Full Transcript for Everything You Should Do Before You Find Your Dream Wedding Dress With Kate Halfpenny

let's start 75 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:16.250 at the beginning. I would love to hear kind of 76 00:03:16.409 --> 00:03:19.469 what got you into doing what you do now at 77 00:03:19.490 --> 00:03:21.229 the very beginning. Am I right in thinking that your 78 00:03:21.250 --> 00:03:22.590 mother was a knitwear designer? 79 00:03:22.870 --> 00:03:26.669 She was. That was her entrepreneurial kind of side of it. 80 00:03:26.729 --> 00:03:29.229 She set up a mohair knitwear company with a friend. 81 00:03:30.110 --> 00:03:32.949 in the I guess it was the 80s it was 82 00:03:33.030 --> 00:03:35.189 kind of very Dennis the Menace black and red stripes 83 00:03:35.250 --> 00:03:36.949 and really cool and I'd go there after school to 84 00:03:36.990 --> 00:03:39.909 her studio it was never a kind of a full-time 85 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:43.979 role it was just a a beautiful adventure she went 86 00:03:44.060 --> 00:03:45.919 on and they sold really well and it was it 87 00:03:45.939 --> 00:03:48.819 was brilliant so I definitely was inspired by her I 88 00:03:48.860 --> 00:03:52.180 mean mum's creativity was amazing she'd she'd take kind of 89 00:03:52.259 --> 00:03:54.800 curtain poles down, wooden ones, and she'd slice them into 90 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:56.960 discs and hand paint them and sell them at craft fairs. 91 00:03:56.979 --> 00:03:58.840 Like there was always that going on. I was never 92 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:01.560 allowed to touch her acrylic paints, which of course I did. 93 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:05.129 And then I'd get told off or her perfectly sharpened pencils. 94 00:04:05.569 --> 00:04:08.389 But I think my grandmother was the one that really 95 00:04:08.409 --> 00:04:11.030 taught me to sew on a Singer machine. She used 96 00:04:11.050 --> 00:04:14.349 to repair all the overalls for Rolls Royce. So they 97 00:04:14.370 --> 00:04:16.769 didn't throw them away. She'd repair them and then they'd 98 00:04:16.810 --> 00:04:19.579 get them back and her and her friends on their bikes. 99 00:04:19.939 --> 00:04:22.089 It was just, you know, they'd cycle to work and 100 00:04:22.610 --> 00:04:25.149 it was just charming. The whole kind of working class 101 00:04:25.170 --> 00:04:27.250 factories in Derbyshire is kind of my roots. 102 00:04:27.389 --> 00:04:29.569 Yeah, and such an amazing creative background as well to 103 00:04:29.649 --> 00:04:32.000 have all of that, you know, to see all of 104 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:34.339 that growing up. Yeah. And I know that you worked 105 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:36.779 in styling before you started your own thing. I know 106 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:39.680 you styled people like Kate Moss and Rihanna. Yeah. What 107 00:04:39.699 --> 00:04:42.740 was it like actually styling some of those big names? 108 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:48.139 It was incredible. They were all just amazing to work with. 109 00:04:48.699 --> 00:04:51.449 It was a privilege and a joy and I loved it. 110 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:53.540 It

was an amazing career. I kind of fell into 111 00:04:53.579 --> 00:04:56.870 that because I studied fashion and specialised in bridal wear 112 00:04:56.879 --> 00:04:59.350 for my degree in the late 90s and then came 113 00:04:59.379 --> 00:05:02.110 to London, were making wedding dresses for my friends, making 114 00:05:02.149 --> 00:05:04.189 wedding dresses for friends of friends. But it was just 115 00:05:04.230 --> 00:05:06.730 on the side and then this whole styling career happened 116 00:05:06.829 --> 00:05:08.670 after that. I met this amazing girl. I was an 117 00:05:08.709 --> 00:05:11.029 intern at Vivienne Westwood. And I was just like, I 118 00:05:11.230 --> 00:05:13.250 don't think working for a fashion brand is for me. Like, 119 00:05:13.850 --> 00:05:15.629 I want to be more hands on. I want to 120 00:05:15.670 --> 00:05:17.730 be creating. And it's kind of like, hang on a minute, 121 00:05:17.750 --> 00:05:19.529 you know, you have to start somewhere. But I met 122 00:05:19.569 --> 00:05:22.569 this amazing girl that said you should go meet these 123 00:05:22.829 --> 00:05:25.939 amazing people called the New Renaissance that were Royal College graduates. 124 00:05:26.149 --> 00:05:28.579 And I just started working with them on like George 125 00:05:28.639 --> 00:05:31.540 Michael music videos and crazy stuff like that as their assistant. 126 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:33.959 And then quite quickly, I picked up my own clients 127 00:05:34.060 --> 00:05:37.139 and just have just had the most phenomenal career ever. 128 00:05:37.449 --> 00:05:39.730 doing music videos and all the big M & S 129 00:05:40.250 --> 00:05:43.250 Christmas ads I did for about 10 years, L'Oreal and 130 00:05:43.310 --> 00:05:47.459 Rimmel and like mega brands and dressing these icons, men 131 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:49.699 and women, actually. So it was, yeah. 132 00:05:50.100 --> 00:05:52.300 I love that. And I also think that we don't 133 00:05:52.339 --> 00:05:55.790 hear enough stories of people who've kind of had different 134 00:05:55.850 --> 00:05:58.029 segments of their career, because I think it's so easy 135 00:05:58.069 --> 00:06:00.050 to look at someone's career when they've really made it 136 00:06:00.110 --> 00:06:02.860 in a space and think, oh, well, that was what 137 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:04.540 they were always going to do. And they always did that, 138 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:07.600 whatever it might be. Whereas you obviously built a background 139 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:09.639 in a different area of the industry before you went 140 00:06:09.699 --> 00:06:12.279 into what you do now. How important do you think 141 00:06:12.339 --> 00:06:15.389 it is for someone who might be early 20s and 142 00:06:15.410 --> 00:06:18.209 thinking about kind of going freelance or starting their own thing? 143 00:06:18.250 --> 00:06:20.689 How important would you say it is to build a 144 00:06:20.870 --> 00:06:23.509 base and kind of a foundation in the wider

industry 145 00:06:23.569 --> 00:06:25.920 before you go out and do something on your own? 146 00:06:25.939 --> 00:06:29.990 It is so important. The the love and the care 147 00:06:30.009 --> 00:06:32.370 and the skills that I was shown and given by 148 00:06:32.410 --> 00:06:35.240 the people that mentored me really throughout that, I guess, 149 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:38.980 20 years really I styled for with the bride running 150 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:42.819 on the side. And that informed my business decisions. It 151 00:06:42.980 --> 00:06:46.360 created those relationships. It's that kindness that you experience to 152 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:49.759 pay it forward. It's the... I couldn't possibly have the 153 00:06:49.790 --> 00:06:52.149 business that I have now without the foundations that were 154 00:06:52.170 --> 00:06:55.269 laid throughout that career. Like, I think these days we 155 00:06:55.290 --> 00:06:58.449 try and create a business in a heartbeat. We try and... 156 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:01.100 run before we can walk. We try and put a 157 00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:03.149 product out there without identifying that there's a gap in 158 00:07:03.170 --> 00:07:05.750 the market for that product. And, you know, I truly 159 00:07:05.790 --> 00:07:08.089 believed in my bridal brand. I changed the bridal landscape 160 00:07:08.110 --> 00:07:10.649 when I launched the brand in 2005 with separates. Like 161 00:07:10.790 --> 00:07:13.769 that wasn't happening. People were wearing wedding dresses. They're called 162 00:07:13.810 --> 00:07:15.740 wedding dresses for a reason. They were dresses. They were 163 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:19.480 always dresses. And I didn't understand why you couldn't take 164 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:22.680 layers off or add to go from day to night. 165 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:25.079 I mean, it just made sense to me. So for 166 00:07:25.100 --> 00:07:27.810 my degree show, I did Little mini dresses with big 167 00:07:27.889 --> 00:07:30.430 over skirts that dropped on the runway and they went 168 00:07:30.449 --> 00:07:32.410 down to their party dress and it just made sense. 169 00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:34.980 Yeah, and I think that you're totally right that there's 170 00:07:35.019 --> 00:07:39.000 this glamorization now of speed and the need to create 171 00:07:39.060 --> 00:07:41.889 something of your own or go freelance or whatever it 172 00:07:41.910 --> 00:07:45.439 might be so quickly. And I completely understand why that is. 173 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:47.579 I think there's definitely a link between that and rising 174 00:07:47.620 --> 00:07:49.160 cost of living and the fact that even if you 175 00:07:49.180 --> 00:07:51.279 have a stable salary, that doesn't mean that you necessarily 176 00:07:51.300 --> 00:07:52.720 get to be able to afford a house or whatever 177 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:54.560 it might be. Or most of the time it definitely 178 00:07:54.579 --> 00:07:57.360 does not. I think that there's definitely

