A GREAT SUCCESS STORY

Sophia Tolli Australia, and Best Prom Manufacturer in 2018 with Ellie Wilde for Mon Cheri, were highlights for the whole team, who had worked so hard to achieve that enviable status.

Another favourite memory for David was when he and Chris won a holiday to Jamaica, through a bridal magazine; and partied the night away with bridal manufacturers, distributors and designers.

As David Morton passes over the reins of Mon Cheri Bridals to James Waddington of Romantica of Devon, we asked him to recap on the pleasure of the past 25 years, and the growth of Dom Bridals. His daughter, Nicole Swaine, went through the highlights

In 1996, David saw an advert in a trade magazine for a distributor for Mon Cheri Bridals LLC, and he applied to operate the UK side of the business. Having worked in the industry as a sales agent for many years previously, he already had a wealth of contacts, and relished the challenge of introducing Mon Cheri Bridals to the market here. And that’s when DOM Bridals was born.

David and his wife Chris started selling from their converted garage, which they soon outgrew as the orders came in fast. They moved to a converted barn in the next village, but within five years they had to move again to house all the customer orders, and the need for a much larger office and more staff.

Steady growth

The team, led by David, grew rapidly, while Chris managed the warehouse, ensuring that everything was sent out on time and in perfect condition.

Success leads to success and gave DOM Bridals the opportunity and confidence to sell into Europe. David and Chris also recruited two of their three daughters, Katie and Nicole, to start working with them – Katie, initially in sales and then office manager, and Nicole to manage the new Sophia Tolli collection.

In the coming years, Katie and Nicole both became directors of the company, taking on a variety of roles and contributing to the growth of the business.

Winning awards

David comments that it has been an enjoyable, at times demanding, 25 years in the industry, but certainly with many more highs than lows.

Winning the Best Dress category in the Bridal Buyer Awards in 2010 with

Show time

The trade shows are a highlight of each year, with the buzz of the new collections, catwalk shows and meeting your customers, new and old, in a relaxed environment. “Harrogate Bridal Show has always been a muchloved event for us,” David says. More recently, DOM Bridals began staging its own show, inviting their customers from the UK and Europe to a complimentary weekend in Cambridge where the new collections were unveiled on the catwalk, and to eat, drink and enjoy. Without question, the event will be thoroughly missed, as will David himself, one of the bestloved individuals in the business.

The next chapter

From the 1 August 2021, Romantica of Devon began distributing for MCB across the UK and Europe, working with the same sales agents that stockists are familiar with, which will help for a smooth transition to this next chapter for MCB.

Katie, David and Chris’ eldest daughter, will continue working with Mon Cheri Bridals with her husband Rob, who is a sales agent for Martin Thornburg for Mon Cheri, Ellie Wilde and Colette. Nicole will be taking some time out before she starts looking for the next challenge!

David and Chris will be kept busy with their eight grandchildren all under 12, who love nothing more than running around their garden learning football skills from their grandad, and cooking and gardening with their granny. And they’ll be taking time out for David to play golf and them both to visit their second home in Spain at every opportunity!