Hello, lovely wedding people! Today we have our very first ‘Supplier Spotlight.’ This is where we chat to some of the best wedding suppliers in the industry and ask them a few questions to get to know them better. So first up is the Darlington based, BexBrides. The self proclaimed Queen of the North for Ombre Wedding Dresses, she’s telling us all about her lovely business and how these amazing wedding dresses are created. Oh and we get to share with you some AMAZING pictures too!
Photo courtesy of Debbie Todd Photographer
Bexbrides' Inspirations behind the wedding dresses
When did BexBrides begin and what inspired its creation?
I had an interior design business designing curtains and soft furnishing but always had an interest in period costume. In 2008, I made my own wedding dress and the outfits for the entire bridal party. I decided it was way more fun than curtains and Bexbrides was born!
Tell us about your favourite wedding dress you’ve ever designed.
Oh this is a hard one, as I love every dress I make. But, I think it has to be my iconic Rowan Dress (pictured above at the Asylum Chapel in London) as it became my best seller and gave me the confidence to believe I could allow my brand to be totally me.
How to find your dream wedding dress
There are SO many unique wedding dresses out there. It can be overwhelming! What advice would you give to someone searching for their perfect dress?
I always advise brides to do a lot of research, look at images of dresses that appeal to them, and to consider their own clothes and what they love. Choose a dress designer or boutique that is aligned with your vision. If you have no idea, make sure you go to someone whose reviews show that they listen. Decide how much you want to spend once you have done some research as often clients just don’t know how much a gown costs. Most importantly, consider the final price as what appears like a bargain from eBay, a copy site or a chain outlet may in fact prove more costly once alterations are taken into account.
Sometimes bespoke can be the more affordable option for you. Our bespoke prices range from £650 to £1300, as we have an affordability ethos.
How do you help brides find their dream dress? How does a consultation usually work?
As soon as a bride makes contact, I start a discussion on their wedding style/theme, the venue, time of year, what vibe they are looking for and their dress size and budget. I ask for inspiration images from Pinterest etc. It still surprises me when they send images of my own work, I’m like: ‘ooh that’s nice… oh it’s mine!’
Once the bride comes to the studio to meet me face to face, I have a good idea of what they think they are looking for. Once I’ve met them and assessed their body shape, I combine all these and pull out designs to suit and we go from there. It’s a journey- sometimes it’s solved in minutes and sometimes it takes an hour or two.
the lady behind the ombre wedding dress gorgeousness
What makes BexBrides awesome?
That’s easy! My clients; they rock.
Also, the amazing support over the years from colleagues in the industry who believed in me and my staff who work tirelessly to help me with my dream job. I still have to pinch myself on a regular basis to accept that I’m an award winning designer, and that I have fabulous clients and wonderful staff, especially my Assistant manager Marie.
All of these things together make Bexbrides awesome.
What do you do when you’re not creating beautiful wedding dresses?
Think about creating beautiful wedding dresses…ha ha!
Luckily as I’m a woman who can multi-task, I’ll also be spending time with my family or friends. I’m pretty bonkers apparently . Here’s a recent ‘day off’ example…
The other night I stayed up all night after I fell down a TikTok hole and then drove to the beach at 4am to watch the sunrise. Then, I had a walk with the hubby before a meeting with a colleague to teach me how to add a shop to my website. We then went to a (social distancing) meet up for a friends birthday in the park, then went for a (social distance) drink around a log burner with a best mate until 1am! On the way home, I took a walk in the pitch dark around our local lakes in the moonlight. I’d like to say this crazy day was out of character but I’d be lying…
More about BexBrides
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