most talented and chicest suppliers and artists, as well as a lovely tearoom.
Opening times are:
Saturdays ~ 10-5pm
Sundays ~ 10-4pm
Closed Mondays
Tuesdays-Fridays ~11-6pm

Look forward to seeing you there sometime soon!

Check out the Nichols Building website or facebook page for more details.

More pictures coming soon!

Posted Tue, 19 Jul, by Jennie Beard in Candy Buffet, Decor items for sale, Dessert Bars, Vintage Crockery Hire, Vintage Styling, Vintage Weddings | 16 Comments

Sheffield Town Hall Vintage Photoshoot Part 2:    “Something Old” ~ Art-Deco Vintage Dessert Bar

A Hansley Beard vintage photoshoot wouldn’t have been complete without a Hansley Beard vintage dessert bar and candy buffet!

We decided to design it to fit the 1930s art deco theme of the shoot using our theme colours of white, silver, dark wood and a hint of purple. Here’s how we did it ...

We dressed two of the Town Hall tables with old-fashioned lace-trimmed linen and hand-made bunting from Bloom Textiles, made from old settee covers and blue and white print fabric to match the crockery:

The key is to build a table scene that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing, placing the tables against an appropriate backdrop. In the room we were dressing we chose to place the dessert bar against the stunning Victorian leaded window. The wooden windowsills provided further ‘table’ space to place more items and props.

We then set up our structure. We wanted to use the 1930s vintage suitcase as a table too and placed it as a feature at the back and placed the beautiful lace-themed cake from Victoria Made on it:



We added a label to ‘suit’ the occasion ~ made from a luggage label and old stationery fitings:

Further vintage props were an art-deco dressing table mirror, 1930s telephone, vintage books, art-deco clock and mini blue glass bottles:


Next we picked out vintage vessels that would fit the theme to display the delicious edibles ~ vintage clear glass cakestands, blue and white ware dishes and cups and saucers, glass apothecary jars and crystal glassware:


We sourced white and silver wrapped sweets for the jars and glassware ~ bon bons, mint imperials, marshmallows, silver chocolate foil balls, white drops and chocolate vintage buttons:





Victoria Made made blueberry tarts, white chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and purple macarons which we carefully displayed on our vintage vessels:



We used a beautiful wooden cupboard to display some of the cupcakes ...

... and added a minature blue and white ware tea set:

Coco Catering provided blueberry mouses and jellies:



We added sweets and chocolates already displayed in the right colour tins and containers:

Images of 1930s and 1940s weddings added to the theme:

Finally we added our finishing touches ...menu, ribbons and utensils:


For the menu we used a 1930s art deco wooden frame and typed a list of all the delicious items available on the dessert bar.

Finally the main point of the dessert bar! After wooing your guests with its glorious beauty it’s time to invite them to tuck in and eat away!  Here are some more of the shots of our models tucking in:

If you are interestied in our dessert bar and candy buffet services, do get in touch with us at our Sheffield Studio. We offer a number of packages from bespoke designs to fit your theme, coloursheme and tastes to a hire package where you supply your own sweets and desserts and we supply the jars, props, serving vessels, wooden plinths and wooden/fabric backdrop stand (if required). We offer a free consultation to explore your ideas and requirements and can work with almost any theme!

Photographer: S6 Photography
Co-ordination, Concept & Styling, Vintage Wedding Design, Vintage Crockery and Prop Hire, Dessert Bar Design and Sweets, Vintage Dresses and Accessories: Jennie Beard from Hansley Beard Event Planning & Design
Venue: Sheffield Town Hall
Models: Katy Bangert, Shannon Alesayi and Cecilia Charlesworth,
Wedding Dresses: Danielle Lara Couture
Hats and Veils: Danielle Lara Couture, Imogen’s Imagination, Hansley Beard
Table Plan and Napkin Holders: Jodi Arthur from Hansley Beard Event Planning & Design
Flowers and Brides Bouquet: Swallows and Damsons    
Cloth Bunting and Napkins: Bloom Textiles
Wedding Cake, Cupcakes, Meringues, Tarts, Macarons and Biscuits: Victoria Made
Mousses and Jellies: Coco Catering
Make-up and Hair: Shannon Leigh
Photoshoot Assistants: Jodi Arthur and Myrtle O’Connor from Hansley Beard Event Planning & Design