a link between 179 00:07:57.420 --> 00:07:59.199 those two things. So you might as well have more 180 00:07:59.230 --> 00:08:01.529 control over what you do. But at the same time, 181 00:08:01.610 --> 00:08:04.069 I do really think that some of this is leading 182 00:08:04.129 --> 00:08:06.410 to some short cutting that's going to kind of cut 183 00:08:06.449 --> 00:08:08.129 off your nose in spite of your face. Like you're 184 00:08:08.189 --> 00:08:11.709 trying to get to this next era when perhaps you 185 00:08:11.730 --> 00:08:14.629 haven't built the foundations of, as you say, contacts of 186 00:08:14.750 --> 00:08:17.540 skills of what to do when things go wrong without 187 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:20.279 it literally blowing up your whole career like. Some of 188 00:08:20.300 --> 00:08:22.079 the best advice that I've talked about over and over 189 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:24.240 on this podcast that I was given was that your 190 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:26.959 20s should be about learning as much as possible on 191 00:08:27.060 --> 00:08:29.420 someone else's money. That someone else's money being the company 192 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:31.910 you're working for. And like being able to learn and 193 00:08:31.949 --> 00:08:35.230 make mistakes without it all falling back on you when 194 00:08:35.269 --> 00:08:38.330 it goes wrong. And I think that it's really powerful 195 00:08:38.370 --> 00:08:40.230 to be able to see people like you who've built 196 00:08:40.990 --> 00:08:43.750 something that people could assume had been your whole career 197 00:08:43.830 --> 00:08:47.049 all along. Whereas actually... As you say, you couldn't have 198 00:08:47.070 --> 00:08:49.429 done that without truly building the rest of these foundations. 199 00:08:49.570 --> 00:08:51.210 I mean, the brand is 20 years old this year, 200 00:08:51.250 --> 00:08:54.230 which is incredible to reflect on and look back at 201 00:08:54.309 --> 00:08:56.799 those 20 years. But in truth, it's the last 10 202 00:08:56.799 --> 00:09:00.220 years where the business has been my sole focus. I 203 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:04.220 had Sylvester when I was 40. He's just turned 10. 204 00:09:04.220 --> 00:09:08.820 I've just celebrated my very small birthday. I know, I 205 00:09:08.860 --> 00:09:12.610 don't look it. But it's everything that I learned. In 206 00:09:12.620 --> 00:09:15.049 my 20s and all of the mistakes that I made 207 00:09:15.230 --> 00:09:17.809 on other people's money, as you say, but also as 208 00:09:17.889 --> 00:09:21.490 hard as I worked then, I just feel that I grafted. 209 00:09:21.990 --> 00:09:24.610 I worked three jobs. I didn't stop. There was nothing 210 00:09:24.710 --> 00:09:27.809 I never had because I worked so goddamn hard every 211 00:09:27.870 --> 00:09:30.090 hour of the day, whether it be in a bar, 212 00:09:30.169 --> 00:09:33.740 a pizza restaurant, whether it be doing other jobs and 213 00:09:33.860 --> 00:09:37.019 different things and interning

and working for free and putting 214 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:39.480 myself out there. Now, we pay all our interns. That 215 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:42.570 is not something that I encourage free labor these days, 216 00:09:42.629 --> 00:09:44.710 but there is those opportunities to go meet people, to 217 00:09:44.750 --> 00:09:46.620 talk to people, to see if there are opportunities to 218 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:49.419 shadow them and do things and lean into it. Because 219 00:09:49.620 --> 00:09:51.919 we've recruited for many a role in my company through 220 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:56.110 interns because you see that spark and that dedication and 221 00:09:56.149 --> 00:09:59.950 that intuition that people have and that foresight and that wall. 222 00:10:00.100 --> 00:10:03.019 thinking that you don't necessarily can grab in an interview 223 00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:04.179 from a CV or. 224 00:10:04.419 --> 00:10:07.620 Yeah. And I worry that some of that has been 225 00:10:08.100 --> 00:10:10.440 taken away by the glamorization of like the end goal 226 00:10:10.500 --> 00:10:12.679 on social media. No one wants to be in the 227 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:14.580 grafting job. No one wants to be in the like 228 00:10:15.139 --> 00:10:18.429 foundation building job. And I worry about that because I 229 00:10:18.470 --> 00:10:21.690 do think that there's been this jump to needing the 230 00:10:21.730 --> 00:10:25.370 end goal before you've established a foundation. And I think 231 00:10:25.429 --> 00:10:27.490 it's great to hear your journey in that way. 232 00:10:27.669 --> 00:10:30.269 I think both of us have celebrated social media and 233 00:10:30.289 --> 00:10:33.809 how it's enhanced our business a hundredfold. Like it's incredible. 234 00:10:33.909 --> 00:10:36.220 Without that, I would not have the global reach that 235 00:10:36.250 --> 00:10:39.279 I've had. However, the downside of social media is you 236 00:10:39.299 --> 00:10:41.299 can create something and make it look bigger than it 237 00:10:41.379 --> 00:10:44.960 is overnight. And also there's something that, you know, in 238 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:47.769 one of the questions of this interview, it was kind of, 239 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:49.700 what is a great piece of advice? And it is 240 00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:52.539 just don't compare yourself to other brands and other businesses. 241 00:10:52.590 --> 00:10:54.490 And I think social media does make you kind of, 242 00:10:54.490 --> 00:10:56.129 you know, it happens to me, it's just about to 243 00:10:56.169 --> 00:10:59.009 be bridal market in New York. It's, you know, I'm 244 00:10:59.029 --> 00:11:01.669 looking what everyone's doing. It's just literally, it just kind 245 00:11:01.710 --> 00:11:04.159 of makes you just think, oh, you know, it's, Don't 246 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:08.419 compare yourself. Be authentic. Do you. There's a million of 247 00:11:08.470 --> 00:11:11.769 everybody else. You can find that unique thing in you 248

00:11:11.870 --> 00:11:15.049 and make that special. But work on it. Work on 249 00:11:15.070 --> 00:11:17.950 the foundations of that big empire because the stronger they are, 250 00:11:18.009 --> 00:11:20.289 the more information and knowledge you have. Like you say, 251 00:11:21.149 --> 00:11:23.470 it does help you on those days when the shit 252 00:11:23.490 --> 00:11:24.029 hits the fan. 253 00:11:24.090 --> 00:11:27.129 Yeah, which it does. And when did you get the 254 00:11:27.210 --> 00:11:28.879 itch to start your own thing then? 255 00:11:30.039 --> 00:11:32.879 To be honest, I've I've always had my own thing 256 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:37.169 the the itch from from being 13 and making jewelry 257 00:11:37.289 --> 00:11:40.250 and selling it to people that my dad employed like 258 00:11:40.570 --> 00:11:42.450 I've kind of never had a proper job in truth 259 00:11:42.529 --> 00:11:46.169 I was a freelance stylist and laying my foundations assisting 260 00:11:46.450 --> 00:11:49.769 lots of different people so I think I always knew 261 00:11:49.820 --> 00:11:52.539 the end goal would be to have my own bridal 262 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:54.940 brand but it was just when was the. 263 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:57.340 Right time and what was it about bridal rather than 264 00:11:57.419 --> 00:11:58.820 kind of fashion in general. 265 00:11:59.509 --> 00:12:02.009 I was just a dreamer from Derby, a little girl 266 00:12:02.049 --> 00:12:05.309 in a room that literally it was just such a 267 00:12:05.769 --> 00:12:07.970 touch if I managed to get a Vogue magazine to 268 00:12:08.210 --> 00:12:11.210 pour through and tear sheet and create mood boards. And 269 00:12:11.230 --> 00:12:13.330 it wasn't something that I was lucky enough to have 270 00:12:13.350 --> 00:12:15.690 every month. And we certainly didn't have internet with me 271 00:12:15.730 --> 00:12:17.370 growing up. I'm sounding so ancient. 272 00:12:17.490 --> 00:12:18.470 No, you're not. 273 00:12:18.929 --> 00:12:23.009 But I was a daydreamer. You know, I was exposed 274 00:12:23.029 --> 00:12:25.129 to kind of the Princess Diana moment with all of 275 00:12:25.230 --> 00:12:29.580 the theatre around her. Incredible. Emmanuel wedding dress so I 276 00:12:30.259 --> 00:12:33.799 think that definitely has to be a catalyst of kind 277 00:12:33.850 --> 00:12:36.669 of gosh you just see people's faces on their wedding 278 00:12:36.710 --> 00:12:38.889 day they're just beaming and they're full of joy and 279 00:12:39.769 --> 00:12:41.929 to even have a tiny part of that what a privilege. 280 00:12:42.389 --> 00:12:45.389 And so what were the first steps to actually making 281 00:12:45.429 --> 00:12:46.110 that come true? 282 00:12:47.029 --> 00:12:49.289 It was doing a dress here a dress there you 283 00:12:49.340 --> 00:12:52.659 know I'd have a little seamstress I'd design something and 284 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:55.419 I'd make my you know my friend Jay and Darby's 285 00:12:55.500 --> 00:12:59.340 wedding dress and made her evening dress as well. And then, 286 00:12:59.419 --> 00:13:02.240 you know, bridesmaids dress of my sister's wedding and different things. 287 00:13:02.279 --> 00:13:04.720 And it was just kind of designing these little things 288 00:13:04.779 --> 00:13:08.269 on the side. And it just grew like a tiny 289 00:13:08.330 --> 00:13:10.669 seed into a giant oak tree. And before you know it, 290 00:13:10.830 --> 00:13:15.149 like it truly just grew authentically and serendipitously. And yeah, 291 00:13:15.330 --> 00:13:18.350 I just was fortunate. I definitely think you have to 292 00:13:18.370 --> 00:13:20.620 put yourself out there, like I say, and work hard. 293 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:24.059 But there is elements of luck and fortune that come 294 00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:27.690 along the way of meeting the right people and you know, 295 00:13:27.750 --> 00:13:31.590 I dressed Amelia Fox in 2005 for her red carpet things. 296 00:13:31.809 --> 00:13:34.120 And she was getting married to Jared Harris, who was 297 00:13:34.129 --> 00:13:36.120 the king of the crown. And they were having a wedding. 298 00:13:36.139 --> 00:13:38.340 I was dressing both of them. And I made Amelia 299 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:41.220 two of her three wedding dresses. And her aunt that 300 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:44.460 worked at Vogue was there. And she invited us one 301 00:13:44.500 --> 00:13:46.419 day after a fashion show at Claridge's to go and 302 00:13:46.460 --> 00:13:49.059 look around Vogue. And it was kind of just this 303 00:13:49.259 --> 00:13:53.100 devil wears Prada moment. And she said, oh, Charlotte Sinclair, 304 00:13:53.139 --> 00:13:55.830 one of the journalists is getting married. And She had 305 00:13:55.870 --> 00:13:57.929 this beautiful veil that was her mum's and she wanted 306 00:13:57.970 --> 00:13:59.750 to wear it, but she wanted to modernize it. So 307 00:13:59.830 --> 00:14:01.769 I did that for her. And then she put a 308 00:14:01.809 --> 00:14:04.490 little credit in the magazine of some accessory that I did. 309 00:14:04.509 --> 00:14:06.470 And I didn't have a website or anything. So a 310 00:14:06.490 --> 00:14:07.629 friend said, you know, you need to do that. And 311 00:14:07.649 --> 00:14:09.929 Amelia said, oh, I'll model for you. And I'd got 312 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:12.179 a collection of dresses that I'd used as inspiration and 313 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:14.460 things that I designed. So Amelia modeled all of those. 314 00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:17.139 And we made a website overnight. And I was in 315 00:14:17.980 --> 00:14:21.820 UberTuber in Brazil on a TV commercial. And the website launched, 316 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:24.940 the vote came out. And just gradually, it just kind 317 00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:27.299 of picked up momentum. It was, yeah, we were one 318 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:29.500 of the first 100 businesses to Instagram as well. So 319 00:14:30.090 --> 00:14:31.299 then that kind.

