My Bridal Story: Bride & Co.
This month, we interview Sue and Angie from Bride & Co, who give us an insight into their Anlaby-based boutique, and how they celebrate brides making a final dress decision.
Name of store: Bride & Co.
Store owners: Sue and Angie
Location: Anlaby, East Riding of Yorkshire
Can you give us a little introduction to Bride & Co.? How would you describe your boutique, and what makes it stand out?
Bride & Co. recently moved to new premises in Anlaby. We completely transformed an empty shop to create a high-end, luxurious bridal boutique with plenty of space for our brides to shop and find the dress of their dreams. Our boutique opens into a large browsing area where all of our dresses are displayed and can be viewed in a spacious environment. The walls are decorated in a dark blush to accentuate the dresses, and there is seating for the bridal parties to shop at leisure. Double doors open into a large private viewing area with more comfortable seating for the bridal party and a spacious dressing room with a platform with multiple mirrors for the bride to get a full view of how each dress looks.
What made you get into the bridal industry?
After owning a clothing boutique, my passion for dressing ladies in beautiful clothing only grew. The opportunity arose for Bride & Co. after seeing how wonderful it was to work with brides, to help them on their journey to find their dream dress, and I knew this would be the perfect industry for myself to work in.
Who would you say is your ideal bride?
The ideal bride is someone who is open to our advice, is willing to trust our team and try various styles of dresses, even if it is out of their comfort zone. We don’t have a typical customer, as each bride is unique and may have just started looking for their dress so each bride is on a different journey.
How do you celebrate a bride finding her dress in your boutique? Do you do anything special on social media, and how have you adjusted these celebrations with the pandemic?
Once a bride has said “yes to the dress”, we give them the Bride & Co. celebratory sign for a picture with their bridal party, which with their permission, we will post on our social media channels. We also give them a bottle of fizz to take away and celebrate with their bridal party. Due to the pandemic and risks of social distancing, the photographs were taken outside the shop where there was space and fresh air.
What would you say is the best part of your job?
The best part of the job is the moment when the bride realises she has found her dress, at this point the majority of the bridal party get emotional. That’s when you feel part of a very special moment and know you’ve helped the bride find her dream dress for her special day.
What’s your favourite industry memory?
My favourite industry memory is when my colleague was with the bridal party whilst I was dressing the bride-to-be, chatting to the guests and asking all about the wedding. When I stepped out of the changing room with the bride, I found my colleague sitting amongst the guests. She actually got emotional when the bride stepped out in her dress, and I had to remind her she was actually working, which everyone found hilarious!
Can you tell us three interesting facts about your boutique?
1. Our boutique is appointment only - this is to make sure our brides have sufficient time and dedicated service from our team.
2. We will do out of hour appointments for brides that cannot do appointments in our normal trading hours.
3. We have over 1500 followers on our Instagram, and we regularly post our real brides on there after their special day.
If you had to give one piece of advice to another store owner, what would it be?
Always listen to your bride. She will be nervous and anxious for her first appointment, but once you’ve explained how the process works and calmed your bride down, she will love the experience!
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