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This weekend is the first in a series of Designer Weekends at FrouFrou Bridal Boutique, Tunbridge Wells. As well as being able to view full collections by featured designers, there’s super discounts available and your chance to win your dress for free! This Saturday and Sunday (24th & 25th November 2012) features designer Lusan Mandongus. Check out more info on the flyer below or read more about the boutique in our featured blog post.
Happy shopping! x
One of our favourite shops for wedding outfits is Any Occasion in Tunbridge Wells. We’re always sending Mother of the Brides their way and now there’s another reason to go take a look as they are stockists for Anoushka G, who design fantastic evening and occasion wear.
Anoushka G also designs a bridal range that has some real gems, with gorgeous lines and beautiful details perfect for summer weddings. These are just some of our favourite.
This week has been full of excitement and anticipation. Not least as the Olympics has arrived in London town but that our new website is almost ready to go. That was until we hit a slight wordpress snag. We’re desperately trying to work out how NOT to manually move over 500 blog images from wordpress.com to wordpress.org as it doesn’t seem to want to do it automatically for us. If anyone has any idea there’s free wedding planning sessions in it!
The WD’s rethink their IT strategy
On the blog this week we’ve got caught up with Olympic Fever by having a special Going for Gold blog post which is an inspiration board of all things gold for a wedding. It’s such a great accent colour for anytime of year and you can use it as little or as much as you like to compliment any theme.
Our designer of the week was the brilliant Claire Pettibone whose dresses we have admired for ages. If you want to float like an Ethereal Queen through your wedding day then these are the gowns for you.
We just love a lotion or new potion at the Wedding Dolls and just some of our favourite products come from the range by Mitchell and Peach, which is produced right here in Kent. Our Fantastic Find of the week is their miniature set – just perfect for that honeymoon carry case.
Next up was all talk as we looked into Brides making a speech on their wedding day. Traditionally left to the guys, we now find more and more brides want to be part of the speech line up so they can thank their loved ones themselves or pay tribute to their gorgeous new hubbie. Would you? Find out more in Speechless Brides.
This week we also gave you the heads up on the next big thing for Bridesmaids coming to a wedding near you in 2013. Yes it’s bling’s best friend Sequins, and lots of them. See how you can get your Bridesmaids kitted out and bang up to date in next to no time.
Lastly our Saturday Shopping tip this week was for online store Pearl and Earl. It’s got loads of good little buys to help decorate your venue and is also a great place to buy those latex balloons we were banging on about last week. If you’re bored with the Olympics already you’ve just found something to do instead!
Happy Sunday Everyone
x
Traditional this is not, but come on Brides it’s time to take a stand… how do you feel about making a speech on your wedding day?
Whilst most Brides don’t join the speech line up, your wedding is the only time you will have your closest friends and relatives in one room. Do you really want to miss the chance to speak to them all, tell them how much they mean to you and how much you would like to thank them?
@Helen May Banks
Nerves might be holding you back, but if you don’t give it a go it may just be one of those little wedding regrets. Just think, you’ve got no pressure to be funny or remember big thank you’s – it’s just you and your guests, and the opportunity to say how you feel on your big day.
Sophie French, who married husband Pete at the London Golf Club, was one such bride who says “I didn’t want to miss the chance to say a special thank you to my parents who had done so much for us as well as my friends, some of whom had travelled a long way to be there. I was a bit nervous but if you tell it from the heart, you don’t need to worry as your guests will be thrilled however you deliver it.”
If you need some extra help then there’s plenty of advice website’s out there with example speeches already done that you can adapt, and we can provide help and delivery training too.
So come on ladies will you be leaving it all to the groom? Let us know what you think?
This weekend brings us sunshine! And about time too. With school out for summer and weddings galore over the next few weeks we need the sun to stick to around just for a while. On a selfish note as well I’ve bought loads of maxi dresses for going to weddings and not got to wear them once yet – having to stick to my winter attire made up of tights and a waterproof mac!
So before I run away with the sun celebration let’s look back over the last week on the blog. Our dress of the week was by Alan Hannah, a gorgeous backless dress with stunning detail, that judging from the comments we’ve had is a big hit with all of you too.
Then we shared with you a unique venue that we’ve had the pleasure of working at, Nettlestead Place. The house, gardens and stunning views along with it being exclusive to you on the day are just a few of the reasons to check it out.
Next was our fantastic find Little Gems, who make the most gorgeous cakes alongside a vintage ice cream bike with homemade ice creams. We worked with Gemma at a wedding and could see first hand how much the guests loved picking their own ice cream for dessert and comparing flavours - it was a big hit!
For wedding decor inspiration we looked at the comeback of the humble balloon. With large latex balloons now in the offering you can make simple and stylish backdrops at a really reasonable price. We just love them.
If you’re looking for accessories and decoration for your big day our Saturday Shopping guide is just what you need with beautiful name places, invitations and table settings from one of our favourite online shops, Cox and Cox. It’s our first stop for unique little wedding ideas.
Enjoy the sunshine and happy Sunday everyone!
x
If you’ve got it flaunt it! With this gorgeous Milano dress by designer Alan Hannah you’ll want to walk up the aisle more than once so guests get another chance to check out that stunning back detail!