320 00:14:31.139 --> 00:14:34.309 Of, yeah. God, that's a good one. Well done for 321 00:14:34.350 --> 00:14:34.789 doing that. 322 00:14:34.889 --> 00:14:35.309 I know. 323 00:14:35.330 --> 00:14:39.889 Jealous. And I think that, you know, when you talk 324 00:14:39.929 --> 00:14:42.350 about how it snowballed and it kind of grew and 325 00:14:42.570 --> 00:14:46.009 these moments happened that were catalyst moments, I think one 326 00:14:46.029 --> 00:14:47.610 of the biggest things there is they couldn't have been 327 00:14:47.649 --> 00:14:51.049 catalyst moments had you overthought starting the business. I think 328 00:14:51.090 --> 00:14:53.200 if you'd thought of starting the business as, It has 329 00:14:53.220 --> 00:14:56.700 to be me leaving my other jobs, doing this, setting 330 00:14:56.840 --> 00:14:58.690 out and, you know, setting it all up in the 331 00:14:58.710 --> 00:15:02.129 perfect way. I think it's a really important note that 332 00:15:02.169 --> 00:15:04.830 actually what you just started doing was started doing it. 333 00:15:04.990 --> 00:15:07.200 Like you wanted to make wedding dresses. So you started 334 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:09.500 making wedding dresses rather than you wanted to have a 335 00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:11.940 wedding dress business. So you started the business in the 336 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:14.330 very official way. And I think that's something that holds 337 00:15:14.370 --> 00:15:16.649 a lot of people back is this whole idea of 338 00:15:16.950 --> 00:15:19.830 needing to kind of start a business in a very 339 00:15:20.230 --> 00:15:24.289 regimented and overthought and overplanned way. And don't get me wrong, 340 00:15:24.409 --> 00:15:27.289 I think that you can absolutely do that and execute 341 00:15:27.340 --> 00:15:29.340 that very well. But I think that sometimes, while most 342 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:31.100 people aren't in the position to do that, you usually 343 00:15:31.139 --> 00:15:32.899 need to start as a side hustle and just start 344 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:35.080 a few things and whatever it might be. So I 345 00:15:35.100 --> 00:15:37.179 don't think those opportunities would have been able to even 346 00:15:37.259 --> 00:15:39.580 come had you not just been like, right, well, I'm 347 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:41.539 technically doing other things, but I'm also going to start 348 00:15:41.559 --> 00:15:42.799 making wedding dresses. Yeah. 349 00:15:43.269 --> 00:15:45.970 It is down to that work ethic again. It was 350 00:15:47.009 --> 00:15:49.370 the reason that the company grew is because my husband 351 00:15:49.529 --> 00:15:52.029 pushed me out of the door and said, we can't 352 00:15:52.070 --> 00:15:53.789 get out of the house on a weekend. I had 353 00:15:53.809 --> 00:15:56.669 a beautiful little house in Camden and the whole ground 354 00:15:56.690 --> 00:15:58.649 floor on a Saturday and Sunday were brides. So they'd 355 00:15:58.669 --> 00:16:01.049 come back to back, like there was no waiting room. 356 00:16:01.470 --> 00:16:03.080 You know, I'd schedule them every two hours, but of 357 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:05.360 course that two hours I'd always work the whole two 358 00:16:05.379 --> 00:16:08.320 hours with my brides designing and fittings and the next 359 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:10.500 bride would be outside. So my poor husband couldn't even 360 00:16:10.860 --> 00:16:13.080 cross the landing in the open plan house to get 361 00:16:13.100 --> 00:16:14.659 to the loo. He'd have to kind of go outside 362 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:17.200 and kind of come round because he was trapped upstairs 363 00:16:17.240 --> 00:16:20.220 with back-to-back rides all weekend. And he was like, this 364 00:16:20.259 --> 00:16:22.440 is ridiculous. Can you not see what's happening here? And 365 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:25.080 I was kind of like, you know, what? And he 366 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.480 was just like, there's clearly an appetite for this. So 367 00:16:27.899 --> 00:16:30.080 maybe you should just kind of believe in yourself and 368 00:16:30.779 --> 00:16:33.320 go and find a space. So that's when I found 369 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:34.639 the beautiful shop on Woburn Walk. 370 00:16:35.139 --> 00:16:36.480 Oh my God, that was your first space? 371 00:16:36.519 --> 00:16:37.259 That was my first space. 372 00:16:37.299 --> 00:16:41.259 God, it's the most beautiful, like I want to live there. 373 00:16:41.659 --> 00:16:42.120 Me too. 374 00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:45.740 It reminds me of like Oliver Twist London. Like it's 375 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:49.480 very kind of perfect old London. 376 00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:51.879 It's in Bridgeton actually. They hide the whole street. 377 00:16:52.059 --> 00:16:55.500 I'm not surprised. It's so Bridgeton and it's so gorgeous. 378 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:57.000 I can't believe that was your first space. 379 00:16:57.220 --> 00:16:59.460 It was. It was on Camden Council's website. So if 380 00:16:59.500 --> 00:17:02.460 you are looking for spaces, the council websites are phenomenal. 381 00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:05.970 Like they have amazing spaces and There was about 10 382 00:17:05.970 --> 00:17:07.279 people after the space and you had to put a 383 00:17:07.299 --> 00:17:10.240 business proposal together. And I just literally wrote a business 384 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:12.539 proposal from my heart. I made up figures like I 385 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:14.599 didn't know what the heck I was doing. I mean, 386 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:16.740 thank God for AI now, that would really help. That 387 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:17.180 would have. 388 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:18.200 Really got me there, yes. 389 00:17:18.619 --> 00:17:19.440 But I wrote really. 390 00:17:19.460 --> 00:17:21.990 I had to use my brain. Yeah. Damn it. I 391 00:17:22.069 --> 00:17:22.349 used a. 392 00:17:22.349 --> 00:17:25.710 Really empathetic narrative within the business plan. It was like, 393 00:17:25.789 -->

00:17:27.509 I don't want to change the fabric of this building. 394 00:17:28.250 --> 00:17:33.299 It's perfect. And it was completely derelict downstairs in the basement. 395 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:35.339 I don't know if you ever went downstairs... for a fitting, 396 00:17:35.380 --> 00:17:39.200 but it's really beautiful down there. And I had to 397 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:42.640 kind of replaster it, damp proof it, like fix it up. 398 00:17:43.079 --> 00:17:45.579 And I just did it all for such a bargain. 399 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:48.519 Like I'm such a business woman when it comes to like, 400 00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:50.400 I can't just get big shop fitters in to come 401 00:17:50.440 --> 00:17:52.140 and do these things. Like the new store opposite, I've 402 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:53.599 been like, you know, we can just do this. Let's 403 00:17:53.619 --> 00:17:55.279 just do this, you know, have somebody make these and 404 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:58.980 do it. It's exactly the ethos I've implemented my whole 405 00:17:59.049 --> 00:18:03.150 career in renovating houses. Like I just, I just love 406 00:18:03.190 --> 00:18:06.150 that part as well. So getting the shop was just 407 00:18:06.569 --> 00:18:09.349 an extension of my home and I bought things from 408 00:18:09.509 --> 00:18:12.529 home and I basically transferred the ground floor of my 409 00:18:12.569 --> 00:18:15.059 house into that shop and I wanted it to always 410 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:17.299 feel welcoming. Like you've been there, you know it's not 411 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:17.640 a stark. 412 00:18:17.660 --> 00:18:20.680 Stale environment. I had some terrible wedding dress experiences and 413 00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:23.119 yours were literally the furthest from that possible. 414 00:18:23.460 --> 00:18:24.799 It was like coming to sit in the living room 415 00:18:24.819 --> 00:18:25.259 and have a chat. 416 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:28.309 Yeah, 100%. And even like, as in, obviously we ended 417 00:18:28.349 --> 00:18:30.230 up collaborating in the end, but at the beginning I'd, 418 00:18:30.569 --> 00:18:33.009 organically booked an appointment and you know just wanted to 419 00:18:33.049 --> 00:18:34.549 come along and try the dresses I'd seen them on 420 00:18:34.609 --> 00:18:38.490 Instagram and it was just so it was so friendly 421 00:18:38.829 --> 00:18:41.970 lovely like everything was just as you say it was 422 00:18:42.009 --> 00:18:43.890 like being in someone's living room and it just being 423 00:18:43.910 --> 00:18:45.490 like oh try this on you'd look great in this 424 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:47.859 yeah it was really friendly versus a lot of them 425 00:18:47.900 --> 00:18:52.279 feeling like factories yeah where you're just a little you 426 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:56.910 know You're there to pay a few grand and move on. Yeah, 427 00:18:56.930 --> 00:18:59.150 which absolutely did not feel like that for yours. 428 00:18:59.390 --> 00:19:02.329 The wedding industry

