AGENDA

After surviving Covid, many of us bridal professionals thought we were in the clear and brighter days were ahead. Unfortunately, just as we were picking ourselves up and dusting ourselves down, we were hit with the cost of living crisis and the bank of England very helpfully (not) announced that we were entering a recession that would last until October 2023.

They have since back-tracked on this but in terms of customer confidence the damage had already been done. Add to this the fact that since Covid, brides seem to have higher expectations and lower budgets than ever before. It’s a whole new dawn in the wedding world with many of us still trying to navigate the new ‘normal ’ and all the challenges we face.

It doesn’t seem like two minutes since we spent a fortune in September at Harrogate; the new stock had barely hit the rails when the invites for this year’s buying events start flooding in – London, Barcelona, Germany, as well as the private events organised by our suppliers.

This season we decided to step back, take a breath and monitor sales performance of our existing stock before dashing off to stalk the halls buying even more.

The one exception to this has been a trip to our fabulous supplier Allure Bridals who put on an amazing event in Manchester. We had a relaxed appointment in their beautiful showroom, sipped some (extremely strong) cocktails and ordered our collection. We were given plenty of time to decide on colours, sizes, etc, allowing us to choose dresses we are super confident our brides are going to love. We then had a fabulous evening at Albert Schloss and an overnight stay courtesy of our hosts, making us feel looked after and valued.

I think maybe retailers, like our brides, have also changed. For us, the private buying trips definitely seem to bring a greater return on investment than a mad dash trying to buy several collections at once. It can be overwhelming, especially when followed by regret when you realise you have accidentally ordered too many of a size/colour/style!

I don’t think the big shows still have a place, and we have benefitted massively from the seminars we have attended. Harrogate in particular will always be a favourite, but for us one large show a year is enough and we are much happier buying any additional stock from suppliers’ private events.”

ALLURE

A collection that lives up to its name. Expect superb styling and an incredible fit

The Allure Portfolio

This hugely popular family-owned and run design house boasts six labels, each with it’s own, distinct personality. Get to know them:

Allure Bridals is the flagship brand. Think clean lines, vintage laces and great corsetry.

Allure Couture spells glamour and a red carpet appeal.

Allure Romance This bride wants a budget-right dress that will let her dance the night away.

Madison James is for the free-thinking bride with her finger on the pulse of social media and style.

Wilderly is a wild child, foot-loose and spiritfree, relaxed, full of movement, comfort-focused, approachable.

Abella This bride is chic and savvy and knows that style needs not cost the earth.

ABELLA

Sculpted silhouettes and minimalist detailing. It’s a look of today