Posted Sun, 15 May, by Jennie Beard in Candy Buffet, Candy Station, Catering, Dessert Bars, Photography, Themes, Vintage Cake, Vintage Styling, Vintage Weddings | 5 Comments

Sheffield Town Hall Vintage Photoshoot Part 1: “Something Blue” ~ Willow Ware your Wedding!

A few days ago we were honoured to have our recent Vintage photoshoot featured on the wonderfully inspirational blog Love my Dress. In the next few days I’d like to share with you some of the best photos from the shoot by the amazing Sheffield-based S6 Photography – some that were on Love my Dress and many more new and unseen images!

It all started with the colour blue! I always think that blue is a special colour. In fact so special that I realised that many of the weddings I have organised or styled have had an element of blue in them ~ “Something Old, Something Blue ...”.Before Queen Victoria’s wedding brides traditonally wore blue as a symbol of purity. Blue can light up a room if used correctly and yet retain its classic-ness and Georgian splendour. At Hansley Beard we have A LOT of vintage crockery that we hire out but amongst our favourite is our Blue and White ware – often called Willow.

Blue and white ware has been popular for centuries and pottery companies up and down this great land have produced hundreds of types of designs and vessels – sometimes sticking to the original Willow design and imagery and sometimes creating variations or copying earlier versions. In our Hire collection, we have blue and white ware dinner plates, side plates, cups and saucers, dishes, tureen dishes, turkey plates, milk jugs, sugar bowls, teapots, coffee pots…the list goes on!


For this shoot we wanted to dress a table for an intimate and small wedding breakfast and knew that Sheffield Town Hall had the perfect size committee tables to create this. Knowing they were wishing to promote their extra rooms and facilities for weddings and events and knowing that the venue smacked of vintage class and historical authenticity we asked if they’d be happy to host us.

We decided to mix the blue and white ware with whites, creams, art-deco browns and royal blue glass as well as a dash of purple to bring it all to life!

Place name cards from John Lewis were embellished with old stationery fittings that I’d retrieved when working in an Archive and guest names were typewritten on one of our old vintage typewriters.

My assistant Jodi made two types of napkin holders out of buttons and we asked Bloom Textiles to make us some napkins form old settee back covers.

We added in lots of linens and lace on the tables and touches of silverware and silver cutlery reminded us of our Sheffield roots.


Flowers were supplied by Swallows and Damsons and included hydrangeas, lilac, anemones, tulips, eucalyptus, gypsophilia ...









Thanks to all the wonderful vintage suppliers from Sheffield who contributed to this shoot. We all hope you find some beautiful blue inspiration and do get in touch if you want to willow ware your wedding!

In our next blog we’ll be showcasing our Art-Deco Dessert Bar and Candy Buffet from the shoot ...

Photographer: S6 Photography
Co-ordination, Concept & Styling, Vintage Wedding Design, Vintage Crockery and Prop Hire, Dessert Bar Design and Sweets, Vintage Dresses and Accessories: Jennie Beard from Hansley Beard Event Planning & Design
Venue: Sheffield Town Hall
Models: Katy Bangert, Shannon Alesayi and Cecilia Charlesworth,
Wedding Dresses: Danielle Lara Couture
Hats and Veils: Danielle Lara Couture, Imogen’s Imagination, Hansley Beard
Table Plan and Napkin Holders: Jodi Arthur from Hansley Beard Event Planning & Design
Flowers and Brides Bouquet: Swallows and Damsons    
Cloth Bunting and Napkins: Bloom Textiles
Wedding Cake, Cupcakes, Meringues, Tarts, Macarons and Biscuits: Victoria Made
Mousses and Jellies: Coco Catering
Make-up and Hair: Shannon Leigh
Photoshoot Assistants: Jodi Arthur and Myrtle O’Connor from Hansley Beard Event Planning & Design