has massively changed, particularly over the last 429 00:19:02.369 --> 00:19:04.369 five years as well, where I feel there are more 430 00:19:04.589 --> 00:19:08.069 people like me within the bridal industry with these beautiful spaces, 431 00:19:08.190 --> 00:19:12.450 with these interior-led spaces. And I think that's incredible. And 432 00:19:12.490 --> 00:19:14.819 I think no longer is bridal a kind of a 433 00:19:14.859 --> 00:19:18.140 dirty word for the fashion industry, really. It was never 434 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:20.200 seen to be, you know, you're, oh, you're a wedding 435 00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:22.400 dress designer. And I'd be like, I used to be 436 00:19:22.420 --> 00:19:25.720 a stylist. I'm a stylist, costume designer. I had this 437 00:19:25.779 --> 00:19:28.339 other life. And actually, I'm so proud of what I 438 00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:32.039 do because who gets to work with amazing women on 439 00:19:32.059 --> 00:19:36.779 a daily basis and create these dream gowns and looks 440 00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:38.769 and to be able to work with people. And my 441 00:19:38.809 --> 00:19:41.329 team is exactly the same. I don't see all the 442 00:19:41.369 --> 00:19:44.210 brides anymore, but I've got such amazing women in the 443 00:19:44.250 --> 00:19:47.329 boutique that just absolutely love their job. And they are 444 00:19:47.450 --> 00:19:50.480 also looking for that moment where they find the dressmaking dress. 445 00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:53.240 Yeah, well, I was actually going to, you've skipped ahead 446 00:19:53.259 --> 00:19:55.980 on my questions, but actually that's a great way to 447 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:57.599 bring up the fact that I think one of the 448 00:19:57.640 --> 00:20:01.299 things that really stood out to me was that the 449 00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:05.529 culture in half penny doesn't feel like it's not like 450 00:20:05.750 --> 00:20:07.170 oh well if you get an appointment with you you 451 00:20:07.190 --> 00:20:08.890 get one thing and if you happen to book an 452 00:20:08.930 --> 00:20:11.089 appointment another time when you're not there it's a completely 453 00:20:11.109 --> 00:20:14.089 different thing like the culture is so friendly and nice 454 00:20:14.109 --> 00:20:16.680 like every time you walk in it's like there feels 455 00:20:16.700 --> 00:20:19.480 like there's this cohesive culture across the company where it's 456 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:21.200 this is going to be one of the biggest days 457 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:23.240 of your life we want to make that special for 458 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:27.119 you And that was so easily felt every time I 459 00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:29.720 was kind of in the boutique. And I know other 460 00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:32.440 people who've had half penny dresses and they've said the 461 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:34.019 exact same. And it's been one of the, you know, 462 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:36.240 a huge reason why they felt kind of so welcome 463 00:20:36.259 -->

00:20:40.799 there and everything. How did you get that to carry 464 00:20:40.819 --> 00:20:42.799 through the company? Because I think especially when there is 465 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:46.839 a wider bridal industry that's maybe more factory-like, it's probably 466 00:20:46.859 --> 00:20:49.039 quite hard to show that you're different. 467 00:20:49.380 --> 00:20:55.140 We are selling an emotional story. purchase it's not something 468 00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:56.960 that you could say if you order by friday you'll 469 00:20:57.000 --> 00:20:59.140 get a free veil like we don't do that like 470 00:20:59.279 --> 00:21:03.220 it's just there isn't initiatives to purchase with us because 471 00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:05.589 if this isn't the dress if this isn't the one 472 00:21:05.789 --> 00:21:08.250 it's the wrong one like we want you to feel 473 00:21:08.269 --> 00:21:10.509 the very best version of yourself on your day we 474 00:21:10.549 --> 00:21:12.630 say it over and over again and you aren't going 475 00:21:12.710 --> 00:21:15.730 to look for a trend-led piece or something that kind 476 00:21:15.750 --> 00:21:17.950 of makes you look completely different what we're looking for 477 00:21:17.990 --> 00:21:21.200 is that you find something that that makes you just 478 00:21:21.240 --> 00:21:24.039 be the best version of you like yeah And that 479 00:21:24.099 --> 00:21:26.000 is what the team and I do. There isn't, you know, 480 00:21:26.220 --> 00:21:28.859 of course there's targets to meet in the boutique or 481 00:21:28.900 --> 00:21:31.569 based on the previous years. It's a business. 482 00:21:31.589 --> 00:21:31.740 Yeah. 483 00:21:31.869 --> 00:21:34.569 I mean, I'm the last person that should be put 484 00:21:34.609 --> 00:21:37.150 in front of people because I've given so many things 485 00:21:37.210 --> 00:21:40.049 away and just like, oh my gosh, I just heard 486 00:21:40.089 --> 00:21:42.230 the story and how they met. Or I'm like, oh, 487 00:21:42.250 --> 00:21:43.369 you know, I really want to make this work. I 488 00:21:43.390 --> 00:21:46.309 know it's like double your budget. Girls make this happen. 489 00:21:46.329 --> 00:21:47.710 And they're just like, out. 490 00:21:47.890 --> 00:21:51.390 Because it's just, yeah, I am just, you know, if 491 00:21:51.470 --> 00:21:54.700 it wasn't for incredible business people that I've worked with 492 00:21:54.859 --> 00:21:57.940 over the two decades then I wouldn't have a business 493 00:21:57.960 --> 00:22:00.339 when I first started you know I priced the dresses 494 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:02.900 based on you know I just kind of make it 495 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:04.640 up I didn't look at kind of how much they 496 00:22:04.700 --> 00:22:07.549 cost how much you know and it still frustrates me 497 00:22:07.589 --> 00:22:09.490 sometimes when I design something and I'm like why is 498 00:22:09.529 --> 00:22:10.049 that so. 499 00:22:09.950 --> 00:22:12.109 Expensive yeah like Kate oh my

god do I know 500 00:22:12.130 --> 00:22:14.049 that it's 500,000 meter lace what's wrong with you and 501 00:22:14.069 --> 00:22:17.730 I'm like oh but it's so pretty it's so beautiful 502 00:22:17.910 --> 00:22:18.369 I want. 503 00:22:18.230 --> 00:22:19.730 People to be able to have it but that price 504 00:22:19.750 --> 00:22:22.539 they can't and it's just kind of you know just 505 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:25.619 the name of the game, unfortunately, in business. But you 506 00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:27.579 carry it very well and it never feels like a 507 00:22:27.619 --> 00:22:30.000 kind of business transaction. That's what I loved so much 508 00:22:30.059 --> 00:22:33.500 about it. And obviously, you've made a name in a 509 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:38.329 very saturated space. What do you think set your business 510 00:22:38.380 --> 00:22:42.490 aside from this wider industry? I think the experience that 511 00:22:42.529 --> 00:22:44.589 you have at Half Billion London is something that is 512 00:22:45.069 --> 00:22:47.650 what we hear all the time. You did my friend's dress, 513 00:22:47.690 --> 00:22:49.430 you did my sister's dress, you did my other sister's, 514 00:22:49.450 --> 00:22:52.390 you've done the whole family. And The experience that they've 515 00:22:52.430 --> 00:22:55.609 had that is the thing that brings brides back to us, 516 00:22:55.730 --> 00:22:58.430 that beautiful experience, the way that you can make your 517 00:22:58.470 --> 00:23:00.730 dress your own. I feel like what we do at 518 00:23:00.769 --> 00:23:03.519 Halfpenny is give you the tools to create the look 519 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:05.960 of your dreams. And it's taking elements like when we 520 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:08.359 were first exploring all of the styles that you had 521 00:23:09.099 --> 00:23:11.660 dreamed of for your dress, we kind of pulled sleeves 522 00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:13.980 from here or put, you know, dresses on back to 523 00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:16.759 front or looked at different things to create that bespoke 524 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:19.359 look and to work out exactly what that neckline looked 525 00:23:19.380 --> 00:23:21.700 like and that drape and where it was. And we 526 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:25.619 can do that in a ready-to-wear way where it isn't 527 00:23:25.779 --> 00:23:27.900 going down that bespoke journey because not everyone has the 528 00:23:27.940 --> 00:23:31.680 privilege of creating a bespoke gown. So by doing that, 529 00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:34.500 we've kind of created, you know, add the sleeves, add 530 00:23:34.539 --> 00:23:37.279 the overskirt. Really, you become the designer of your own dress. 531 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:39.920 I give you the tools with these beautiful gowns, with 532 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:42.730 the foundations, with the overskirts, with the layers and the 533 00:23:42.769 --> 00:23:44.809 lace and the details. And I think that is what's 534 00:23:45.069 --> 00:23:49.529 a successful part of

the brand as well, that interchangeability. 535 00:23:49.589 --> 00:23:49.930 So, yeah. 536 00:23:50.500 --> 00:23:52.359 Whether your sister or your friend came and got a 537 00:23:52.380 --> 00:23:54.779 dress from us, there is so many other ways and 538 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:57.500 different styles and dresses that you can then create your 539 00:23:57.640 --> 00:23:58.130 unique look too. 540 00:23:58.140 --> 00:24:00.579 Yeah, right. Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think you can 541 00:24:01.099 --> 00:24:03.900 really see that kind of come through. You've obviously worked 542 00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:07.619 with a lot of brides now. I'd love to know 543 00:24:08.220 --> 00:24:12.759 what the biggest misconception most brides have when they first 544 00:24:12.819 --> 00:24:14.019 go into dress shopping is. 545 00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:17.369 I think they feel that they should know exactly what 546 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:19.299 they want to wear. And they'll come in and say, 547 00:24:19.339 --> 00:24:20.859 I definitely don't want a big skirt or I can't 548 00:24:20.900 --> 00:24:22.839 wear a slinky dress. And I think you need to 549 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:25.500 just be open to trying lots of styles on. And 550 00:24:25.539 --> 00:24:28.529 I think that's what's great about my store is there 551 00:24:28.609 --> 00:24:32.529 is the different silhouettes. So you can really work out, actually, 552 00:24:32.970 --> 00:24:34.730 I didn't know how great a strapless dress was going 553 00:24:34.750 --> 00:24:36.750 to make me feel because I can have these, you know, 554 00:24:36.789 --> 00:24:39.440 beautiful Mercado puff sleeves on my arms, but it still 555 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:43.539 kind of creates this frame around my décolletage and my face. 556 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:47.470 And like, you just see the shock and surprising people 557 00:24:47.509 --> 00:24:49.990 when we encourage them to just step out of their 558 00:24:50.029 --> 00:24:54.369 comfort zone and actually put something on that they're just like, 559 00:24:54.470 --> 00:24:56.490 oh my gosh, I never imagined in a million years. 560 00:24:57.049 --> 00:24:59.619 So even though we're encouraging you to find something that 561 00:24:59.690 --> 00:25:02.900 is inherent to your style, sometimes there's just those little 562 00:25:02.940 --> 00:25:05.200 things that then after your wedding, you then start wearing 563 00:25:05.259 --> 00:25:07.619 that style dress all the time because you've just never 564 00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:09.160 been brave enough to try it on your own in 565 00:25:09.180 --> 00:25:12.420 the shop. So that's why the Bridal is so unique 566 00:25:12.460 --> 00:25:16.019 as well and why it works in this way of 567 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:18.019 having a stylist to work with you in a boutique 568 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:20.960 because you need that cheerleader and that encouragement. We have 569 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:22.779 so many brides that come on their own. I mean,

