The Big Bridal Trend for 2014!

Last weekend we had an amazing time in London where we went along to two major bridal trade events – The White Gallery, in Battersea, and The London Bridal Show, at Olympia!

We went down to specifically see the 2014 collections from our existing designers but it’s great to see so many exhibitors, from all around the world, as this gives a real feel for what is changing in bridal design and what is likely to be the trend for the future.

Four of existing designers were at these shows – Nicola Anne, Donna Lee Designs, Diane Harbridge & Lou Lou – and as usual we were delighted with the beautiful collections they had to offer – it’s really difficult having to choose only a few! As you can see from the photos below (these styles will be available at Pink Confetti in the next few months) there is still a heavy vintage influence and lace still features strongly in many gowns.

Although bridal fashions change it does tend to be a slower process than on the high street and obviously lace fabrics have been increasingly popular especially since the Royal Wedding in 2011. However it was interesting last weekend to see how bridal styles appear to have been influenced by TV & film in particular Mr Selfridge, Downtown Abbey and Gatsby as there was a noticeable trend towards the styles of the early 1900’s.

This era introduced a step change in women’s fashion, moving away from the controlling corsets and layered petticoats of the Victorian age, and towards gowns that whilst still floor length were less structured, more slimline and incorporated a variety of embellishments including jewels, lace and feathers.

It was clear from the number of designers that had adopted this style as a large part of their collection that they believe that this will be the next big thing! There were some gorgeous gowns that epitomise glamour – sleek georgette covered in rhinestones, heavily beaded chiffon, drop waists, high necklines and detailed epaulettes all seemed to feature.

This era also seems to be influencing our accessory designers with more art deco inspired pieces and ornate hair creations. Bridal shoes have not escaped the trend with ‘Louis’ heels, button straps and T-bars all featuring heavily.

We are very excited about our new collections which will be starting to arrive from July onwards (we had cheated and ordered some a little earlier!) however the challenge will be to find space to show all these beautiful gowns and accessories off at their best.

Watch this space for details of our sale events – coming soon!!

“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.”

How right is this quote by the one and only Marilyn Monroe?  And this can surely never be truer than on a girls wedding day!

We’ve discovered that most brides will take almost as much care choosing their shoes as they do their dress as every bride wants to be perfect from head to toe and therefore the shoes are an important part of a brides wedding day ensemble.

For their wedding day it is a great opportunity for a bride to fulfill their ambition to possess a pair of designer shoes and some girls build their whole outfit around their dream footwear from the likes of Jimmy Choo, Monolo Blahnik, Vivienne Westwood and Christian Louboutin to name but a few!  We love it when a bride unwraps her precious cargo and we get an opportunity to see (and occasionally stroke!) styles from these iconic names.

Although we can’t hope to compete with these labels we do have an unhealthy obsession for footwear and do our best to offer our brides a wide variety of styles, designs and prices.  Also, as today’s wedding themes are varied it makes sense that brides should have the option to choose bridal shoes that not only compliment her bridal gown but also the theme of the wedding and perhaps her own unique personality!

As, across the whole bridal industry, the options now available to brides are widely diverse and the same can be said for bridal footwear. From sky-scraper heels to the classic satin pump; from swarovski crystal to lace embellised broderie anglaise fabric there has never been so much choice.

The key styles emerging for 2013 include crystal encrusted heels and platforms, as seen in the new Pink styles from Paradox London, ‘Starry’ and ‘Bedazzled’.

If a bride wants ‘bling’ these are an affordable option and as they are dyeable, practical as well (perhaps not the heel height!).  Also, considering those of us who are unsafe on 6inch heels the new styles ‘Celebrate’ from Pink and ‘Jada’ from Benjamin Adams offer more of a mid heel without loosing the sparkle!

Classic satin courts and pumps will continue to be popular for girls whose priority is comfort and there are a range of glamorous styles to be had, including ‘Moon’, ‘Dahlia’ and ‘Cinnamon’ from the Pink collection.

For those simple shoe deisgns without any embellishment there is always the option of adding shoe clips – a great way of adding a bit of detail and the great thing is you can wear them on any shoe!

With the increasing popularity of shorter tea length dresses the shoes are on show so it’s a great opportunity to flash a touch of Hollywood glamour in the classic designs from Benjamin Adams ‘Lamour, ‘Keira’ and ‘Audrey’.