Posted Sat, 07 May, by Jennie Beard in Candy Buffet, Dessert Bars, Dresses, Photography, Royal Weddings, Suppliers, Themes, Vintage Accessories, Vintage Cake, Vintage Clothing , Vintage Crockery Hire, Vintage Styling, Vintage Weddings | 3 Comments

Royal Weddings of the Past: Part 3

On Friday 9th June, 1961, The Daily Mail ran a special Souvenir Royal Wedding feature showing images from the previous day’s wedding of the Duke of Kent to Miss Katherine Worsley in York Minster titled the ‘Dazzling Duchess’.

Referring to the departure of the Bride from her home village:

‘The Queen was there. Almost all the Royal Family were there. The guest list was splattered with high-sounding European Royal names ... But country girl Katie Worsley looked more regal than them all as she walked up the aisle of York Minster on the arm of her father to marry the man she loves, the Young Duke of Kent. Her head was held high. Her veil floated from a little diamond coronet. And in her tight bodiced dress with its incredibly long sweeping train, she looked like a medieavel princess ...’

‘... she promised to obey, all the same. It had been announced that the couple would use the modern form of vows, which does not include the word “obey”. And the new form was printed in the order of service. There was a small smile on the face of the Archbishop of York, Dr Michael Ramsey, as he slipped in the vital word ... Why did Katie say “obey”? After the reception the Archbishop explained: “A few days ago a message reached me saying the bride had changed her mind, and that she now wanted the word included in the ceremony”.

‘Just 160 paces from the Altar to the door of the Minster ... But to the Duke of Kent and his bride it must seem the longest walk in the world. The eyes of the congregation and of millions of television viewers are on them ...’:

‘The Wedding Group picture for the Royal Album’:

‘Off got the Newlyweds: The new Duchess of Kent waves as she and her bridegroom drive from York Minster after the wedding’:

‘A piper plays, the bells chime and the gay Duke and his bride leave the Minster under a triumphal arch of swords’:

‘Back at Hovingham Hall, the Duchess turns to wave as dressers adjust the yards of train and veil’:

Finally, here’s an article talking about the huge success done by the BBC and the ITV on the TV footage of the wedding….

Back now to the 2011 BBC and ITV TV footage of the 2011 Royal Wedding ...and a huge congratulations to the new Princess Catherine and Prince William ...

Posted Fri, 29 Apr, by Jennie Beard in Royal Weddings, Vintage Weddings | 2 Comments

Royal Weddings of the Past: Part 2

Today I’d like to share with you some images and text about Princess Margaret’s wedding in 1960.

On Saturday April 23rd 1960, Sheffield Star produced a special Picture Souvenir supplement about Princess Margaret’s wedding showing images of the future bride and groom:


In it is a copy of the official wedding announcement:

The next set of images is taken from a special Royal Wedding edition of The Illustrated London News, May 14, 1960.

‘After the Romantic wedding: H.R.H Princess Margaret and Mr Anthony Armstrong-Jones leave Westminster Abbey together hand in hand, man and wife’:

‘A charming wedding group: The Bride and Bridegroom with the Best Man, Dr Roger Gilliat and the eight Bridesmaids’:

‘At the Altar: The beginning of the wedding of Princess Margaret and Mr Anthony Armstrong-Jones. In Westminster Abbey – A scene of ritual splendour and colourful pageantry’:

‘Man and wife: Princess Margaret and Mr Anthony Armstrong-Jones going down the choir, with the bridesmaids behind’:

‘The official wedding cake which was presented by J.Lyons and Co.Ltd. This was the cake cut by Princess Margaret at the reception’:

‘After the Wedding: The Glass Coach, bearing Princess Margaret and her Bridegroom, after the drive up the Mall, swings towards the palace’:

‘Whom the crowds had come to cheer: The Bride and Bridegroom on the balcony of the palace with Lady Rose Nevill, a bridesmaid’:

‘The formal Wedding group in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace’:
‘Seated in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace after the Wedding: Princess Margaret in her Hartnell Wedding Gown’:

‘Princess Margaret’s dress, which had caused so much speculation before the wedding, aroused complete admiration. It was of extremely simple design and set off effectively the magnificent tiara which the Princess wore. It was made from white silk organza with a closely-fitted bodice with a high V-neckline. The skirt consisted of three layers of organza with hundreds of yards of tulle, cut into twelve panels that widened down from waist to hem. Her shoes were made of white crepe with a white satin facing running round the edges. Her bouquet was of orchids’.