570 00:25:22.859 --> 00:25:25.400 you came on your own. You knew you wanted to 571 00:25:25.460 --> 00:25:28.769 do this experience to start with and find out who 572 00:25:28.809 --> 00:25:32.410 you were, right? It's not necessarily brides made the movie 573 00:25:32.430 --> 00:25:34.769 where you bring five friends and you're all sat there going. 574 00:25:34.809 --> 00:25:36.529 In fact, I found that quite overwhelming when I did 575 00:25:36.549 --> 00:25:38.680 that because I felt like I was trying to make 576 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:40.559 sure other people were having a good day as well 577 00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:42.220 rather than it just being like no do you know 578 00:25:42.259 --> 00:25:44.619 what yeah it's the same as like going shopping I'd 579 00:25:44.680 --> 00:25:47.160 much rather have a nice little shop on my own 580 00:25:47.579 --> 00:25:49.450 like you know it doesn't need to be this kind 581 00:25:49.470 --> 00:25:50.109 of highly. 582 00:25:49.890 --> 00:25:54.430 Pressurized experience yeah I think what happens in those scenarios 583 00:25:54.470 --> 00:25:57.630 where somebody brings lots of guests or it's a beautiful 584 00:25:57.670 --> 00:26:00.859 experience but inevitably the bride then emails saying can I 585 00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:03.640 come back and try those on yeah Like the noise 586 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:06.119 can just be so much sometimes. And often if I'm 587 00:26:06.259 --> 00:26:08.400 leading the appointment and I actually think I'm the only 588 00:26:08.420 --> 00:26:10.049 person in the business that can do this, but I'm 589 00:26:10.089 --> 00:26:13.170 kind of like, everyone, don't say a thing. 590 00:26:13.490 --> 00:26:13.690 Yeah. 591 00:26:13.809 --> 00:26:16.750 Until our gorgeous bride has actually worked out how she 592 00:26:16.789 --> 00:26:19.470 feels in it. And when she asks for your opinion, like. 593 00:26:19.569 --> 00:26:20.990 Then you give it. Yeah. Yeah. 594 00:26:21.170 --> 00:26:23.569 But cautious, like I had a bride that came that 595 00:26:23.609 --> 00:26:26.009 I arranged to meet in the boutique on Tuesday. She'd 596 00:26:26.029 --> 00:26:27.970 been and seen my team. She just couldn't make a decision. 597 00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:30.319 my mom liked this dress as my friends said this one. 598 00:26:30.339 --> 00:26:32.359 And then I was like, and I'm so torn. I said, 599 00:26:32.380 --> 00:26:34.480 just come. She bought one friend. And I said to 600 00:26:34.529 --> 00:26:36.400 the friend, because she said, well, she liked me. And 601 00:26:36.420 --> 00:26:39.210 I said, she said, I was kind of going along 602 00:26:39.250 --> 00:26:41.089 with what everyone was like. She was like, you looked 603 00:26:41.109 --> 00:26:43.190 amazing and everything. And I was like, well, let's see 604 00:26:43.230 --> 00:26:44.970 how you feel. So we put her three favorites on. 605 00:26:45.009 --> 00:26:47.730 And it was just, it was obvious the minute, like 606 00:26:48.470 --> 00:26:50.730 the minute she came out, I knew exactly which one 607 00:26:50.750 --> 00:26:53.990 that she tried on. But I've often talked about this 608 00:26:54.210 --> 00:26:56.630 in magazine articles where it can just be a slight 609 00:26:56.670 --> 00:26:58.720 rollback of the shoulder or a, a kind of just 610 00:26:58.759 --> 00:27:01.259 a different way that the bride breathes. It isn't necessarily 611 00:27:01.319 --> 00:27:05.200 all tears and emotions. It's just a silent kind of 612 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:09.430 confidence that happens. And there's a misconception. You don't have 613 00:27:09.470 --> 00:27:12.029 to start hysterically crying when you find the one. 614 00:27:12.230 --> 00:27:16.950 Yeah, no, absolutely. Yeah. And how early should brides start 615 00:27:16.990 --> 00:27:17.970 thinking about their dress? 616 00:27:18.410 --> 00:27:21.329 It really isn't a problem to do it 18 months 617 00:27:22.130 --> 00:27:24.630 before your wedding. Lots of people think that's too soon, 618 00:27:25.339 --> 00:27:27.940 too far away. From the actual date and too soon 619 00:27:27.960 --> 00:27:29.960 to start looking once you've found your venue. But the 620 00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:32.900 good thing about finding your wedding dress in plenty of 621 00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:34.859 time is all of the things that come with the 622 00:27:34.900 --> 00:27:38.799 style of that dress that inform your decision on the flowers, 623 00:27:38.859 --> 00:27:42.319 the style of the wedding. Brides sometimes come and they're like, 624 00:27:42.359 --> 00:27:43.700 this is the venue. I want to find a dress 625 00:27:43.720 --> 00:27:47.059 for that. And then it changes. So it's just that 626 00:27:47.180 --> 00:27:50.480 there's lots of jigsaw pieces that go together. So once 627 00:27:50.519 --> 00:27:53.200 the dress is kind of found, you can find the 628 00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:55.279 shoes and the accessories and know the whole. 629 00:27:55.740 --> 00:27:55.880 Yeah. 630 00:27:56.240 --> 00:27:57.079 Story of the day. 631 00:27:57.099 --> 00:27:58.480 But you don't want to leave it too late. 632 00:27:58.500 --> 00:28:00.119 You definitely don't want to leave it too late. Like 633 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:04.140 anything under six months, you will. I mean, even some stores, 634 00:28:04.180 --> 00:28:07.359 anything under eight to 12 months, you'll incur priority rush fees. 635 00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:09.859 And nobody ever quite understands why. But if you think 636 00:28:10.119 --> 00:28:13.789 there's fabrics to be ordered and if there's a lace involved, 637 00:28:13.869 --> 00:28:16.930 that to have that lace made can sometimes take us 638 00:28:16.930 --> 00:28:19.529 12 weeks to order that. And then the shipping of 639 00:28:19.569 --> 00:28:22.950 that lace to come from France or the Italian crepes 640 00:28:22.990 --> 00:28:26.799 that we use, they... they have to be made. So 641 00:28:27.660 --> 00:28:29.480 we don't always hold stock of some

of our fancy 642 00:28:29.500 --> 00:28:33.569 fabrics and we schedule how we make everything. So yeah, 643 00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:37.150 anything under six months and it can incur kind of 644 00:28:37.730 --> 00:28:41.109 us being charged lots of money to get those fabrics made. 645 00:28:42.069 --> 00:28:45.369 For someone who goes into the bridal process kind of 646 00:28:45.750 --> 00:28:48.950 not knowing at all what they want or what they 647 00:28:48.970 --> 00:28:51.849 think they'll suit or what their kind of bridal style is, 648 00:28:51.990 --> 00:28:55.480 how would you recommend that they start to find that. 649 00:28:56.500 --> 00:28:58.289 Well, you have to say, look into your own wardrobe 650 00:28:58.329 --> 00:29:01.910 and see what your favorite dress is. Like what made 651 00:29:01.950 --> 00:29:04.210 you feel amazing when you went to somebody else's wedding? 652 00:29:04.250 --> 00:29:06.789 It doesn't have to be, you know, it could be 653 00:29:06.809 --> 00:29:10.589 a skirt and top or a particular neckline. And so 654 00:29:10.890 --> 00:29:13.089 start at home and start thinking that way, but then 655 00:29:13.569 --> 00:29:17.130 go to stores and try on lots of styles and 656 00:29:17.430 --> 00:29:19.829 or brands that you admire, go and book an appointment 657 00:29:19.869 --> 00:29:22.240 with them. But what I will say is don't go 658 00:29:22.279 --> 00:29:24.319 to too many places. Like I know you. 659 00:29:24.680 --> 00:29:27.000 Yes, I went to a lot of places. The rumors 660 00:29:27.039 --> 00:29:27.420 are true. 661 00:29:27.740 --> 00:29:31.109 Yes. And actually it becomes overwhelming to some degree. I mean, 662 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:33.990 it can work in two ways. It really refined the 663 00:29:34.029 --> 00:29:36.450 design that you wanted. So when we finally started, you 664 00:29:36.470 --> 00:29:38.349 had a very clear vision of the two dresses that 665 00:29:38.369 --> 00:29:40.799 you wanted. However, I get lots of brides and they 666 00:29:40.819 --> 00:29:44.920 are so overwhelmed. And the commitment issue to choosing the 667 00:29:44.960 --> 00:29:47.569 dress has been blown off the scale. They're just like, 668 00:29:48.150 --> 00:29:49.630 I love this and I love this. And they're flicking 669 00:29:49.650 --> 00:29:52.369 through hundreds of pictures on their phone. I try and 670 00:29:52.410 --> 00:29:56.630 encourage people when their guests are there, photographing from every angle. 671 00:29:56.650 --> 00:29:58.720 I'm like, these are not going to be good pictures 672 00:29:58.779 --> 00:30:00.579 because you're sat down in the chair and you're just 673 00:30:00.599 --> 00:30:03.319 snapping away and you're, you know, they'll be kind of 674 00:30:03.359 --> 00:30:06.339 like half eyes shut. And if you want to take 675 00:30:06.380 --> 00:30:08.109 a picture, just stop, let's get a front, back and 676 00:30:08.140 --> 00:30:11.190 side and make it beautiful pictures. So, but don't choose 677

