One Little Wagon isn’t just a bar, she’s the centrepiece of any event she’s invited to. Immaculate and lightly vintage with whitewash walls, stone bench tops, classic tapware, industrial lighting and a shiny new exterior paint job, One Little Wagon is in her prime & ready to party!
With a happy go luckymotive, One Little Wagon travels all over the wild landscapes of New Zealand, serving delicious drinks at beautiful weddings, corporate/private functions, birthday parties and more! ‘Waggie’ comes complete as a bar ready to rock and roll, with gorgeous stemless wine and champagne glasses, ice, picnic blankets, bunting, crates and a few other treats.
We talk to Allie about how One Little Wagon came to be, their best tips for maximizing cocktail hour and what knowledge they have to share about first starting a business.
To start, tell us about your business and how it was born?
One Little Wagon was born from a love of the wedding industry, connecting with brides and grooms and working together to bring their vision of their big day to life. Taking over from One Little Wagons pervious owners a little over a year ago has made some memorable moments for this husband and wife team, navigating our business goals through a pandemic has been interesting but we are feeling positive and better than ever about what is to come in the wedding and events industry.
Tell us about yourselves and your backgrounds, what does a week consist of for you?
We are the proud parents to two little ones, a 5 year old daughter, Olive and a soon to be 2 year old son, Oak. We also have a beautiful 6 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback named Chilli who you may have come across on our Instagram stories so this alone is a full time job! We live in the rural town of Clevedon, Auckland where we have lots of space for our little ones to explore. We own a bespoke kitchen and cabinetry business also based in Clevedon, having studied business and marketing I (Allie) was on the lookout for a business that I could grow and which didn’t feel like work, I have definitely found that in taking over One Little Wagon.
We’d love to hear about the experience you offer your clients from booking until on the day?
When our customers first get in touch with us at One Little Wagon, we discuss their upcoming event, we like to go over dates, times, location and guest numbers and work out a package to suit. May that be 4 four hour hire for an intimate garden wedding or a 6 hour package to accomodate a larger guest list. We also offer custom dried and fresh floral garlands to adorn our caravan bar to make our brides day that more individual.
How does hiring a caravan bar work with drinks and types of drinks you offer?
What is fantastic about hiring One Little Wagon for your big day, is we are able to cater to you and your guests tastes and have on hand whatever you choose. May that be more beer than spirit focused, or more cocktail than wine it is totally up to you! The wagon has 2 large sinks and 3 large chilly bins that we use to keep drinks cold. We recommend our hirees provide a chiller or fridge area so we can continue to restock the bar over the evening. We arrive an hour before an event so we can’t cool down warm drinks – we suggest our couples organise for drinks to be chilled and ready for us (especially in the peak of summer).
Do you have any advice or tips on how couples can maximise their cocktail hour? Any fun and unique things they can do to make it more enjoyable or more ‘them’?
One Little Wagon can assist couples with cocktail selection, either creating a signature cocktail or using their favourite drink to be served. We can also assist with working out the number of drinks you need per guest list. Custom signage and drink lists always create an individual experience and we can point you in the right direction of where you can get these made.
We are huge fans of caravan bars here at Wild Hearts, but tell us why having a caravan bar at your event makes the event more special?
Having One Little Wagon a part of your big day creates a fun and exciting dimension to your celebrations. A place where guests can come and congregate and decide on a refreshment of their choice is always such a popular option for our couples. Especially while bride and groom are off on photos or having a quiet moment to themselves, it allows guests entertainment and a chance to mingle with others they may not have had the opportunity to otherwise.
If you could go back and tell yourself anything during your first month of business, what would it be?
It would definitely be, be prepared for the unexpected to occur. Covid has affected the wedding and events industry like no other, however we are so lucky to live in such a beautiful and safe country in comparison to what the rest of the world is going through. It has made us align with our business goals more clearly, as well as think out of the box. One Little Wagon are now offering dried floral garlands and arrangements with all of our hire packages, you may even see us out on the road selling beautiful fresh and dried blooms.
We’d love to hear about your own wedding day and how you celebrated! Any advice for couples planning their own day? (Beyond anything bar related).
What a magical day your wedding day is, having been married 6 years ago now it was and still is such a highlight for us as a couple and the natural progression of our relationship. One of the best decisions we made was having a wedding videographer, we cherish this and watch it every anniversary, and now get to share our day with our little ones who can’t believe there was a whole other life for us before they arrived ha!
To find out how to book One Little Wagon for your next celebration, head to our Wild Hearts Vendor Collection, here.
You can also see a peek of her in action in the Woodland Ranges Elopement Styled Shoot featured on the Wild Hearts Blog and captured by the talented Samantha Donaldson Photography, check it out here.
And don’t forget to follow over on Instagram! @onelittlewagon
