Happy New Year to you all and looking forward to a bustling 2023

We are determined to write more regularly on this page as we want to keep our followers up to date on the progress of Confetti Bridesmaid plus, we also want to share our journey with you.

As it’s been a long time since we’ve contributed to the Blog, I thought it would be best to update our readers to what’s new with Confetti Bridesmaid.

We had an extremely busy start to 2022 adding extra appointment options to facilitate the huge demand for our service.

In April we had our first professional photo shoot and we’ve been using the images to promote our collection of Bridesmaid, Prom and Evening Wear on our Instagram page and our website.

As the Summer approached, we had time to reflect and look at ways we can expand our collection. In September we visited the Harrogate Bridal Show in search of perfect dresses to add to our ever-expanding collection of Bridesmaid, Prom and Evening Wear Dresses. We felt more comfortable and at ease with the process this year as last September we were Harrogate Newbies.  We had taken a train the night before and booked into a hotel so we could give ourselves more time browsing.  After a breakfast at Betty’s Tea Room, (Mum was so excited) we made our way over to the show.

Firstly, we hot footed our way to Watters to view their exciting new collection of Bridesmaids Dresses. We are extremely excited that we have expanded our Watters range adding Luxury Charmeuse styles in brilliant new colours.  We have also extended into their sister WToo range. This is a slightly more affordable range of Bridesmaid Dresses, that could also cater to the Prom Customer, we know that every penny counts.

We then caught up with TH&TH and saw their plush new Velvet styles and then another visit with Miabelle completed our day. We love seeing our Brand owners face to face. It’s an amazing opportunity for us to off load all your customer feedback and to discuss the exciting new Bridesmaid Dresses planned for the future.

We are constantly thinking of new ideas and in 2022 we introduced Bridesmaids Dresses for Younger Bridesmaids from Dessy, TH&TH, Miabelle and Lily. To assist the Groom, we’ve increased our Men’s Accessories range by adding Sorella Vita and William Turner to our already successful Dessy collection.  Lastly the introduction of Bespoke Personalised Gifts to order such as Hangers, Tote Bags, Champagne Flutes and Keepsake Boxes and beautifully designed Bridesmaid cards designed by the wonderful Sarah Shields complete our update for 2022.

Next Month:Prom Choices for 2023

It’s been a couple of months since I last wrote a blog, partly because I wasn’t really sure anyone read them and also because I haven’t really had the time. Its been go go go and im playing catch up.

Since reopening April 12th 2021 the business has been growing at a rapid pace. We’ve taken on new brands and introduced some great additions.

But Its hard to start this blog and not talk about Covid-19 especially as at this moment in time cases are high. As a business that started in February 2020 we have only known closures and restrictions but I must say I am super excited for 2022 and January is going to be our best month yet.

Since my last blog we visited the Harrogate Bridal show for the first time which was really fun and found 4 amazing new brands to stock. Miabelle, Christian Koehlert, Sorella Vita and Lily are great additions to an already amazing assortment with all brands set to elevate Confetti Bridesmaid to new heights. Miabelle is a Bridesmaid Specialist. Brought to you by one Designer with a dream. A designer with over 10 years experience of designing, styling and marketing Bridesmaid and Eveningwear. The world of Christian Koehlert revolves around those occasions when a woman leave nothing to chance. From School-Leaving Prom to New Year’s Eve Galas, from visits to the Opera to Wedding Celebrations, from glamorous Party Nights to lavish Graduation Celebrations: the right dress is crucial for such festive occasions.

The Sorella Vita bridesmaid collection is designed to bring the hottest runway styles and the latest red carpet trends to the aisles of the most fashion-forward weddings. Imagined by the same Australian design teams that bring elegance and sophistication to life in the designer wedding gown collections of Stella York,

Not forgetting our little Flower Girl dresses that will melt any heart, In Lilly’s extensive collection of adorable party dresses for little flower girls – all princess dreams are sure to come true. The children dresses are fashioned in shades of ivory, light ivory and blush. Glitter tulle and sparkling sequins are sure to light up every little girl faces and each style makes a perfect look for their big entrance.

We also added an assortment of solution wear such as Boob Tape, Bra Clips, Antic Static Spray and invisible bras. Sometimes it’s the little things that really help and we are striving to be a one stop shop for things Bridesmaid related.

Over the last 4 months we’ve listened, and we’ve learnt, we really pride ourselves on excellent customer service and the feedback we’ve received has not gone unnoticed.

August has been quite a quiet month overall, but we have increased the number of enquiries and are taking more and more future bookings. With 2021 now hosting double the number of weddings we’ve really seen an increase in our appointments, and we are super excited on what may be for October, November and December.

New Stock also arrived this month. Dessy have supplied us with some fabulous dresses and we’ve really focused on getting the right stock for as close to or lower than £200. Keep a look out on our Instagram page to see these fabulous new dresses.