00:30:11.230 --> 00:30:13.750 your wedding dress from a photo in your phone. Like 678 00:30:13.789 --> 00:30:15.710 I've had brides come to me and say, I thought 679 00:30:15.750 --> 00:30:17.410 I'd found the one, but then I looked at the 680 00:30:17.450 --> 00:30:19.410 pictures last night. I thought I just, it, it just, 681 00:30:19.589 --> 00:30:21.609 it didn't make me look great. And it's like, that 682 00:30:21.630 --> 00:30:24.450 was a sample. It's not your size. It's not the 683 00:30:24.490 --> 00:30:26.970 best angle, the picture that your mum took from kind of, 684 00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:29.740 the other side of the shop like go back and 685 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:31.779 try that dress on like I will always encourage you 686 00:30:31.819 --> 00:30:33.680 to go back to that brand that you loved that 687 00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:36.809 dress at I don't want you trying to find something 688 00:30:36.829 --> 00:30:38.589 that made you feel as good as that made you 689 00:30:38.609 --> 00:30:42.150 feel in that moment if that was the one so yeah. 690 00:30:42.430 --> 00:30:45.869 Yeah and I think it's it's such a interesting process 691 00:30:45.890 --> 00:30:48.450 because it feels like such high pressure and you do 692 00:30:48.509 --> 00:30:50.690 often feel like you need to have that big moment 693 00:30:50.809 --> 00:30:54.579 where you kind of you know, burst into tears or 694 00:30:54.619 --> 00:30:56.799 whatever it might be. And I think that for lots 695 00:30:56.819 --> 00:30:59.160 of people, it's about being like, do you know what? No, 696 00:30:59.240 --> 00:31:01.700 I just, I feel really good in this dress. Like, 697 00:31:01.740 --> 00:31:04.170 it's not that it's giant and it's not that it's 698 00:31:04.190 --> 00:31:07.210 like this big, big moment. It's like, no, this... you know, 699 00:31:07.390 --> 00:31:09.029 I feel really good in this and this feels me. 700 00:31:09.150 --> 00:31:10.390 And I think that one of the things that I 701 00:31:10.430 --> 00:31:13.009 kept speaking to you about was that I had the 702 00:31:13.049 --> 00:31:16.690 struggle because I kind of kept yo-yoing between the fact 703 00:31:16.769 --> 00:31:20.750 that the dresses that I suited were not my personal style. 704 00:31:21.329 --> 00:31:23.700 So they looked best on my body type, but they 705 00:31:23.720 --> 00:31:25.680 weren't my personal style. So I felt like I was 706 00:31:25.700 --> 00:31:28.460 in like costume and that felt really hard because I'd 707 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:30.960 constantly go into the shops and the ones that looked 708 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:32.900 good on me, everyone would be like, this, this, this, 709 00:31:32.940 --> 00:31:35.680 like this really enhances your figure. This, you know, looks amazing. 710 00:31:35.700 --> 00:31:38.730 And I'd be like, I don't feel like myself in this. 711 00:31:38.789 --> 00:31:41.690 I feel like I'm in a school play. And it's 712 00:31:41.750 --> 00:31:44.650 hard to get like a balance between those things. Yeah. 713 00:31:44.869 --> 00:31:46.630 And I think that is exactly what we managed to 714 00:31:46.650 --> 00:31:50.079 do with your dresses because you had, you know, you 715 00:31:50.119 --> 00:31:52.680 wanted that sculpt criminalist, but it was always like, we're 716 00:31:52.700 --> 00:31:54.660 not going to turn this into kind of something that 717 00:31:54.779 --> 00:31:56.339 is in the V & A right now in the 718 00:31:56.359 --> 00:32:01.299 Marie Antoinette exhibition. It has to feel that it's sculpted 719 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:04.390 to you and created for you and your body and 720 00:32:04.569 --> 00:32:06.710 it was a really fun adventure to go on with 721 00:32:06.730 --> 00:32:09.539 you to kind of work out actually how far we 722 00:32:09.579 --> 00:32:13.099 made those that that kind of extended silhouette and and 723 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:15.380 the drape on the neck you had a defined idea 724 00:32:15.400 --> 00:32:17.759 the corset and the foundations that we put inside those 725 00:32:17.799 --> 00:32:21.269 dresses you know you knew you wanted that defined waist 726 00:32:21.349 --> 00:32:23.289 and and how you wanted it to look and you 727 00:32:23.329 --> 00:32:25.640 you I had the privilege of being able to create 728 00:32:25.759 --> 00:32:28.380 exactly the version of the dress that you wanted, but 729 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:31.240 working for the exact figure and body that you had. Yeah, 730 00:32:31.440 --> 00:32:32.299 thanks to you. 731 00:32:32.680 --> 00:32:35.670 So asking then, honestly, what was the hardest part of 732 00:32:35.690 --> 00:32:36.509 my dress to get right? 733 00:32:36.970 --> 00:32:40.789 I think the hardest part was to get the cups 734 00:32:40.849 --> 00:32:43.869 of your dress to make you feel exactly as you 735 00:32:43.910 --> 00:32:46.190 wanted your bust to feel, because we're not just sticking 736 00:32:46.230 --> 00:32:49.089 a bra in here, we're creating... kind of a couture 737 00:32:49.130 --> 00:32:52.269 piece of lingerie that sits with inside that dress. So 738 00:32:52.289 --> 00:32:54.490 when I did the first dress, we did it quite 739 00:32:54.789 --> 00:32:57.740 sort of seamless without cups. And you were like, no, 740 00:32:57.779 --> 00:33:00.720 it's not kind of sitting in exactly. So just nailing 741 00:33:00.759 --> 00:33:04.740 those foundations to be utterly perfect. It's like our metaphor 742 00:33:04.759 --> 00:33:08.480 for our business. The foundation is so important within any dress, 743 00:33:08.940 --> 00:33:10.549 like it's the same. 744 00:33:10.490 --> 00:33:12.250 But that's what made it so special for me because 745 00:33:12.309 --> 00:33:14.819 for example the second dress was quite a slinky dress 746 00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:16.740 and I felt like I definitely couldn't wear a slinky 747 00:33:16.759 --> 00:33:18.420 dress because I've got a big bust and so if 748 00:33:18.660 --> 00:33:20.640 that's going to be flying

all over the place especially 749 00:33:20.660 --> 00:33:22.720 for the dancing part of the evening then I was 750 00:33:22.740 --> 00:33:24.140 like I'm not going to feel good in this or 751 00:33:24.180 --> 00:33:26.740 all the photos I'm going to be kind of flying 752 00:33:26.789 --> 00:33:29.549 all over the place whereas you were able to make 753 00:33:29.569 --> 00:33:33.230 it look slinky whilst actually I was cemented into that 754 00:33:33.250 --> 00:33:36.369 dress like we had actual chicken fillets in that dress 755 00:33:36.410 --> 00:33:38.660 to make it To make my bust sit how I 756 00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:41.200 wanted it to, whilst it also felt like the dress 757 00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:44.220 was floaty and slinky. It was, honestly, it was such 758 00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:45.480 an art. I'm never going to look that good in 759 00:33:45.500 --> 00:33:46.299 a cowl neck again. 760 00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:48.210 Oh my gosh, I do not believe you. 761 00:33:48.220 --> 00:33:49.789 No, it's true. I'm going to have to put the 762 00:33:50.049 --> 00:33:51.009 corseted underneath. 763 00:33:51.730 --> 00:33:55.130 Oh, I loved the waspy that we created as well. 764 00:33:55.250 --> 00:33:57.410 Often as well in a slinky dress, people think, oh, 765 00:33:57.509 --> 00:33:59.349 you know, I can't define my waist. And especially if 766 00:33:59.369 --> 00:34:01.009 there's not like a waist seam that you can really 767 00:34:01.390 --> 00:34:04.190 nip in. So that waspy, which was the little over 768 00:34:04.230 --> 00:34:06.500 corset on your evening dress was just... like a piece 769 00:34:06.539 --> 00:34:07.759 of art. I loved that. 770 00:34:07.920 --> 00:34:10.280 Yeah. People loved that one. 771 00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:12.239 Yeah. And the embroideries. Yeah. 772 00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:15.659 Do you know when a dress is finished or how 773 00:34:15.699 --> 00:34:17.480 do you know when to kind of stop tweaking? 774 00:34:17.780 --> 00:34:19.340 I mean, you could tweak and tweak and tweak. You 775 00:34:19.380 --> 00:34:22.039 really could. But you have to think you don't want 776 00:34:22.059 --> 00:34:24.739 to keep tweaking that beautiful fabric because you don't want 777 00:34:24.760 --> 00:34:26.630 it to scar and you don't want it to mark. 778 00:34:27.170 --> 00:34:31.070 And actually, eventually, there's just a silent, I know, we're done. 779 00:34:31.719 --> 00:34:34.239 But sometimes, you know, brides project so much on their 780 00:34:34.280 --> 00:34:36.760 wedding dress that sometimes they want you to keep altering it. 781 00:34:36.800 --> 00:34:38.869 And the closer they get to the wedding, body shapes 782 00:34:38.909 --> 00:34:40.670 change and brides stress and they lose weight. And then 783 00:34:40.690 --> 00:34:42.869 they want it altered again and again. And so if 784 00:34:42.909 --> 00:34:45.809 you are a body that will change shapes with stress 785 00:34:45.829 --> 00:34:47.989 near your wedding, then I would highly recommend you leave 786 00:34:48.010 --> 00:34:50.389 your alterations to as close to your wedding as possible. 787 00:34:50.429 --> 00:34:52.809 Yeah, we had mine like two weeks before at the end. 788 00:34:52.949 --> 00:34:55.449 Yeah, because you don't want to have made all of 789 00:34:55.469 --> 00:34:58.539 those alterations and then lost more weight and then feel 790 00:34:58.559 --> 00:35:00.480 that the dress isn't fitting you perfectly. 791 00:35:00.559 --> 00:35:03.519 So... Is it more fun or more pressure designing for 792 00:35:03.539 --> 00:35:04.079 someone you know? 793 00:35:04.099 --> 00:35:07.019 Is it more fun? Do you know, I think there's 794 00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:09.000 more pressure. Yeah. For people that I know. 795 00:35:09.019 --> 00:35:09.440 Yeah. 796 00:35:09.679 --> 00:35:12.739 Because there's an element of them that I already know. 797 00:35:12.760 --> 00:35:14.940 And there's an element of my perception of what will 798 00:35:14.960 --> 00:35:19.000 be wonderful and which will suit them. And the thing 799 00:35:19.039 --> 00:35:21.320 about our job is we have to listen a lot. 800 00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:24.239 And I think that's what makes the Halfpenny Stylist unique 801 00:35:24.280 --> 00:35:26.800 is we listen. We listen to what you're saying. We 802 00:35:26.860 --> 00:35:29.860 notice your reactions when we put you in certain things 803 00:35:29.909 --> 00:35:33.860 and we make suggestions and So yeah, I definitely think 804 00:35:33.900 --> 00:35:36.199 it's harder when you've got a perception of what you'd 805 00:35:36.239 --> 00:35:38.139 like to put somebody in and yet you have to 806 00:35:38.179 --> 00:35:38.929 step back and listen. 807 00:35:39.840 --> 00:35:42.530 And say if you were a bride-to-be now and you've 808 00:35:42.590 --> 00:35:44.670 just kind of got engaged or you're just starting thinking 809 00:35:44.690 --> 00:35:47.869 about your dress, you love certain things but you're worried 810 00:35:47.909 --> 00:35:51.289 that you might love them because they're currently trend-led. How 811 00:35:51.329 --> 00:35:54.530 would you advise someone between finding something that reflects a 812 00:35:54.550 --> 00:35:57.190 trend that they're loving at the moment versus wanting it 813 00:35:57.250 --> 00:35:58.929 to be something that's kind of timeless and they're going 814 00:35:58.949 --> 00:36:00.670 to look back on in 10 years and still think, oh, 815 00:36:00.809 --> 00:36:01.530 I looked amazing? 816 00:36:02.159 --> 00:36:05.030 That's an interesting question because looking back on your wedding 817 00:36:05.030 --> 00:36:06.690 10 years later, you have to think, I got married 818 00:36:06.730 --> 00:36:10.190 in 2025. This is what was happening then. Like, I 819 00:36:10.309 --> 00:36:12.110 love the fact that you can look back at the 820 00:36:12.150 --> 00:36:14.980 decades and you can see what was happening around that time. 821 00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:16.619 You know, look back