With pointed toes set to be a trend for 2013 the ‘Audrey’ style is perfect and also the ‘Honey’ style from Pink.

There is no doubt that the vintage theme will continue to be strong next year and the aptly named Perfect VT bridal collection is sure to meet the needs of many a discerning bride.  Great news is that the favourites from their first collection, which launched last year, ‘Flo’, ‘Dorothy’ and ‘Elsie’, have been continued.

However they have now extended their range with more styles, in particular the beautiful ‘Violet’, a full lace court with ribbon straps, and ‘Erin’ a beautiful lace ballet pump.

So much choice how do we decide?  Well we just had to get them all (these styles are now available at Pink Confetti) – the challenge being how do we fit all these beautiful styles into our little boutique – well with a little bit of rearranging we’ve managed it and we are delighted with the diverse range of styles and designs we are now able to offer.

Now we have the shoes sorted we just need to make room for the new designs from our bridal collections – now there’s a real challenge!!  Watch this space for details of our clearance sale – coming soon! :o)

Wow! What an amazing weekend!

It’s hard to believe that our debut appearance at the National Wedding Show is over!  After weeks of planning we felt prepared and ready for action as we turned up at the NEC on Thursday afternoon to set up!  We knew our stand was tiny (about the same size as our changing room in the shop!!) but we were still surprised at how little space we appeared to have in comparison to the massive amount of stuff we had brought with us.

So as with all best laid plans we had to rethink – however we were very pleased with the result!  !

We wanted to create an environment that mirrored the experience of the boutique and we certainly achieved that with every conceivable space filled with gorgeous shoes and lots of lovely sparkly goodies!

Although we have exhibited for the last couple of years at the UK Wedding Show, Ricoh Arena, we were still very nervous about the size and scale of the National Show, and standing out amongst all the beautiful displays and big names within the Boutique Area.  However we were very lucky to be able to showcase a selection of Nicola Anne’s 2013 ‘Vintage’ Collection and also the ‘SecretGarden’ Collection from Donna Lee Designs.  This includes ‘Heather’s Hope’ named after Donna’s mum and from which all sales proceeds will be donated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

The Friday morning started slowly with everyone making their way to the first Catwalk event which started 30 minutes after the show opened.  We were totally unprepared for the masses that hit the Boutique area once the show had finished and continued to do so all day!  However this was a small number in comparison to the volume of visitors on Saturday and Sunday.  We were delighted that so many people loved what we had to offer and at some points were asking for leaflets to take away as the stand was too busy to look around!

By the time it came to take down the stand and pack up on Sunday evening we were all buzzing although thoroughly exhausted, however, we had met so many wonderful people – both customers and other exhibitors that we are definitely looking at doing it again next year (must be mad!!).  As always these events wouldn’t be possible without the wonderful Pink Confetti Team – Michelle, Carol, Kirsty, Sue, Tracy and Alison – thank you just isn’t enough!

So where to now! 

We have several local wedding fairs planned and are looking forward to attending all these lovely venues and meeting lots more wonderful people.  You can come along and see us at:

Best Western Ullesthorpe Court – Sunday 14^th October

LutterworthTown   Hall – Sunday 21^st October

Catthorpe Manor – Sunday 4^th November

City Rooms, Leicester – Sunday 4^th November

We are also delighted to be part of the Winter Wonderland Wedding Show on Sunday 9^th December at HolywellPark, Loughborough, Leics.  This event promises to be a winter extravaganza and we’ve heard that even Santa may possibly pay a visit!

Designer Events

Alongside the wedding fairs we have two Designer Events planned with Nicola Anne joining us on Saturday 20^th October showing her new ‘Vintage’ collection for 2013!  This has been so popular that the day is virtually fully booked so we are extending our opening hours to make new appointments available!

We are very excited about welcoming Lou Lou for our designer weekend on 10^th & 11^th November showcasing their new bridal collection along with a selection of the bridesmaid designs.  Lou Lou specialise in creating gowns with a vintage, retro twist and this weekend has already attracted a lot of interest, so we are looking forward to a very busy event.

Only 75 sleeps until Christmas!

Although hard to believe that it’s nearly that time of year again we are once again planning some late night shopping events where there will be some great bargains to be had from our fashion handbags, shoes & jewellery ranges – watch this space or our Facebook page for details!