Where is it?
154 Ashley Road
Hale
Cheshire
WA15 9SA
0161 941 7374
History:
Katie Webster set up the business in November 1998 as a positive response to her own negative bridal shopping experience.
“My experience of looking for my own wedding dress was diabolical. Not the dresses themselves, but the service. It was a case of ‘the dresses are there, help yourself’.
“It was as though the staff were working in Next. Bridal shopping should be nothing like that. My dad said if you feel that strongly about it put your money where your mouth is. Lace Bridal will be 15-years-old in November 2013.”
Katie and Lesley, Lace in Hale
Lesley Davies joined Lace in 2003. Having worked in the bridal business for a few years, running Caroline Castigliano in Wilmslow (the shop closed its doors in 2011) she was introduced to Katie through a seamstress. And while the ladies are lucky the bridal industry isn’t as badly affected by economic down turn as other businesses, they’re the first to admit “the biggest battle is we’re not repeat business” and therefore they have to make an impression the first time round.
Throughout her 14 years running Lace, Katie has witnessed big changes in the bridal market. While bridal fashion isn’t seasonal as with regular fashion, it’s obvious to see we’ve come a long way since Princess Di’s puff ball meringue.
Katie said: “When I started out it was all about two pieces. We’d have 30 bodices and five skirts and brides would just mix and match all for a few hundred pounds. Then we progressed. Strapless has probably been at the forefront for eight years now. Dresses were completely built up before that, with sleeves and necks. Next year there will be more built up dresses once again. In the millennium prices started to tip a grand and that was some doing back then. But now, the average spend is £1,800 minimum.”
What does it sell?
Walking into Lace, you’ll find a rather modest amount of wedding dresses on display in very pretty surroundings along with carefully selected accessories. This is because Kate and Lesley believe in quality over quantity. It’s to that end the pair currently work with six bridal designers they consider to be the best in the biz for the price point required in the shop and they scour the globe regularly, looking for future Lace designers.
Caroline Castigliano, Beverly Lister, Louise Marie, So Sassi and Anoushka G have all made the list for 2013. Surprising perhaps then, that there’s not an uber-trendy Jenny Packham in sight?
“Wedding dress designers do wedding dresses” said Katie. “Someone would shoot me down in flames because for example, Jenny Packham is huge in bridal too. But, Jenny Packham does evening dresses in ivory. It’s as simple as that. She does stunning dresses, but to me she is a fashion designer not a bridal designer.”
She’s definitely got a point. Having had the fantasy Princess moment of trying on a Caroline Castigliano in Lace, there’s definitely something very different about a classic wedding dress when compared to a regular dress. They pull you in, often with double corseting, hoist you up, and make you walk two inches taller. You can’t help but feel like a queen.
Lynda Moyo is transformed at Lace Bridal, Hale
As Katie continued: “Susan Neville is outstanding in bridal, but she is now doing the reverse of Jenny Packham and tipping over into evening wear. The reason celebrities such as Tulisa and Tess Daly like her evening dresses so much is because of the structure. She has mastered the structure on bridal so she can now create the most incredible evening dresses you’ll ever wear. You’re being held all the way down. That comes from bridal training not fashion training.”
There’s clearly a conflict in the bridal market, where some modern brides are choosing to sacrifice tradition for trends. However, Katie believes a visit to Lace is enough to turn even the most fashion-forward bride.
She said: “Lots of women will go to Karen Millen or wherever they think is appropriate to them. And then they’ll go to one bridal shop, just so they can categorically say in their mind ‘I don’t want a traditional wedding dress’. You try a dress on in our shop and your idea of the dress you thought you wanted immediately changes. It’s like there’s a little switch in your head.
“We stock Caroline Castigliano and her dresses are the perfect example of a perfect fit too. All her fabrics are the best sourced from all over the world to create the quintessential English gown. You don’t beat them on fit but they’re not really ‘fashionable’ hence why a lot of younger girls go for the Jenny Packhams instead.
“Sometimes I have to say ‘leave your fashion sense at the door’ to brides who come in the shop because wedding dresses are not supposed to be fashion items, they’re traditional.”
Why go there?
Aside from the fact Lace Bridal is ‘the best bridal retailer in the Northwest’ according to the 2013 Wedding Industry Awards, as a potential customer walking through the door myself, the most important thing to note is they’re really likable ladies.
When you’re stressed out trying to find the ‘one’ perfect dress, blinded by the temporary insanity that befalls many a bride-to-be, you need someone who is calm, collected and kind. That person is Katie. Or indeed, Lesley.
Katie said: “I feel that our knowledge is unrivalled and that’s so helpful when you’re looking for a wedding dress. It’s not like buying something in Topshop. You’re buying something completely out of the ordinary for the biggest event of your life and you want it to look amazing and fit perfectly.”
With the sample dresses on display all a size 12, it’s a wonder the ladies can really create the ‘perfect fit’ in the shop, but they have ways and means.
“Plackets and laces. We’ve done up to a size 22. The biggest thing for us is bust size. Caroline Castigliano asked what they’re putting in the water in Cheshire as the bust sizes are bigger than average. Once the dress is made though, it’s made to your own bra shaping. We offer that service. You’re not going to be Moll Flanders, hanging out of it.”
According to Katie and Lesley, it’s also very easy to tell where a bride is at with her wedding plans from the way she walks through the door. After years in the business, a pushy mother of the bride is very easy to spot, as is the bride who has had bad shopping experiences elsewhere and the bride who wants it all.
“We just get it” said Lesley.
Katie added: “Brides often ask how many other brides have bought the particular dress. You have to think of something to say other than ‘someone else has had it.’ Yet if you asked them after their wedding, they’ll say they always knew they weren’t the only bride to have bought that dress. It’s because they’re back to being rational people. Brides aren’t rational people.”
Future:
While the bridal industry isn’t terribly fashion conscious, that’s not to say it isn’t crying out for a bit of innovation. And Katie for one is ready for a shake up when it comes to bridal trends.
She said: “I’m praying vintage goes. I’m sick of vintage. No one actually knows what it is. I’m sick of bunting. In the right context it can be ok – a garden party for example. It’s still a trend though, for now.
“It will take one designer to say I’m not doing that anymore. A maverick. Ian Stewart is one. But his designs are more flamboyant. Fashion led, but quirky and not for the majority brides. There isn’t anyone who is really sticking their head above the parapet just yet.
Lynda Moyo tries on different styles of wedding dresses at Lace Bridal, Hale
Verdict:
Katie and Leslie are the dream team, but what they do, day in day out, is no easy task.
“Everybody thinks they’d love to do our job, but they wouldn’t” said Katie.
“When you work in bridal, you don’t ever talk about yourself. It’s all about the bride. You’ll be lucky if they remember your name. They’re not being rude, they’re just excited and in the zone. It’s absolutely hard work, not pretty, not frilly. We’re a bit like counsellors as well, dealing with self esteem, body issues and confidence every day. But ultimately it’s about keeping the bride focussed and happy and keeping everything moving.”
And I guess I’m no different when it comes to wild ideas of what I want for that special day. After trying on the three exquisitely beautiful dresses I break the news to Katie that I’d actually planned to get married in a white trouser suit, to which she responds, with a knowing smile: “There’s no way on God’s green earth you’re going to wear a suit Lynda.”