at the 80s with all those 822 00:36:16.659 --> 00:36:20.980 giant mutton sleeves and lots of dupions and taffeta fabrics. Like, 823 00:36:21.909 --> 00:36:24.510 I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I understand 824 00:36:24.530 --> 00:36:27.590 that there's a timeless elegance to all of my collection, 825 00:36:27.750 --> 00:36:29.849 whether you have a halter neck or, you know, there's 826 00:36:29.889 --> 00:36:32.650 a huge trend for off the shoulder or the whole 827 00:36:32.690 --> 00:36:35.530 backless thing, you know, those will always happen, but they 828 00:36:35.590 --> 00:36:39.010 happen throughout the decades. So I just think you just 829 00:36:39.050 --> 00:36:41.949 need to find something that truly feel incredible in and 830 00:36:41.989 --> 00:36:44.349 you won't even think about the trend because when you 831 00:36:44.409 --> 00:36:47.179 look at those pictures, you will remember how amazing you 832 00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:48.539 felt and what a brilliant day it was. 833 00:36:48.780 --> 00:36:50.280 Yeah, and I think that was really the difference for 834 00:36:50.320 --> 00:36:52.820 me when I felt like my dress was me. Like, 835 00:36:53.340 --> 00:36:57.300 I don't care what anyone else thinks about my dress. Like, thankfully, 836 00:36:57.320 --> 00:36:59.699 people loved it. But genuinely, I don't because it was 837 00:36:59.739 --> 00:37:03.579 kind of, for me, that was so me. Like, I just, 838 00:37:03.699 --> 00:37:05.480 it felt like it was me. It felt like it 839 00:37:05.519 --> 00:37:08.940 was kind of modern and traditional and those things that felt, yeah, 840 00:37:09.099 --> 00:37:11.780 I don't know. Like, I would be so surprised if 841 00:37:11.840 --> 00:37:14.760 I'd look back at any point and be like, oh no, 842 00:37:14.800 --> 00:37:16.349 you know, I don't like this because of this. Because 843 00:37:16.469 --> 00:37:18.289 even if something's a trend or even if something's like 844 00:37:18.309 --> 00:37:21.349 coming through more at the moment, if it feels like 845 00:37:21.429 --> 00:37:24.769 you and it feels like you're yourself, then I think 846 00:37:24.809 --> 00:37:26.289 that's what you should be aiming for. 847 00:37:26.710 --> 00:37:29.230 I've just celebrated my 13th wedding anniversary and there is 848 00:37:29.309 --> 00:37:31.230 no way I would wear anything else other than the 849 00:37:31.269 --> 00:37:33.469 dress that I wore on that day. I'd wear it 850 00:37:33.530 --> 00:37:34.170 exactly the same. 851 00:37:34.489 --> 00:37:38.090 Yeah, I really love that. I'd love to know what 852 00:37:38.610 --> 00:37:40.969 one thing you think lots of brides stress about that 853 00:37:40.989 --> 00:37:42.070 they shouldn't stress about. 854 00:37:42.650 --> 00:37:45.409 I mean, lots of people stress about making other people 855 00:37:45.449 --> 00:37:48.090 happy on their wedding day. And actually, my advice to 856 00:37:48.130 --> 00:37:51.909 brides is this day is for you and your husband, 857 00:37:51.949 --> 00:37:54.940 of course. You want to give your guests a really 858 00:37:54.980 --> 00:37:58.920 brilliant time. Just do what you want to do. Don't 859 00:37:59.099 --> 00:38:02.280 be influenced by trends, what's happening out there. Don't try 860 00:38:02.320 --> 00:38:05.360 and turn your wedding into a photo shoot either. There's 861 00:38:05.400 --> 00:38:08.889 so much pressure these days with really like high-end photography 862 00:38:09.070 --> 00:38:11.369 on weddings and that really stylized finish. And if that's 863 00:38:11.409 --> 00:38:15.019 not you... you know, be authentic to yourself. Don't stress 864 00:38:15.079 --> 00:38:19.639 about trying to make the day look like an editorial shoot. 865 00:38:19.780 --> 00:38:21.659 That was actually one of my favorite things that we 866 00:38:21.699 --> 00:38:24.650 did as well, is that we specifically didn't do photos. 867 00:38:24.710 --> 00:38:27.409 Like we didn't do photo time, basically. And of course, 868 00:38:27.429 --> 00:38:29.730 like we got lots of photos and we got lots 869 00:38:29.750 --> 00:38:32.349 of content. That part is not lost on me. But 870 00:38:33.030 --> 00:38:36.159 there was never kind of half an hour here, half 871 00:38:36.179 --> 00:38:38.440 an hour there, doing this, doing this, doing this, especially 872 00:38:38.460 --> 00:38:40.039 because it's so close to my job. I was like, 873 00:38:40.079 --> 00:38:44.030 that's going to feel like we are working. Whereas it was, 874 00:38:44.610 --> 00:38:47.920 you know, we made sure even that the photographer knew 875 00:38:47.980 --> 00:38:49.639 that we didn't want that to be the case. And 876 00:38:49.719 --> 00:38:51.840 so it was constantly like anytime he was grabbing us 877 00:38:51.889 --> 00:38:55.309 for a photo, it would be genuinely five shots, off 878 00:38:55.349 --> 00:38:58.949 you go. And I think that knowing what... Like thinking 879 00:38:58.989 --> 00:39:00.829 about your wedding day and thinking what would make this 880 00:39:00.869 --> 00:39:02.849 an amazing day versus what would not make this an 881 00:39:02.889 --> 00:39:05.590 amazing day, I think is really important. And one of 882 00:39:05.610 --> 00:39:07.869 the things that I identified was that, the photos thing. 883 00:39:07.929 --> 00:39:09.469 And also I don't want to be thinking about if 884 00:39:09.510 --> 00:39:11.570 everyone else is having a good time. And I don't 885 00:39:11.610 --> 00:39:14.030 want to be making sure that I've spent enough time 886 00:39:14.070 --> 00:39:17.070 with people because they've traveled out to France. Yeah. So I, 887 00:39:17.110 --> 00:39:19.289 for example, made sure that on the welcome dinner, I 888 00:39:19.329 --> 00:39:21.440 went around and spoke to everyone because I was like, 889 00:39:21.460 --> 00:39:23.559 I might not see you for the rest of the 890 00:39:23.599 --> 00:39:26.429 weekend because I'm going to be trying to enjoy getting 891

