Not only is it my 25th Birthday, which I will be spending with 11 friends and family at Go Ape followed by a yummy slap-up meal at a fabulous restaurant with 25 guests BUT it is also the day that I can introduce my first/premier/opening/leading interviewee to you all.
For the inaugural interview, this wonderful lady has an equally wonderful online-business-turned-home-boutique-business, Look Darling, that aims to offer a selection of stylish and affordable 50s style wedding and evening gowns for lovers of vintage style, and who has also recently started writing the inspiring Fifties Wedding blog.
As you may know, I have already advertised this gorgeous business to you all and can reveal that there are fabulous future plans a-foot between Look Darling and Perfect Choice Planning! But I don't want to say too much so it is my absolute pleasure to introduce the lovely Emma Lester from Look Darling....
Tell us a little about yourself and how Look Darling started.
My background is that I trained to be a solicitor and worked as a lawyer for a number of years. When planning my own wedding, I found it really hard to get the style of dress I wanted, which was a very classic, elegant and simple 50s style dress.
All the bridal shops were filled with floor length strapless dresses with beading and trains, which just didn't suit me at all. It seemed from my internet searching and various threads on web forums that there was a whole community of brides out there searching for affordable 50s style dresses, and for years I would say to my husband, 'There's a business here, someone should do this!'
Finally, after two years of talking and thinking about it, I set up my web shop and almost immediately thereafter I began converting the top floor of my house into a bridal studio, offering brides the opportunity to try dresses, shoes and accessories before buying. The bookings came really quickly and I have not really done any marketing or advertising, so the growth has been organic which is great.
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| Candice from the Look Darling Collection Photography by Carla Thomas Photography |
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| Emily Fancy New York Gowns |
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| Mimi Rachel Simpson Shoes |
What is your favourite part about doing fifties wedding dresses?
I love it when a bride walks in and says, 'At last! Dresses that I actually like!' (This has happened more than once!)
What has been your favourite business opportunity that you have been involved in to date?
The most exciting time for me so far has been becoming a stockist of Dolly Couture. The Dolly Couture label is so well-known and has such a fantastic reputation for quality and customer service, I am really proud to be able to stock the Black Label Collection and offer Dolly Couture to UK brides.
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| Summerville Dolly Couture Black Label |
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| The Beverleywood Dolly Couture Black Label |
I had a request a few weeks ago from a bride wanting to combine a couple of the designs from Fancy New York. I made an enquiry with the company, and was really excited to receive the response that they can absolutely combine different necklines, fabrics and skirt styles to create a dress totally unique for you AND for $100 (about £70) the designer will sketch the design for you and you can keep the original sketch! As if that were not enough, they will even name your dress after you. I think that's pretty cool.
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| Madelein Fancy New York Gowns |
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| Robin Fancy New York Gowns |
I hope to gradually move towards holding the Look Darling own label dresses in stock, which will allow for immediate delivery and also returns. This will widen the reach of Look Darling to brides who are unable to come and try before buying, and also to the increasing number of brides who are arranging their wedding to take place within a couple of months and need a dress right away.
I will shortly be receiving stock of the popular 'Ruth' dress and also a new design which is based on 'Ruth' but with a full lace overlay and lace 3/4 length sleeves. I hope to add further styles to the stock collection soon.
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| Ruth Look Darling Collection Carla Thomas Photography |
What would your top tip be for Perfect Choice Planning to help them pick their perfect fifties dress?
Try everything, and don't make assumptions about what will suit you. You just don't know what will suit you until you put it on. I had always assumed that a high neckline would be unflattering on a larger bust but ended up having just this style myself as it's the cut of the dress that is key.
Many brides come to the studio and say they want to hide their arms, but end up ordering a sleeveless dress, or say that they are looking to wear strapless but then try something with straps or sleeves and find it more flattering. It's very rare for a bride to order the style they had in mind prior to their appointment - and more than once, a bride has ordered a dress that they have initially said they didn't like at all on the hanger! So just have an open mind and try everything on.
The fact that I stock the established labels Fancy New York and Dolly Couture enables me to regularly update the collections with new season samples - I have just received some fantastic new styles from Fancy New York from their latest season's collection. I also try to keep up with what brides are asking for. I had a number of requests for a lace dress, hence the introduction of a new 'Ruth' with lace overlay, which I am expecting to be very popular.
What sort of pricing are we looking at for Look Darling?
I aim to keep my prices affordable and the current range is priced from £295 to £795.
Do you have any special discounts you can share with Perfect Choice Planning brides?
Look Darling are offering a generous 15% discount on all Rachel Simpson shoes and Richard Designs accessories on their website for all Perfect Choice Planning brides-to-be.
Check out these amazing items and take advantage of this great offer by contacting Laura via email at perfectchoiceplanning@hotmail.co.uk for your unique discount code.
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| Marilyn Rachel Simpson Shoes |
You have recently taken over as the main writer and blogger for Fifties Wedding blog, and you're doing a great job. How did you find out about that opportunity and what made you decide to take it up?
I saw Charlie (Tomlinson)'s post saying that she was giving up the blog, and it just seemed a shame for it to stop so I contacted her and asked about taking over. I try to keep the blog separate from Look Darling, as in my view a blog should be about new and exciting ideas, products and inspiration.
What is your favourite part about coordinating and writing Fifties Wedding blog?
It's great fun hearing about new products and suppliers before everyone else - and it's a great networking opportunity too. There are a huge number of suppliers who are already familiar with the blog and it has been lovely getting to know everyone via the Twitter feeds and Facebook.
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| Carla Thomas Photography |
Writing a blog is much harder than I first thought - and hours and hours of work and research can often result in what seems like a single badly-written paragraph with a couple of pictures! Putting together a post that has plenty of interesting content and that flows well is exceptionally difficult, and I don't very often manage it. I have no idea how the major bloggers who update their sites several times a day do it! It's a lot of work.
I know personally that there definitately NOT enough hours in the day. How are you finding being a blogger, dress maker and supplier?
Busy! But it's always better to be busy than to be bored.
And finally, where can Perfect Choice Planning find you?
You can contact me on any of the links below
T: @lookdarling
T: @FiftiesWedding
A huge thank you to Emma for her honest and wonderful comments, tips and opinions. If you're looking for your perfect fifties wedding dress and accessories, don't forget to cheak out the Look Darling website or for more vintage inspiration you should definitely pay a visit to the Fifties Wedding blog, and leave some comments for Emma to let her know what a great job she is doing!
Until next time...
Me x
