There’s something extremely special and moving about how it feels when you are announced as an award winner. We are no stranger to the awards circuit and as a bridal business owner who is keen to make sure we stand out, you may be aware that we have entered many awards over the years and have proudly been in that very fortunate position to hear our name announced as a winner on 27 occasions.
This year we had our heart set on one accolade. We’ve been in the finals for this particular award on several occasions but I had never clinched the Bridal Buyer title of ‘Best Bridal Retailer of the Year England’!
The Bridal Buyer awards are considered the Oscars of our industry. It’s where all the industry movers and shakers are at, the best designers and manufacturers and of course the best wedding dress and menswear retailers too! It’s a real highlight in the business calendar, everyone gets really dressed up and heads off to a glittering awards ceremony to party, to see who won what and celebrate the best of the best in bridal.
This year I had a total meltdown about my outfit because yet again I decided to go for a fitted fishtail. It seemed like a good idea at the time but on the day of the awards and as nerves started to kick in I realised that I felt a bit insecure about my dress which probably revealed too much in the wrong way for my liking, if you see what I mean.
So there I was on the Mon Cherie / Ellie Wilde trade stand selecting new collections for the shop and moaning about my proposed outfit, loudly. And it was at that point the team offered me the chance of borrowing one of their dresses. I thought ‘Oooooooo, well they are very pretty and sparkly and a ball gown shape is so much easier to party in’ … and that’s why I ended up in a very sparkly, very beautiful blingy gold number by Ellie Wilde – basically because I had been moaning and they came to my rescue with an alternative gown.
The evening itself was absolutely amazing! I was very nervous and barely ate a thing. We were at the show with our awesome Managers Tyndall and Georgina and of course my lovely husband (and joint business owner partner in crime), my Rob was there too looking - rather dashing in a tux ….
The competition in our category was extremely tough. There really are some incredibly bridal businesses in the UK and some of them were in the category as Finalists also for this award, so when they read out our name we just went crazy! We so badly wanted to win that title! It was bucket list stuff for sure and we were so so proud and happy (and overwhelmed) to win that night. It was a truly special and memorable evening.
The next day the Mon Cheri / Ellie Wilde team gifted me that beautiful gold ballgown as a keepsake memento of our truly incredible evening! I was so touched at the gesture and cried (again)!
Thank you to each and every team member that makes our little business so special (and award winning), thank you to all of our customers who continue to support our business and buy our beautiful products. Last but by no means least thank you so much to the amazing Judges who awarded us this title – it means the absolute world and we are so extremely grateful to be recognised in this way.
At Abigail's Collection we are an award winning wedding dress / bridal wear shop based in Colchester, Essex. Visit us and book an appointment for beautiful wedding dresses and bridal wear for Brides, and Bridesmaids.