00:39:26.449 --> 00:39:28.230 married rather than trying to make sure I've done all 892 00:39:28.250 --> 00:39:30.489 my hellos. And I think that... for me was one 893 00:39:30.510 --> 00:39:33.519 of the best pieces of advice was just like really 894 00:39:33.559 --> 00:39:36.760 think like sit down and think write down two columns 895 00:39:36.780 --> 00:39:40.179 like what would make the wedding day perfect and what 896 00:39:40.199 --> 00:39:42.530 would not ruin the wedding day for me but what 897 00:39:42.550 --> 00:39:44.369 would really take away from it and I think that 898 00:39:44.389 --> 00:39:47.210 that got us a lot closer to feeling like we 899 00:39:47.250 --> 00:39:49.469 were genuinely having a great time rather than feeling like 900 00:39:49.489 --> 00:39:51.489 we were part of some big performance. 901 00:39:52.269 --> 00:39:54.840 There's amazing ways that you can have a wedding that 902 00:39:54.860 --> 00:39:56.659 doesn't have to cost you the earth and I think 903 00:39:56.960 --> 00:39:59.059 the whole perception around weddings and I think it's got 904 00:39:59.460 --> 00:40:03.739 slightly distorted in the performance around the wedding and For 905 00:40:03.800 --> 00:40:07.840 my wedding, we hired a holiday kind of let with 906 00:40:07.860 --> 00:40:11.019 a barn and lots of cottages. And we just took 907 00:40:11.079 --> 00:40:13.179 over the whole place. But everyone booked and paid for 908 00:40:13.199 --> 00:40:17.500 their own accommodation. And instead of having a paid bar, 909 00:40:17.639 --> 00:40:20.940 we said to everyone, we gave them, we told everyone 910 00:40:20.960 --> 00:40:22.489 what to bring. You bring a litre of gin, you 911 00:40:22.510 --> 00:40:24.610 bring a litre of vodka. I mean, literally, we carried 912 00:40:24.699 --> 00:40:27.489 on literally drinking all of the wedding booze. There was 913 00:40:27.530 --> 00:40:30.929 just too much. So then we got barman and soft drinks. 914 00:40:31.510 --> 00:40:33.730 And all of the wine and the champagne for the wedding. 915 00:40:34.170 --> 00:40:36.710 But it just meant that everyone had, and if somebody 916 00:40:36.730 --> 00:40:39.070 particularly liked something, they bought that. And it all just 917 00:40:39.090 --> 00:40:40.449 went in the bar. But there were people there to 918 00:40:40.469 --> 00:40:43.360 make the cocktails, people there to help. So there's so 919 00:40:43.389 --> 00:40:46.900 many gorgeous ways in which, you know, people these days, 920 00:40:47.280 --> 00:40:49.500 they would rather be part of your incredible day. And 921 00:40:49.739 --> 00:40:51.639 like when you go for a big birthday dinner, you know, 922 00:40:51.659 --> 00:40:54.139 you do these big set menus and everyone kind of 923 00:40:54.159 --> 00:40:56.199 pays for their meal and they're there to celebrate you. 924 00:40:56.300 --> 00:40:58.449 Like you can do that for weddings too. Like you 925 00:40:58.489 --> 00:41:02.260 can just have that. weekend away with friends and you 926 00:41:02.340 --> 00:41:05.639 just so happen to have an amazing celebration of your 927 00:41:05.659 --> 00:41:07.239 love together or, you know, it's. 928 00:41:07.500 --> 00:41:09.280 Yeah, and don't let it be your life savings just 929 00:41:09.320 --> 00:41:11.460 because it feels like people are doing that. 930 00:41:11.900 --> 00:41:14.800 Yeah, it's so worrying. People are putting their whole wedding on, 931 00:41:15.199 --> 00:41:17.579 you know, credit cards and things and it's... It's not, it's... Yeah. 932 00:41:17.840 --> 00:41:20.000 And it doesn't reward them in the same way if 933 00:41:20.159 --> 00:41:24.400 something authentic, like authenticity throughout everything is just key. 934 00:41:24.639 --> 00:41:26.800 Well, that was my biggest fear is that going into 935 00:41:26.820 --> 00:41:29.280 the wedding, I kind of thought... I was like, the 936 00:41:29.420 --> 00:41:31.980 last thing I want is for on the Monday, the 937 00:41:32.019 --> 00:41:35.219 day after it finishes, to be like, oh my God, 938 00:41:35.579 --> 00:41:38.360 that's done. But in a kind of, not just wedding 939 00:41:38.409 --> 00:41:40.710 bluesy way, like, oh no, that's over, being like, that's 940 00:41:40.730 --> 00:41:44.269 done and that money's gone. And I never wanted it 941 00:41:44.329 --> 00:41:47.809 to be to an extent where I would feel upset 942 00:41:47.869 --> 00:41:50.150 by it being done because it was, you know, everything 943 00:41:50.190 --> 00:41:52.719 was just gone in that weekend. Yeah. And I think, like, 944 00:41:52.760 --> 00:41:55.400 I completely appreciate that I'm in a very privileged position. 945 00:41:55.519 --> 00:41:57.239 And so, you know, that's going to be an easier 946 00:41:57.519 --> 00:41:59.960 decision to make for me. But I, like, when I 947 00:42:00.019 --> 00:42:04.239 originally went for meetings with wedding planners, the amount they 948 00:42:04.280 --> 00:42:08.360 were quoting for kind of what we wanted to do, 949 00:42:08.980 --> 00:42:10.739 bearing in mind we didn't, you know, we were like, 950 00:42:10.920 --> 00:42:13.019 we don't need fireworks, we don't need this, we don't 951 00:42:13.039 --> 00:42:14.659 need this, we don't need this. All we want is 952 00:42:14.739 --> 00:42:17.360 everyone in the same place for three days and kind of, 953 00:42:17.659 --> 00:42:21.269 you know, these various types of things. It was just 954 00:42:21.309 --> 00:42:24.769 so crazy because the industry has got so crazy and 955 00:42:24.829 --> 00:42:27.639 so performative. And I understand completely if people want to 956 00:42:27.679 --> 00:42:28.630 do X, Y and Z. 957 00:42:29.340 --> 00:42:31.260 If that makes you happy and that is truly what 958 00:42:31.280 --> 00:42:32.539 you want to do, go for it. 959 00:42:32.900 --> 00:42:33.780 Absolutely. I'm not. 960 00:42:34.440 --> 00:42:36.699 I love that. I celebrate that. I love hearing some 961 00:42:36.719 --> 00:42:38.860 of the

stories of the weddings that my brides are having. 962 00:42:38.900 --> 00:42:40.909 Then after their emails and their pictures and they're like, 963 00:42:41.309 --> 00:42:43.590 it was everything I ever dreamed of. That is all 964 00:42:43.869 --> 00:42:47.860 you need to do. Yeah. But don't kind of. Put 965 00:42:47.889 --> 00:42:49.690 yourself in eternal debt forever. 966 00:42:49.889 --> 00:42:52.530 No, not whether. You can take your half-pony dress and 967 00:42:52.869 --> 00:42:54.449 go on a lope. Exactly. 968 00:42:54.489 --> 00:42:55.809 We have lots of eloping brides. 969 00:42:55.829 --> 00:43:00.639 I love that. And are you seeing any 2025 wedding 970 00:43:00.699 --> 00:43:03.019 or kind of bridal trends that you're loving at the moment? 971 00:43:03.420 --> 00:43:06.539 I mean, there's lots more texture coming back into the fabrics, 972 00:43:06.559 --> 00:43:09.460 which is exciting. You know I love a bit of texture. 973 00:43:09.760 --> 00:43:14.159 It has gone very clean and sleek for a while. 974 00:43:14.530 --> 00:43:17.389 And I definitely think there's tons of lace coming back. 975 00:43:18.380 --> 00:43:20.460 I always imagined I'd get married and head to toe 976 00:43:20.480 --> 00:43:23.510 lace and I didn't mine was super simple and a 977 00:43:24.110 --> 00:43:27.710 graphic kind of silhouette and fabric but it's yeah it's 978 00:43:27.789 --> 00:43:31.119 exciting to see the textures my new collection launches Literally 979 00:43:31.260 --> 00:43:31.940 in a few days. 980 00:43:32.400 --> 00:43:33.420 So exciting. 981 00:43:33.639 --> 00:43:35.980 And inspired by the embroideries I created for you, we've 982 00:43:36.159 --> 00:43:39.969 created these really beautiful echinacea flowers, which have the symbol 983 00:43:39.989 --> 00:43:42.530 of kind of wellness and the messaging around that. But 984 00:43:42.550 --> 00:43:45.869 they're embroidered onto tops of guipure, like a beautiful kind 985 00:43:45.889 --> 00:43:49.969 of heavy lace. So there's beautiful suits and yummy, delicious 986 00:43:50.710 --> 00:43:52.590 fabrics and texture and yum. 987 00:43:53.090 --> 00:43:56.369 And if you could design a wedding dress for anyone, 988 00:43:56.880 --> 00:43:57.260 who would it be? 989 00:43:57.780 --> 00:44:01.079 I mean, I loved working with Rihanna. I just think 990 00:44:01.119 --> 00:44:04.550 she's amazing. So I'd love to create her a new 991 00:44:04.650 --> 00:44:06.269 epic gown. I did her a gown for the Brit 992 00:44:06.289 --> 00:44:10.170 Awards and also she wore some more of my items 993 00:44:10.210 --> 00:44:12.090 for The Only Girl in the World and different things. 994 00:44:12.170 --> 00:44:13.750 But I'd love to. Yeah, I'd love to work with 995 00:44:13.789 --> 00:44:19.849 her again. But Billie Eilish. Oh, yeah. I'd absolutely love to. Yeah. 996 00:44:20.590 --> 00:44:24.059 Gorgeous. Yeah. Well, I always end by asking the same 997 00:44:24.139 --> 00:44:25.880 question and I'd love to know from you. I know 998 00:44:25.900 --> 00:44:28.119 you alluded to it earlier, but what is the best 999 00:44:28.139 --> 00:44:29.900 piece of advice that you've ever been given? 1000 00:44:30.280 --> 00:44:34.340 Be authentic. Be true to yourself. And a comparison is 1001 00:44:34.380 --> 00:44:35.300 the thief of all joy. 1002 00:44:35.320 --> 00:44:38.400 I like those. You've got a little trio. 1003 00:44:38.659 --> 00:44:39.460 Yeah. Yeah. 1004 00:44:39.480 --> 00:44:41.599 I really like that. Powerful. 1005 00:44:41.880 --> 00:44:45.119 Always, always hire people you think you can't afford because 1006 00:44:45.139 --> 00:44:46.699 they will help you reach for those stars. 1007 00:44:46.949 --> 00:44:48.690 That's a good one too. I think that's a really 1008 00:44:48.730 --> 00:44:51.449 good one. I think that it's easy to be terrified 1009 00:44:51.489 --> 00:44:53.730 of certain types of growth because it always just feels 1010 00:44:53.769 --> 00:44:55.949 a little bit too close to teetering over the edge 1011 00:44:56.030 --> 00:44:59.010 yeah and you know you need to trust your gut 1012 00:44:59.070 --> 00:45:02.010 but also at the same time you've got to invest 1013 00:45:02.050 --> 00:45:04.710 in big things to be able to get to big things. 1014 00:45:04.610 --> 00:45:06.389 Yeah i mean it's hard being a founder you know 1015 00:45:06.630 --> 00:45:09.230 it's it can be lonely at times but you just 1016 00:45:09.750 --> 00:45:12.210 have to surround yourself with people that are better than 1017 00:45:12.250 --> 00:45:15.570 you are the things that that will help you grow. 1018 00:45:15.590 --> 00:45:17.650 Yeah no i totally agree with that oh well thank 1019 00:45:17.670 --> 00:45:19.949 you so much and the biggest thank you of all 1020 00:45:19.989 --> 00:45:23.420 to designing The best thing I've ever put on my body. 1021 00:45:23.559 --> 00:45:25.559 Well, the two best things I've ever put on. 1022 00:45:25.500 --> 00:45:28.480 My body, honestly. I mean, I talked, I had obviously 1023 00:45:28.500 --> 00:45:31.360 did a big, soppy Instagram post, which I meant every 1024 00:45:31.409 --> 00:45:34.030 single word of how incredible the whole process was, but 1025 00:45:34.070 --> 00:45:38.300 also just how... amazing you and your team kind of 1026 00:45:38.380 --> 00:45:40.929 made me feel not just throughout the whole process but 1027 00:45:40.949 --> 00:45:44.610 like the end dress was just so I'd had this 1028 00:45:44.670 --> 00:45:48.030 vision but it was even better and you just you 1029 00:45:48.210 --> 00:45:50.030 you made it everything that I would have wanted with 1030 00:45:50.070 --> 00:45:52.360 so many ideas that I never would have thought of 1031 00:45:52.639 --> 00:45:54.739 it was just perfect our pleasure thank you