Spring Forward

Spring is here, the daffodils are out and on a sunny day you can feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, I always think that makes you feel like summer is on its way.

It’s been a very busy time in the new shop and we’re settling in to our new home very well. The brides are really enjoying the extra space and we’re enjoying it too! It’s also meant that events like our mother of the bride fashion show can now take place in-store and we had a wonderful time on the 4th March with our lovely mother of the bride show. The Buck’s Fizz flowed and everyone had a fab time. The collections are so varied this year, there really is something for everyone and prices start from £150 so you don’t have to blow the budget!



After the fashion show it was off to Harrogate to view some of the new collections for next year. It’s also a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. We have ordered some amazing new bridesmaid dresses and I can’t wait for them to come in, ball gown styles with full skirts as well as some really lovely soft chiffon tea-length dresses for the bride looking for something a little less formal and most of the prices will be more competitive than Coast and other brands. Not bad when you can order them in up to 70 colours ranging from size 1 to 30! They will also be available on a 5 week rush-cut, which is a blessing as not every bride has the 5 month order time that some of the designers are asking for.

One of the highlights of the show is the glittering awards ceremony, where 600 guests enjoy watching who will win the awards for this year. My favourite designer Veni Infantino, who designs for Ronald Joyce, has become a firm friend over the years and she was nominated for two awards, 'Best Wedding Dress Designer' and 'Best Occasion Wear Designer'. She looked amazing in one of her own designs and was kind enough to let Alison and myself borrow one of her designs from the new collection.

Grand Opening

What an amazing start to the New Year!

Our official opening on Saturday was brilliant; we had Veni Infantino, designer for Ronald Joyce and Victoria Jayne (as well as the mother of the bride collection that carries her name) in attendance to cut the ribbon.

She flew in from New York a few days before and arrived as fresh as a daisy on Saturday morning. I really admire her and she really listens to the brides and what they like and don’t like and is so passionate about what she does. For the brides that ordered their dresses with her she has promised to send them the original sketch of the dress, how fantastic to have the original sketch design of your dress, given to you by the designer herself!

We’ve had some lovely brides in this week and I was really touched by Helen, who came in looking for a dress, she was very despondent even though she had lost nine stone. She found a dress and was so excited she didn’t want to take it off! She really made my day and I’m so pleased to think of her so happy and really looking forward to her wedding day now.

The champagne has flowed and I’m so thrilled that all the brides love our new shop so much, we have had so many compliments and I still feel like I’m walking on air!

Welcome to 4 High Street

Well! Here we are in our amazing new shop! After two years of planning and building work we are finally open.

Much like planning a wedding there have been highs and lows as well as a slight budget over run! And just like a wedding, it is so worth it when all the sleepless nights and worry have paid off and you are the happiest girl in town.

I am so pleased with the way everything has come together and the response from our brides has been phenomenal. Everyone loves the spaciousness and the amazing curtains! We have so many dresses, and you can really see them now they are showcased in our beautiful bespoke housings, you can browse through them at your leisure and really take your time. The menswear hire department is luxurious and a haven for the groom away from the brides, and we are loving the arrival of our kilts!

The shop front and our window displays complete with life like mannequin flown in from Italy have created quite a stir and we have had people just coming in off the street to say how amazing they think the shop looks and wishing us every success for the future. I will be a size 8 by the time I’ve given everyone the guided tour up three flights of stairs!

The business community have also been fantastic, flowers from the team at Dilly’s, thank you guys so much. Beautiful cut-glass champagne flutes from Veni, David and the team at Ronald Joyce. I’m really looking forward to our designer weekend when we will have the complete new Ronald Joyce and Victoria Jayne collections and the designer herself, Veni Infantino will be coming down to cut the ribbon.

We’ve also kept our old shop Jitters running as a sale shop, with wedding dresses from £150, bridesmaid dresses from £30 and mother of the bride outfits from £50. So if you want a bargain or need a dress at short notice to buy off the peg, you can pop down to number 44 St Johns Street!

I look forward to welcoming you at our new store and giving you a fantastic shopping experience.

Summer Turns To Autumn

I can't believe August has been and gone already, my apologies for not doing a blog for so long and to all the lovely who brides who have sent in photos I promise I will post them all up soon!

August is not only a busy time for brides actually getting married but it's also buying season for all the new spring/summer mother of the bride outfits and occasion wear. We've been busy at Pure in London and Moda in Birmingham choosing all the new styles for next year. There are some really beautiful outfits to come and lovely soft lace dresses, as well as the formal suits. Long coat jackets are a real big feature; I think we have Kate Middleton to thank for that! We have tried to be very select with these styles as long jackets can be very hard to wear and you can instantly look like you've gained a stone (not a look we were aiming for!).

Two collections that we really loved were the Ian Stuart collection with its amazing fit and fantastic use of colour (we have also ordered some matching hats this time), they really are amazing. For the mum or guest who wants something less formal, which they'll want to wear again, we also have the Vera Mont collection. This is much softer, with slight stretch in the lace and soft fabrics and with prices around £300 they are fantastic value.

Me with Ian Stuart at Pure

At Vera Mont with Rachel who I've grown to know and love over the years!

This time of year is also when you have a lot of last minute brides for all sorts of reasons. One bride bought her dress at a shop that doesn't offer alterations and found that when she took it to the dress maker three weeks before the wedding it was all ripped! Another bride had been told that she could definitely take the dress to a dress maker and have it altered from an 'A line' style to a fishtail, only for the dress maker to tell her it was impossible. So, with only a few weeks left to the wedding she had to find a new dress and start again. Many brides buy dresses online only to find it's a cheap imitation of what they thought they were paying for, with no way of getting a refund. But the one that sticks in mind is the girl who'd bought her dress in a charity shop for £100 and then her mum surprised her and bought a dress for her, she was over the moon.