The London News supplement also includes an interesting article called ‘Princess Margaret’s marriage to a Commoner – What are the precedents?’ showing images of former Princesses who had married commoners:

In the Sunday Graphic Newspaper in June 1960 they advertise a pictorial keepsake book all about Princess Margaret’s Wedding Day:

Finally, I’d like to finish this blog post with a lovely little newspaper graphic from the Sheffield Star Supplement!:

Next time…images of the last Kate to become a Princess…The Duchess of Kent….

Posted Tue, 26 Apr, by Jennie Beard in Royal Weddings, Vintage Weddings | 1 Comments

Royal Weddings of the Past: Part 1

In the run up to the 2011 Royal Wedding, I would like to share some of my royal wedding memorabilia that I have collected over the years, mainly from newspapers and special publications, some in excellent quality and some starting to fade a little at the edges!

The first set of royal wedding images are from a beautiful commemorative book I have which was published in 1935 for the Silver Jubilee of King George V.

The book includes a number of photographs of royal weddings dating back to the late 1800s up until the time the book was published. I will recount sections from the book word for word here to accompany the photographs [my additions in brackets where necessary]:

THE BRIDAL GROUP OF KING GEORGE AND QUEEN MARY, 1893:

‘Princess Mary of Teck ... was a great-granddaughter of George III, through his Mother, who was a daughter of the Duke of Cambridge, younger brother of George IV. She was thus an English princess and the Duke of York’s engagement to her in 1893 was extremely popular. The match was of their own choice. There was never any doubt of that, any more than there has been of a similar freedom in the engagement of his sister, Princess Louise, who impetuously told Queen Victoria that she would rather die an old maid than not marry the Duke of Fife ...

‘... The Wedding, having been fixed for July 6 in the Chapel Royal, St James’ Palace, the Queen wrote on May 8:  “Saw dear Georgie at one, and talked over all the arrangements. It is a pleasure to do so with him as he is so sensible”.

‘She [Queen Victoria] had need of all the rest she could take, for the wedding day was “overpoweringly hot”. While the Queen was dressing “Mary [May’s mother] brought in May [informal name of the daughter Mary], who looked very sweet. Her dress was very simple, of white satin with a silver design of roses, shamrocks, thistles and orange flowers interwoven. On her head she had s small wreath of orange flowers, myrtle and white heather, surmounted by the diamond necklace I gave her ... and her Mother’s wedding veil”.

Admiring Queen Mary’s Wedding Dress:

‘The Ceremony: The Queen proceeds - “May was supported by her father ... and her brother…Georgie gave his answers very dinscintly, while May, though quite self-possessed, spoke very low. The music was well played and sung, but sounded weak and inferior to that in St George’s Chapel. I could not but remember that I had stood where May did fifty-years ago…May these dear children’s happiness last longer!”.

‘The Queen though “very tired” was very happy. The marriage was an ideal one. The wedding arrangements had been perfect…’

THE WEDDING OF PRINCESS MAUD, 1923:
‘Rose leaves for a royal bride: Everyone delighted at the wedding of Princess Maud, daughter of the Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife, to Lord Carnegie, Son of the Earl of Southesk, 1923’:
Princess Maud relinquished her royal title on her marriage:

THE WEDDING OF THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF KENT IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY, NOVEMBER 29, 1934:

The Duke and Duchess of Kent:

Finally here are a few photographs from newspaper articles I have showing the weddings of the late Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon to Prince Albert, Duke of York in 1923 and the wedding of the present Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip in 1947.

