The feeling you get when you have been shortlisted for two major awards,(especially when its from The UK’s top Wedding dress trade show/ magazine).

We are quite literally floating on air today. It has been announced that we are finalists in the Bridal Buyer Wedding Awards for “Interior and Exterior Design of the Year”. Not only that we are also finalist for “Best Retail Website of 2024”.

FINALIST WEBSITE OF THE YEAR

We had a very busy 2023 building our new website. The site was designed with the end user in mind and we engaged with our brides via focus groups. This ensured we were 100% percent able to deliver a site that todays brides want to use.

It took months of planning and brainstorming to make sure we got it right. We worked with THE DESIGN SPACE Melissa who we know well and who is truly inspirational. She totally got our aesthetic and also our technical challenges with more than one shop and over 10 designers. Take a look here ELLIE SANDERSON WEBSITE.

We also built into the website a brilliant intuitive styling quiz, a real first for bridal retail . The feedback has been insane with almost a thousand brides trying it since its launch. Take the quiz today – it literally takes 3 minutes and really focusses your wedding ideas and helps define the style of dress that will suit your dream. CLICK HERE >>>>>>DREAM DRESS QUIZ .

I also love that you can book your appointment, store you favourite dress on your wish list, take the styling quiz, chat with us pretty much 20 hours a day on our whats app line all from the website. Thats all before you come to see us. (ps the whats app line is with Sarah who, with two children, never sleeps.

Todays bride needs things to be fast, efficient and have a sense of fun and celebration. I am confident our new site delivers this in bucket fulls. I’m thrilled all our hard work has been recognised by the Bridal Buyer Wedding Awards.

FINALIST INTERIOR/EXTERIOR DESIGN OF THE YEAR

24 months ago I realised that I wanted to change the norms for our brides Bridal shopping experience. That sounds dramatic but there were fundament things that I no longer found acceptable about High St retailing. Terrible parking and cramped spaces being at the top of that list.

It took over two years looking for our beautiful barn in the Oxfordshire countryside. I finally found it and a husband, just outside Woodstock In Kiddington. Seriously I met and married the founder of the local estate agents due to my search- win win I feel.

Our Kiddington space is amazing with lots of parking, lounge areas, a celebration pod, natural day light, fitting suite, and amazing views. It also has incredible space to show off our award winning dress collection. One year on it is incredibly successful and a wonderful place to work.

Our design vision was led by my ex Saturday girl, turned designer, Diane who is the founder of Atelier Racine. The huge benefit here is that she fully understood how the space needed to work. We choose lots of curves and natural organic furnishings and of course our amazing sofas that I frankly want at home. The aesthetic is strong but soft, neutrals and lots of textures bring the place to life. Think plush velvets, boucle’ sofas, soft wood, rustic beams and lots of natural light.

Images taken by our favourite photographer David Bostock who also photographs a lot of our brides.

ALL IN ALL, A FABULOUS START TO 2024

Wish us luck, the winner is announced at the end of March 2024 and if you haven’t been to see us yet BOOK HERE and definitely do the Dream Dress Quiz.