How did you start out in bridal fashion & what keeps you here?
I had a love of fashion from an early age, I adored the Classic Hollywood starlets of the 1940’s & 50’s and their grace and elegance. My career started out in publishing; I was Fashion Director at ‘You & Your Wedding Magazine’ for over 10 years.
In 2005 I fulfilled a lifelong dream and launched my own bridal business – opening Blackburn Bridal in a bijou boutique in Blackheath. We quickly outgrew the space and a few years later we moved to our current home where we serve our brides in our beautiful shop in the heart of Blackheath.
I would honestly say that the thing I love the most is helping brides to find that perfect dress. It is without doubt the most beautiful dress a woman is going to wear in her life and I take great pride in being a part of that process, it’s such a milestone moment in a woman’s life.
It’s an exciting and joyous occasion and the effect that finally finding ‘The One’ can have, often after women have been so overwhelmed by the shopping process is transformative!
What do you love most about working with brides?
I love it when a bride comes to us who may not feel overly confident or is a bit apprehensive of being the centre of attention – helping them to find their dress and seeing how it brings out their confidence is a wonderful journey to be a part of.
When they find a dress that makes them feel amazing that moment is priceless! We form a close bond with our brides over the course of their dress journey – most of our brides use our seamstresses so we really do see them right up until they come to collect their dress just days before their big day.
We are with our brides through the ups and downs of their planning.
Tell us more about your own collection, Blackburn Bridal Couture
In 2013 I launched my very first collection for the Blackburn Couture label. I would describe my signature style as modern and romantic, and always with a glamorous edge.
Drawing upon my experience having dressed thousands of brides, from sleek and form-fitting to soft romantic designs, the Blackburn Couture collection quickly became our best-selling line in the boutique.
We pride ourselves on our exclusivity and following this philosophy the collection is only available at the boutique – brides won’t find it anywhere else.
I am extremely hands-on with our brides and will often be there during appointments when brides are choosing their dresses.
This allows a great level of flexibility so if a bride feels one of my designs would work better for them with a slightly different fit or with sleeves these are all tweaks that we can work on and design together – ultimately creating a very bespoke element to my designs.
You are renowned for supporting new and break through designers – can you tell us more about this?
One of the aspects I love most about running the boutique is discovering new designers who we know are just right for our aesthetic. Over the years this has included the wonderful Claire Pettibone and a chance meeting in New York lead us to carrying Australian designer, Anna Campbell.
Sustainable Wedding Dresses, Made in England
Most recently closer to home we are now carrying British designer’s Fran Rios (see image above) and Katy Britton (see image below).
Our brides love that these designers are British – sustainability and customisation is key with both designers with each dress made to order. Fran Rio and Katy brittons designs have really added something different to our offering. Fran Rios has such a cool ultra modern look with her wide leg jumpsuit and cropped top and skirt combinations, whilst Katy Britton offers a really contemporary take on a relaxed bohemian look – her cut out embroidery designs are so unique.
Visit blackburnbridal.co.uk
What would you say are the top concerns brides might arrive with at their first dress appointment, and how do you advise them?
I would say that our most common concern that brides arrive with is complete overwhelm – it may be their first shopping experience and they don’t know where to start.
Or, in contrast to this they may have been to a huge number of boutiques and be completely confused, almost paralysed by the number of styles available and unable to make a decision.
In both scenarios, we look to take the pressure off and enjoy the appointment with us. If it’s a bride’s first-ever bridal appointment we will aim to try on a few different silhouettes to try and narrow down the style best suited to them. If a bride has tried on almost too many dresses we will encourage her to go with her gut and choose a dress that ‘feels’ most like her style.
How soon should brides order their wedding dress?
In an ideal world we recommend you start your shopping quite early on, 12 months (or more) before the big day is perfect! Bridal designers tend to have a 6-8 months lead time, this then allows you 8-12 weeks for your fittings to ensure everything is carried out in a timely manner with no stressful rush at the end.
However, if you have a shorter time frame it is always worth speaking to us as our designers can offer flexibility and can work to a shorter timescale but rush fees may be incurred.
We also have the option of buying some of our samples ‘off the peg’ which would just need alterations – we always try to find solutions to accommodate our brides so it’s worth asking the question!
blackburnbridal.co.uk
Credits & Thanks
Annabel View all Annabel’s articles
Annabel is the founder of Love My Dress. She has a passion for photography, walking, yoga, nature, and loves to support talented artists and creative businesses. In 2013, she became a published author. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters Eska and Leanora and menagerie of furry hounds. Annabel supports Philip in the running of the family flower farm at at Moonwind Flowers. She is also co-founder of What About Weddings.