THE WEDDING OF THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF YORK, WESTMINSTER ABBEY, 1923:

The Duke and Duchess of York driving down the Mall:

THE WEDDING OF PRINCESS ELIZABETH AND PRINCE PHILLIP, WESTMINSTER ABBEY, 1947:

Tomorrow we will share images from our collection about Princess Margaret’s wedding in 1960.

Posted Tue, 26 Apr, by Jennie Beard in Royal Weddings, Vintage Weddings | 3 Comments

Sheffield Town Hall Vintage Photoshoot Preview

Yesterday we co-ordinated and styled a blue and white themed vintage photoshoot at the beautifully historical Sheffield Town Hall. Here’s a few of the brilliant images from S6 Photography. Check out more on their blog.


Wedding Dresses from Danielle Lara Couture.
Hair and Make Up by Shannon Leigh.
Hats and Veils from Daniele Lara Couture and Imogen’s Imagination
Models: Cecilia Charlesworth, Shannon Alesayi, Katy Bangert.

More images and full supplier credits to follow shortly…

Posted Mon, 18 Apr, by Jennie Beard in Vintage Accessories, Vintage Clothing , Vintage Styling, Vintage Weddings | 2 Comments

Summer’s Christening Cake Bar in Winter!

Last week we had the pleasure of creating a beautiful cake bar for the christening party of Summer Keira in Chesterfield:

We wanted to share some of the photos of it here from all sorts of angles as there are so many different details to see!

Here are some nice words from her mum Laura:
“I contacted Jennie for assistance for my daughter’s christening. I’d booked a venue, and I was making cupcakes instead of a traditional cake.”

“I had an image of how I wanted it to look and the theme colours of pink and green that I wanted to use - it was just the main element of physically doing the display.”

“Jennie suggested we could do a feature table with the cupcakes with some of her hire items including numerous cakestands and some teacups and saucers. I also bought a few matching sweets ~ bon bons and alphabet letters.”



“The items used gave the table a girly vintage feel with a modern twist.”

“Jennie made labels and wrote little messages on them such as ‘Summer’s Cake Bar’, ‘Made by Mummy’ and ‘Please Take Me, I’m Yummy!’


“What the display looked like was amazing! Everyone commented on how lovely it looked.”


“I’d be more than happy to recommend and work with Jennie again for any party or special occasion whether this be venue decor or hiring vintage crockery items. Thank you so much, Jennie, for all your help.  The display looked fantastic!”

This was a great opportunity for us to show how you can use modern and vintage together to make something unique.

We used a candy striped cloth and finished off the table with beautiful bunting by ‘Bloom’, based in Sheffield, and made from pink gingham and rose fabric from the Amy Butler collection.



To add a little twist we placed whirlypop lollipops in the flowers.

If you are organising a christening party, baby shower or children’s party and already have your ingredients (cakes, cupcakes, desserts or sweets) but want an ingenius way to display them and wow all your guests, get in touch with us at Hansley Beard to see what display items we have available. We offer partial to full styling and design services, just set-up or you can hire the vintage crockery or modern display items yourself and set it up yourself.

If you don’t have the edible items already we also have contacts with excellent cake makers, cupcake companies, sweets and chocolate suppliers and can work with you to create all of the perfect cake bar, dessert bar or candy buffet for your child or baby’s event, including theming, colourscheme, menu choices, design and set-up.

Flowers bought from Swallows and Damsons
Images by Jennie Beard

Posted Sat, 04 Dec, by Jennie Beard in Candy Buffet, Candy Station, Christening, Dessert Bars, Flowers, Pink, Vintage Crockery Hire, Vintage Styling | 1 Comments

Vintage Crockery & Prop Hire ~ The Woodland Photoshoot ~ Part 3

Today we wanted to share a few more of our favourite ‘unseen’ images from our recent photoshoot with the amazing S6 Photography:

Models: Katy Bangert and Shannon Alesayi
Photography by S6 Photography
Styling by Hansley Beard
Vintage Crockery and Props from Hansley Beard Hire collection
Flowers supplied by Swallows and Damsons
Tea Supplied by The Girl with the Golden Cup . To buy specially blended teas for your wedding, contact Caroline at The Girl with the Golden Cup. (She can even make up bespoke teas just for you!)
Woodland venue used by kind permission of Ecclesall Woods Sawmill, Sheffield City Council

Hansley Beard have a vast collection of beautiful vintage crockery, glassware and props available for hire from our Sheffield studio. If you’re looking to hire for your wedding or event, please get in touch with your wishlist and we’ll do our very best to help! Styling services, decor set-up and decor theme development also available.