Off to Harrogate today for three days to see all the new styles for 2012, how exciting! I will let you all know the trends for next season.

Summer Madness

The season is now well under way and we’re starting to get some lovely thank you cards and photos from brides who have just got married, as well as some very dirty wedding dresses to clean! Thank you for all the chocolates, no wonder we’re not size 8’s!

One of our lovely brides, Kate, got married in June and she had become such a regular that we all got to know her well, along with her mum who was always there to support her through all her anxieties. Her Pronovias dress 'Madrigal' had to be perfect. Image my surprise when two days after the wedding her mum brought the dress in to be cleaned in a black bin liner! I rushed to take a photo so I could post it on my blog, we’re hoping that Kate doesn’t look until it’s back from the cleaners, looking fantastic.

Before

After

Our Facebook page is up and running now and we will be posting photos from event days and things happening in the shop, like a bride yesterday having her fitting with her beautiful La Boutin shoes... watch this space!

The new seasons dresses are now starting to come in. Some of the new Ronald Joyce and Victoria Jane dresses have arrived and we now have all but one of our capsule collection of the Pronovias 2012 collection, images will be posted on our web site soon. We have lots more dresses with shoulders and straps and we also have lots of lace shrugettes which look fantastic and cover the shoulders and arms while still giving you flexibility and movement.

We’re also having more and more 'last minute brides' who've ordered a dress online and then been let down at the last minute. Whatever your budget, there’s always a dress that you can buy 'off the peg' at a reduced price and then you know you wont be let down on the day. It’s really important that you see the dress before you part with any money!

The new Autumn/Winter collection is now starting to come in for mother of the bride. It’s strange to think that in a few weeks time we will be choosing the collections for next summer. I always enjoy looking at all the collections for MOB, the colours are such a contrast to the predominately ivory wedding dresses. We have a huge range and the prices vary from £150 to over £1,000 so there’s something for every taste and budget.

We still have our sample sale on, so if you're getting married next year it’s well worth making an appointment to come in and see the range, hope to see you soon!

In Bloom

Well, we have been very busy bees in May.

The shop has been buzzing with all the fittings, with brides coming in to have their dresses pinned and looking at how much weight they've lost. Our workroom girls are fantastic and I’ve yet to find an alteration they can’t do. From making a whole front panel for a pregnant bridesmaid's dress, to downsizing a dress for a bride who has lost two and a half stone. I’m very proud that we are able to offer this in-house service to our brides, I think they really appreciate that we're with them right through to their wedding day!

We also had a visit from my good friend Karen Taft, managing director of Benjamin Roberts, Enzoani, Blue and Tia. I totally admire her drive and energy and after seeing my new project it was off for a pub lunch. It’s great to get together and talk about our plans for the future.

George Efstratiou and Karen Taft visit The Wedding Shop

It's also been an amazing buying month with all our new collections for next year. We have been in Barcelona looking at the amazing new Pronovias collection; it really is cutting edge, very detailed and flamboyant, also lots of their lace signature dresses.

The White Gallery was held in Battersea Park and we attended on the last day to avoid the crowds, giving us time to look around all the new collections. Sassi Holford has some beautiful lace vintage inspired dresses with shoulders and straps, which is a great relief as we have all been crying out for something that is not strapless! We also took a look at the new Caroline Castigliano collection which is being launched for the first time, but we felt it was not up to the standard and quality of Suzanne Neville and with a more expensive price tag, we felt it wasn’t for us.

Suzanne Neville hosted her collection at the Tower of London, which was just fantastic, the best collection she has ever designed. I wanted to have them all! There was a style to suit every figure and taste, from her signature corsetry to soft lace and real 50’s glamour with full organza skirts and beaded detail. We had a lovely goodie bag and I am now a complete convert to her body crème which smells divine. It is incredible to think that next year will complete 10 years of working with Suzanne and we have grown closer and closer, we are very happy to be the only stockist in Essex.

With Suzanne Neville at the Tower of London (sorry about the BlackBerry picture!)

Last but by no means least was Jenny Packham. Famous for her 1930’s glamour dresses, not for the faint hearted, with their figure hugging charmuse silk and low plunging necklines. We were blown away by the intricacy of this new collection with lots of her trademark beaded dresses, necklines had been designed slightly higher making them more wearable for most brides and I loved the muted colours of Champagne and platinum.

After all these years I still get so excited seeing the new collections, all of the designers have really surpassed themselves this season. We will be having designer days towards the end of the year as the new collections arrive, so keep an eye on the website to see when your favourite designer is going to be at The Wedding Shop Colchester!

Royal Romance

I think the Royal Wedding day will be one of those times that everyone remembers where they were to watch the big event. I was glued to my TV from eight thirty in the morning!

One of the highlights for me was the arrival of the guests. I recognised some of the designers worn by the guest attending; Trevor Brooking’s wife looked lovely in a purple Ann Balon (available at The Wedding Shop, Colchester!). I really loved seeing all the different fashions and hats.

I thought Camilla and Carol Middleton both did themselves proud, they looked elegant and understated. We know from experience how difficult it is for the mother of the bride or groom to feel that they have an outfit which is perfect for the occasion. Catherine looked amazing in her Sarah Burton designed gown and was just as I thought she would be… serene, beautiful and modest. I’m a big fan of lace; it is such a timeless and feminine fabric. The wedding veil was in the softest silk tulle and was the perfect finishing touch.

Philippa Middleton looked stunning in her bridesmaid dress, a classic shape, often more associated with a Jenny Packham wedding dress than a bridesmaid dress. William looked so handsome in his uniform, the whole day was magical.

After all these bank holidays and time off, it’s back to work now and I’ve got to judge the wedding dress that will win the competition for Culver Square.