It’s definitely an ongoing struggle to find dresses under £200 as the more beautiful the dress is the higher the price and I just seem to have an eye for expensive things (lol) But here at Confetti Bridesmaid we are really focused on keeping costs low whilst still delivering on excellence and I am making it my mission to bring those entry price point dresses to you very soon.

This month we are also exploring the items that are purchased alongside your Bridesmaid Dresses and I am in the process of designing PJs and Robes. These are the perfect addition to our Bridesmaid story, and I can’t wait to show you what we have.

Next month we are signing another new Bridesmaid Brand and adding a new category line of MOTHER of THE BRIDE. We have never been more excited.

September is going to be a great month……

When the store reopened on the 15^th June there were a few things that we needed to finish. Always the impatient type once we were open, we set about finishing those jobs so that as soon as July kicked off things were almost perfect. I can confirm that these are now all complete.

July’s focus has been building our customer base, making sure that the world and his wife know where we are and what we sell. I’ve really focused on my Social Media preference, the right advertising and collaborating with other wedding organisations.

I’m happy to announce that this month Confetti Bridesmaid is now an official member of Hitched the UK’s most popular wedding planning destination with one simple mission: to help people get married. The outreach possibilities with Hitched are enormous and it was the first place I went when looking for potential stockists. We’ve also started to collaborate with other industry suppliers such as Wedding Venues, Suppliers and Planners. The next couple of months are going to be super exciting. Watch this space.

June 15^th the government announced Confetti Bridesmaid was allowed to reopen and we are over the June, I mean Moon!

Lockdown gave me an opportunity to get my ducks in a row and complete all the last minute jobs that needed to be finished or tweaked. The lights were changed, new tiles were put up in the bathroom and kitchen and new stock was purchased. The time being closed had actually given me a chance to catch my breath and ultimately finish the work I had started.

I really feel for all the Brides who had to postpone their weddings, so when we reopened the emphasis was really on how we could make our brides and maids excited for their future plans. We’ve introduced a visual guestbook to capture all the fun that happens during our appointments, added some gorgeous jewellery and now stock some fabulous matching Mens Accessories.

Getting more stock was also a focus and replacing a brand who unfortunately went into administration due to Covid 19. We want to be the number one spot for Bridesmaids and having the right stock is paramount.

I am so excited for the next steps and what we have in store and can’t wait to get stuck in.

As we entered into May i’d spent a whole month in lockdown and even though I was doing a lot less, the month of April had gone surprisingly really quick.

May was an easier month to navigate as by now we were into our new routine, and food shopping was now being done online. The Supermarket had become my biggest fear and I (who had never suffered from anxiety) hated the experience. May has so far been a peaceful month. Learning more about the virus, finding new ways to communicate with friends with apps like house party and Zoom .

Don’t get me wrong its become easier but I still have my down days and I really really miss going out and seeing my friends. For now I am grateful for my health and family but I do long for this to end.

When we were asked to close up shop on the 23^rd March I never in a million years thought April would turn out to be a whole month spent in isolation. I really struggled to come to terms with the lockdown and I would definitely say my mental health suffered as I came to terms with it. I became more fearful which in all my 35 years had never driven my life. What we were being asked to do was so foreign for someone who loves to be out and about, socializing with friends and ultimately being free.

Luckily I was not in Lockdown alone I had my mother with me and we were able to navigate through it together. We baked ( just like 99% of the country), we worked out and we did our 100^th lap of the development we lived on. As we drew close to the end of the month we reflected, and we planned. Planned for the future of the shop and started to put into action all the improvements we needed to make for when we could reopen, whenever that may be.

March started off with such great intentions. Riding the success of our opening my mother and I were finding feet, sharpening our tools and managing our ever-growing appointment schedule. Its been a great learning curve appointment after appointment, from solo bridesmaids to the whole bridal squad. We’ve steered our way through each appointment with great success, learning the needs and wants of each and every Bride and her Maids. On 8^th March we had our first sale, a lovely group of ladies who knew what they wanted and with our help were able to find it at Confetti Bridesmaid. We marked this event with a glass of champagne and a toast to the success we waited to come. I never proclaimed to know what I was doing but it felt like it was all coming together.

Business will always have its ups and downs, on Friday 13^th we temporally closed the doors due to the COVID-19 virus. Having only been open for 4 weeks this was an unprecedented set back. No one could have prepared themselves for having to close their business, but I do believe this time will only make us come back fighting. Weddings may have been postponed but they have not been cancelled and I believe a wedding will be the perfect celebration once isolation has been lifted.

During this time, I am trying to turn each negative into a positive. The break from the day to day running of the store has allowed me to build up my social media presence, work on a window display and research new brands to add. Listening to our customers we have realized there are some areas we can grow into.

Keep Safe

Love Zara x