Glorious By Heidi

After studying Millinery at college, I realised the time, effort and extreme patience that goes into creating bespoke headwear. I learnt to appreciate the skill and dedication that goes into every piece.
​Heidi has kindly given up her time to let us all know how it all began for her!

​What’s your name and where do you come from?
​I'm Heidi a multi-award winning designer of bridal and special occasion accessories.
.I create stunning, award winning, wedding day hair jewellery, to unique designs in my Cheshire studio.

Tell us a bit about the business 
I've always been very creative and after completing a degree in Creative Arts, went into photographic research representing photographers whilst working to briefs set by advertising agencies, design companies, and anyone who needed visuals for their marketing.

Glorious by Heidi started out life four years ago as Glorious Tiaras after I'd designed a few hair accessories for fun, for family and friends, and found that more and more ladies were coming to me to ask that I make something for them. 

In the intervening years I've enjoyed creating accessories for a great range of brides and their wedding parties, and am incredibly proud to have been awarded The Wedding Industry Awards 'Accessory Designer of the Year', North West, in both 2016 and 2017.

I decided to relaunch the business recently as Glorious by Heidi after it was pointed out to me when I was describing my business and the service I provide to my clients, that what I described was a highly personalised service, with my skills, knowledge and creativity at the heart of what I offer, and yet I was guilty of rarely mentioning myself in any of my promotional activities! I'm doing my best to change that now starting with including my name in the name of the business!

What's the general advice you would give to couples getting hitched?
Try not to loose yourselves in the hurly, burly of planning a wedding. Sit down soon after you decide you'd like to get married and agree on the kind of wedding you'd like, big / small, rural / City, themed / simple, home / away, then get your diaries out and plan in a few 'wedding meetings'. A regular check in to keep each other on track, get excited about the fun stuff like wine tasting, and the music you're going to have, and allocate the admin; will make sure your big day doesn't end up becoming a chore for either one of you.

So what makes you different from the rest?
The personalisation of my service. My brides deal with me directly, and to best design a hair accessory that's a perfect reflection of their style and one that will enhance their wedding day look, we'll look at pictures of the detail on their dress, discuss how they plan to wear their hair, and check out any Pinterest boards they might have created. My brides approve my design sketches before I start work, and throughout the design process I check in with them to keep them up-to-date and excited about their accessories., and to invite any feedback they have.

 Any tips?
Don't ever think that your hair is too short for an accessory! I've picked up a number of tricks from working alongside hair and make up artists on photo-shoots over the years, that will make sure a hair accessory will stay put in the shortest, chicest of hairstyles. 

My favourite is to part and lift the hair approximately where you'd like your hair pins or hair comb to sit. Then create 2-3 tiny bunches along the parting and secure using the teeny tiny clear hair bands available from places like Claire's Accessories, Boots and Superdrug. Once the bunches are created drop your hair over the bunches and set with a styling product. You won't be able to see the bunches once the rest of your hair is covering them, even in a short style. You then have a strong platform to feed the teeth of your pins, or comb into, ensuring that even when you hit the dance floor at your reception, your accessory will stay very firmly put!

General advice for newbies in the industry
 Start creating networks of industry friends as soon as possible. You'll need to become an expert  in the field pretty quickly with brides asking you for wedding industry recommendations for everything from cakes to photographers, from venues to florists, and more. If you can consistently give good quality leads then you not only grow your reputation as an expert in the field, but you stand a good chance of your industry friends returning the compliment and recommending you in return.

What are your plans for the future?
I'm currently burning the midnight oil rethinking and redesigning my website so it better reflects me and what I offer brides. I'm planning the relaunch for the end of September... no pressure!

I'm also expanding the number of outlets for my core accessory designs. I can currently be found with stores at www.andsotoshop.com , www.loveandlilah.com and have and Etsy store https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GloriousbyHeidi. A selection of Glorious by Heidi designs can be found in stock at Gracie Bleu Bridal in Buxton, Derbyshire, Dollface Make Up Studios in Congleton, Cheshire and Andrea Pickford Make Up & Beauty in Warrington, Cheshire.

www.gloriousbyheidi.com