Stockists in Kent include Pantiles Bride and Teokath.
Image from Alan Hannah.
Fishtale wedding dresses are making a serious comeback and we just love this gorgeously detailed dress from Mori Lee by Madeline Gardner. Designing for Mori Lee for over 20 years, Madeline comes from New York and is well known internationally for her timeless and elegant designs.
In Kent the range is available at various Bridal Rooms including Jacqueline’s House of Brides in Dartford and Teokath in Canterbury.
Johanna Hehir has launched her new diffusion collection, Mae by Johanna Hehir. This gorgeous new range features soft georgette, silk crepe and vintage style lace in the dress designs. Dresses range in price from £1000 to £1500.
Johanna says “Naming the collection was far simpler than I thought it would be. When my daughter suggested we use Mae (my second name), I knew it was a name that perfectly suited the type of girl who we envision wearing any one of the dresses from this collection”.
Johanna has established herself over the past ten years as one of London’s leading bridal designers. Her signature style has clean, unfussy, classic cuts with romantic detailing – we just love!
We’ll let you know as soon as the range is available – in the meantime check out this gorgeous video from the collection shoot day or for more about her other gowns take a look at our previous blog post.
Stephanie Allin is one of the UK’s foremost award-winning bridal fashion designers. With over 20 years experience Stephanie is well known for her excellence in design, use of beautiful fabrics and the final perfect fit. Stephanie says “all our gowns are hand-made in Britain by the most highly skilled, professionally trained dressmakers. We pride ourselves on ensuring your gown is perfect.”
Stephanie has just launched her 2013 ‘Night and Day’ Collection which will be in store around September. But if you can’t wait until then to take a look at some of her designs they have a sample sale on the 23rd and 24th June at Chiltern St, London. No appointment is necessary, just visit the website for more info.
To see her stunning designs up close in Kent visit Isabella Grace, Tunbridge Wells.
We first met the ladies behind Froufrou last year at the Leeds Castle Wedding Show. Since then their bridal boutique in Tunbridge Wells has gone from strength to strength. Their stunning range of bridal wear includes contemporary vintage inspired gowns as well as a unique collection of original vintage dresses. And if you still can’t decide from what’s on offer they will do their best to source your perfect dress for you.
We caught up with owners, Helena and Nicole, to find out more about them and how they chose their collection of dresses.
How did you become bridal shop owners?
We are old school friends and having travelled through life’s ups and downs together it put us in good stead for a business partnership. Growing up we both loved anything to do with fashion and although we have very different styles we generally agree on most things. With backgrounds in graphic design, fashion photography, fashion styling and hair and make-up we have put our talents together and our passion for all things beautiful to create a bridal boutique with a difference.
In the early planning stages we started jotting down ideas, looking at different inspirations and creating mood boards, from there our dream just snowballed. We are not really sure how we got to this point as we now have a stunning boutique full of beautiful gowns and an eclectic mix of vintage and vintage inspired accessories. What’s not to love! We really do feel very lucky.
How did you choose the designers for the boutique?
We quickly discovered what we probably always new; we have very expensive taste! We initially loved the idea of stocking British designers whose dresses were made in the UK. We needed designers who complimented each other and covered a range of styles. We straight away had our hearts set on Stewart Parvin and David Fielden and after a first hand look at their dresses they were both a must. The classic couture designs and tailoring of Stewart’s work is a dream for any bride lusting after timeless perfection in a gown. David Fielden’s work was just as alluring with his high fashion take on a traditional wedding gown, often with elements of a bygone era. For a girl who is led more by fashion these gowns will not disappoint. These two designers had set the bar for the boutique. We then added to our collection with gowns by Lyn Ashworth, as well as Matthew Williamson’s debut bridal collection.
It wasn’t until after we had opened and were contacted by two American designers, Sarah Seven and Ivy&Aster, that we considered stocking gowns from across the pond and we haven’t looked back. Girls are loving the American styles and we are very proud of being the only UK stockist.
What are your top three tips for brides when choosing a dress?
Be open-minded. You can’t tell by looking at a dress on the hanger if it will suit your body shape. Often brides surprise themselves by pushing their boundaries and end up with a dress they would never have initially picked out.
Wear good underwear! At your fitting wear a strapless bra and knickers in a neutral shade. This will totally help you get a better vision of how a dress will look. It still surprises us when girls turn up with their usual black Wonderbra!
Be decisive. Many girls always dream of finding the one perfect dress! And they might well have but it completely passes them by due to their inability to know what style they are looking for, or how they want to be perceived on the big day. We see so many girls who have turned into serial wedding dress shoppers, trying on hundreds but still not finding “the one”. Our advice is to visit a selection of bridal boutiques and try on enough dresses to satisfy yourself that you have found what looks good on you. Just keep in mind if you put on a dress that makes everyone cry STOP LOOKING, you are not going to top it!
So thanks to the ladies for taking some time out to talk with us. For further info on how to make your dedicated two-hour appointment visit their website. With gorgeous dresses, professional and friendly guidance, as well as champagne, organic teas and delicious locally baked cupcakes on offer prepare to be spoilt – we know you will be!
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