From Steel to Lace...

Well, here it is! My first ever blog. I’ve been putting this off forever but I’m determined that something more has to come out of this lockdown than just me learning to hula-hoop (top tip…buy a massive hoop!) So here we go..

Where to start, that is the question? I suppose it really has to be bridal related for now. Many discussions in the shop have ended with “you should write a book” so there has to be some legs in that. Right?? I really hope so, but rather than aiming to be the next J K Rowling, I’ll start this blog.

Okay, so how did my love of wedding dresses and bridal begin? It started with me hitting a crossroads in my life after working for 14 years in the Steel Industry. Yes! Steel! One of the most unsexy, generic, male dominated industries that there is. When redundancy loomed, there was a decision to stay in the industry or do something I’ve always wanted to do – become self-employed.

Not to bore you with the ins and outs but self-employment won and after me looking at a few bridal shops and falling in love with the whole idea, I eventually purchased a long-established Bridal shop in Accrington, Lancashire. Maybe moving into selling wedding dresses, subconsciously, was due to it being as far away from the male dominated industry of steel as I could possibly get, I don’t know. The only thing I do know is that after giving up an excellent salary and now earning bugger all, I still have no regrets. I love it.

Seeing brides find their perfect wedding dress and breaking down in tears still gets to me 8 years on. It’s surreal. Especially when I have chosen a wildcard wedding dress for them to try (the bride convinced it’s not what they want) and them falling in love with it. Priceless!

To play a small part in one of the most important days in somebody’s life is an amazing feeling but, don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all “roses around the door” and “perfect in every way”. No way. Getting married is one of the most stressful life events for a person, especially the bride.

Most brides have planned this day in their heads their entire lives, so everything has to be absolutely perfect. But we don’t live in a perfect world and, if this imperfection comes into play during the build up to their day, there can be fireworks and the bridezilla can suddenly appear.

This is where we come into our own. We become therapists, (pre)marriage guidance councillors and even mediators to help our bride get through the last stressful weeks leading up to the wedding, and I honestly don’t mind if it helps. Every bride feels like they’re the first person to ever have these feelings, issues, family problems. I can tell them there and then they’re not, and they won’t be the last! It’s all part and parcel of this stressful time in their life and what I have noticed is that when you have problems leading up to the big day and they are overcome, you end up with what you’ve always wanted. A Perfect Wedding Dress for a Perfect Day