Posted Sat, 04 Dec, by Jennie Beard in Autumn, Flowers, Photography, Vintage Accessories, Vintage Clothing , Vintage Crockery Hire, Vintage Styling, Vintage Weddings, Woodland Wedding | 5 Comments

Vintage Crockery & Prop Hire ~ The Woodland Photoshoot ~ Part 2

Today we want to share some more about our vintage crockery woodland shoot in Sheffield as featured recently on the blog of S6 Photography.

With this shoot, I wanted to show how vintage crockery can be used alongside other items in all sorts of creative ways to create a stunning yet quirky context for a wedding or event. It sounds a simple thing to say but it’s all about what and how you put things together, not only to create the wow-factor but to create a beautiful experience for you and your guests.


Having secured our woodland ‘venue’ I set about gathering crockery and glassware items from my collection that fitted the theme and colours and light that we would be working with.

I also gathered appropriate pieces of furniture that would provide the setting and context for the crockery.


And added some decorative details like this length of bunting made from old lace.

I then started to think about creating different sets or scenes at the shoot and planned to work it around a scene in the woods, a travel theme, a vintage table theme and a Middle Eastern theme. I then tied it all together with old maps, books and bottles, gramophone records and ‘singles’, and various vintage props.





We added some authentic tea from The Girl with the Golden Cup .

We used the specially blended wedding ‘Rock and Rose’ tea for our Table Scene and the Siberian Fire tea for our Middle Eastern Scene.

Flowers were supplied by Swallows and Damsons. 




I accentuated some of the colours by using real fruit and food in beautiful containers and vessels ...



... and covered some in gold wax to bring out the richness of the autumn colours.

We particularly loved being able to show off some of our amber coloured glassware.

I then set about dressing our models to fit the colour theme and vintage style. The wedding dress is actually my own wedding dress which has a huge French lace train and was perfect for showcasing some of my vintage plates – plus I always thought it was a shame that it had only been worn for one day!

Both models got to wear ‘the dress’ on the day.Other outfits included a bridesmaids dress mixed with a fake fur coat and rustic shoes and a vintage outfit using the fake fur coat with a vintage green velvet dress and brown leather boots. We also added the lacy ankle socks to give it a current and funky edge and various hats, hair pieces and accessories.

Thanks again to Jon Dennis from S6 Photography for his genius photography skills, the wonderful models who patiently stood around and posed in the freezing cold and my photoshoot assistants Myrtle and Jodi.

Come back in a few days time for a peak at a a few more of my favourite shots ...

Models: Katy Bangert and Shannon Alesayi
Photography by S6 Photography
Styling by Hansley Beard
Vintage Crockery and Props from Hansley Beard Hire collection
Flowers supplied by Swallows and Damsons
Tea Supplied by The Girl with the Golden Cup . To buy specially blended teas for your wedding, contact Caroline at The Girl with the Golden Cup. (She can even make up bespoke teas just for you!)
Woodland venue used by kind permission of Ecclesall Woods Sawmill, Sheffield City Council

Hansley Beard have a vast collection of beautiful vintage crockery, glassware and props available for hire from our Sheffield studio. If you’re looking to hire for your wedding or event, please get in touch with your wishlist and we’ll do our very best to help! Styling services, decor set-up and decor theme development also available.

Posted Wed, 01 Dec, by Jennie Beard in Autumn, Flowers, Photography, Themes, Vintage Accessories, Vintage Clothing , Vintage Crockery Hire, Vintage Styling, Vintage Weddings, Woodland Wedding | 5 Comments