Our Story
Dialtone started the same way most good things do - as a project.
I’ve always loved building things. Furniture, websites, cars, random side projects that start as “i’ve seen a guy on Youtube do it, how hard can it be” and somehow turn into late nights in the garage. I write code for a living, so tinkering with electronics felt like a natural (and slightly more hands-on) break from staring at a screen.
The first Dialtone phone wasn’t built for a business.
It was built for our wedding at Middleton Lodge Estate, North Yorkshire.
In fact, I probably built half the wedding.
There was a custom foldable bar designed to fit the space perfectly. Two handmade corn toss boards for guests. Small details most people wouldn’t consciously notice, but I would. I’ve always believed it’s the finishing touches that make something feel intentional rather than improvised.
The audio guestbook was part of that same mindset.
We wanted something guests would actually use. Something nostalgic. I’ve always had a soft spot for old technology, the weight of a handset, the subtle hum before someone speaks. It feels human. Honest. A bit imperfect in the best way. I spend my time in a digital in-tangible world so having tactile experiences is important to me.
So I built one.
And then - on the morning of my wedding - it didn’t quite behave as expected.
While everyone else was calmly getting ready, I was in the kitchen soldering the handset back together, eating a bacon sandwich with one hand and holding a screwdriver with the other, trying to get it working before we left for the ceremony.
I did make it to my own wedding on time.
I was, however, sternly (and correctly) told off afterwards for prioritising a telephone over tying my bow tie properly.
But it was worth it.
Because when we listened back to those recordings later, the laughter, the slightly slurred speeches, the quiet emotional messages, it captured something we would never have remembered otherwise.
Listen to one of the messages
That moment also taught me something important:
Reliability matters more than romance when it comes to technology.
The phones we hire now are nothing like that prototype. They’re carefully engineered, properly tested, and designed so you never have to think about what’s happening inside. No last-minute soldering required.
I’d been looking for a side project I could build alongside my day job. My mother-in-law has worked in the wedding industry for years, so I understood the level of polish couples expect. When I looked at what was already out there, I felt there was room to raise the bar.
With my background in web design and development, attention to detail isn’t optional, it’s instinctive. The build quality matters. The presentation matters. The reliability absolutely matters.
That crossover, from coding to carpentry to electronics, is what shapes Dialtone.
Every phone is prepared with the same care (and considerably more testing) than the one I rushed to fix on my own wedding morning. It should feel considered, dependable, and beautifully simple from the moment it arrives.
Dialtone isn’t a faceless hire company.
It’s the result of someone who genuinely loves building things well, and who has already lived through the stress test so you don’t have to.
