Bijou Bridal Boutique

Kerensa is one of the first people I made contact with in the early days of my career. Starting out is hard and getting people to believe in your abilities and see your vision is a challenge, but Kerensa gave me that chance and took my business cards and the rest is history! Thank you for your support! xx

What’s your name and where do you come from?
​My name is Kerensa and I own a beautiful bridal boutique in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, called Bijou Bridal Boutique, supplying brides with gorgeous British designed bridal wear and accessories. I have also just introduced a superb brand new bridesmaid collection by Motee Maids.

Tell us a bit about the business
Opening the bridal boutique almost three years ago was a complete dream come true! Running my own business has been in my blood since I was a young girl helping out in my Dad's hi-fi and electrical store! Retail runs in the family and the passion for bridal started when I was a bride to be looking for my dream dress myself. I couldn't get it out of my system but I had to wait until my children were grown up and it was all worth the wait! I love it!

What's the general advice you would give to couples getting hitched?
Do a lot of research and always keep an open mind when looking for bridal suppliers. I find that if you make a connection with the person you are dealing with and you get good vibes from them, that is a very good start!

So what makes you different from the rest?
The first thing that makes my boutique stand out is that I do 'fly the flag' for British bridal! Everything in the boutique from wedding gowns to a pair of shoes, has been designed by leading British bridal designers and a good proportion of it has also been made in England. I have always believed that British goods are of exceptional quality and are also very competitively priced in the market place. For such a special day you want to make sure that the products you are investing a lot of money in are not going to let you down on the big day! For me personally, having been a finalist 3 years running since I opened, for outstanding customer service in the bridal wear category in The North of England Wedding Awards, means that I must be doing something right!

Any tips?
My top tip for wedding gown shopping is to enjoy the experience and keep an open mind on different styles of gowns. You may have a fixed idea of what you would like to wear but sometimes that may not be 'The One' and you may find something completely different than what you first imagined wearing.

General advice for newbies in the industry
It's a wonderful industry and you meet so many interesting and inspiring people along the way but it is exceptionally hard work! Very rewarding but also very hard! Accept help when offered as it can be tough setting up a business and always ask for help if you feel that you might need it! There is an abundance of help out there in this industry and at the end of the day we all want to succeed!

What are your plans for the future?
I love working in this industry and for me personally I would like to see my little boutique continue to grow and thrive and keep being a part of making my brides dreams come true by offering them the best possible customer service I can!

www.bijoubridalboutique.co.uk