In the weeks running up to our 5 year and rebrand bash, KDH HQ slowly but steadily accumulated an abundance of jam jars, fairy lights, faux woodland creatures, moss, tea lights, rose gold spray painted branches and hibiscus petals. You’d be momentarily mistaken for thinking our office was the set for a production of Midsummer Night’s Dream. That is, until you saw all the booze, which was a 21st century (and arguably less controversial) alternative to Puck’s love potion. Cascades of Crème de Mure for our Blackberry Daiquiris, enough gin to make any Mother ruined and bottles and bottles of Bourbon for our Ivy (Old Fashioned) cocktail were just some of the refreshments that populated our desks amid computer screens, pen pots and Pret coffee cups.
With each day bringing a new delivery of alcohol, or miscellaneous woodland goods, our mission for the 20th dawned ever nearer and, on the day before, we faced the task head on of lifting, deporting and ramming all goods into a van. Morning approached and from West side to East side we went; deep into the Bethnal Green abyss, ready to begin constructing our enchanted forest. Click here to see it all taking shape:
Ten hours later, our venue was transformed into a magical space hugged by garlands of fresh flowers and touched by dappled pink lighting.
Wild venison burgers were being fried by the very talented Jack from The Gamekeepers, the Meringue Girls’ meringues & brownie bites were glistening and we could hear the first sounds of popping corks. Glitter was also the name of the game and our incredible face artists, In Your Dreams, set up shop with their colourful bindis, gemstones and sparkles to adorn the faces – and in some cases beards – of willing (or perhaps just quite drunk) guests. By 6.30pm, our musician Sammy Nafie, was in full swing, serenading a few lucky ones with a timeless rendition of Ordinary People. But this was no time for being swept up in sweet melodies – we had a party to get going with and the room was filling up fast.
Before we knew it, we were surrounded by planners, surveyors and design professionals mingling, laughing and drinking. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for them to hit the dance floor and throw some exceptional shapes helped along by our amazing DJ, Brendan Mills. The musical ingredients were blended as well as our cocktails and invoked the freshest lyrical flavours to encourage dance-offs that will go down in history (*cough* Ian Anderson, *cough* Richard Alden).
Some of the first guests to arrive were Steve, Laura and Tom from Edge Design, who are responsible for the brand new KDH image and who we’re eternally grateful for. Steve set a very glittery example to everyone else arriving as one of the first to get their face decorated.
As the night drew to a close, spirits were high and we couldn’t have been more grateful for our incredible guests – clients, candidates, friends – who have helped us get to where we are now and supported us along the way. It was a fabulous evening and we are immensely proud of KDH – both of what we’ve achieved in the 5 years past and our years to come. All that is left to say is a huge, huge thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way. And… a sorry for all who woke up with a hangover on Friday morning and/or with traces of seemingly irremovable glitter stuck to their face… click here to see the full video experience!
